ECONOMY (2)

Economy Motor Co. (1916-1919)

Tiffin & Bellefontaine, Ohio

This is an Economy radiator emblem (1916-1919)    mjs
Size: 69mm high 47mm wide    MM: Unknown

The first Economy cars in 1916-1917 were four-cylinder assembled touring cars and the Thre-Dor Roadster, which had a third door to allow all five passengers easy access to their seats. In 1917 the company merged with the Bellefontaine Automobile Company and production began in Bellefontaine as well as in Tiffin. An eight-cylinder model joined the line in 1918 but by the end of 1919 the Economy was finished.

Total Economy production was only about 470 cars. The make was resurrected in Tiffin in 1920 as a six-cylinder car called the Economy-Vogue, which became the Vogue in 1921.

Emblem

The blue enamel Economy radiator emblem shown above is very rare.

COLUMBIA

Columbia Automobile Co. (1899-1901)
Electric Vehicle Co. (1901-1909)
Columbia Motor Car Co. (1909-1913)
Hartford, Connecticut

This is a Columbia radiator emblem (1911-1913)    mjs
Size: 57mm diameter  MM: Unknown (poss Whitehead & Hoag)

Colonel Albert Pope was America's largest producer of bicycles, which were marketed under the Columbia name. Pope started to experiment with automobiles in 1896 with both electric and gasoline powered vehicles. In 1899, the Electric Vehicle Company merged with Pope's automobile manufacturing facilities in order to build electric taxicabs. The result was the Columbia Automobile Company to manufacture the cars and the Electric Vehicle Company as the holding company for the taxicab subsidiaries to be set up in various cities in America.

The Columbia Automobile Company name was dropped in 1901 and Electric Vehicle Company was the company name used for all Columbia automobiles, both gasoline and electric. By 1904 there were as many as 37 different Columbia models available. Over the next few years, the production of gasoline powered cars increased faster than electric cars and the number of different models was rationalized. In 1907 to 1908 a hybrid gas-electric called the Magnetic was introduced. Both electric and gasoline powered commercial vehicles were also built by Columbia between 1899 and 1907.

In 1909 there were five gasoline models and just two electrics. That year the company name was changed to Columbia Motor Car Company. Production continued to increase but in 1910 the company was absorbed into Benjamin Briscoe's United States Motor group. The Columbia continued until the collapse of United States Motor in 1913.

Emblems

The Columbia bicycles made by the Pope Manufacturing Company displayed a "Columbia" trademark script on the bicycle head stock emblem and in advertisements, see example below:

Columbia bicycle ad with script & emblem (1897) ms

Early advertisements of Columbia motor cars also displayed the "Columbia" trademark script, see example below:

Columbia motor carriage ad with script logo (1898)  ms

The first Columbia motor cars did not carry an emblem but would have displayed the "Columbia" name on a small maker's plate or serial plate attached to the body of the car. 

A surviving, much restored Columbia electric landaulet has the "Columbia" trademark script and company name either painted or displayed on a decal on the side of the vehicle, see the photo shown below. However, I cannot confirm that this script would have been used originally.

Columbia electric landaulet side inscription (1899)  rmsothebys 

The following is an early example of a small brass Columbia maker's nameplate, which was attached to the body of a Columbia electric car. Early Columbia maker's nameplates are very rare.

This is a Columbia maker's nameplate (1903)     gcm

The Columbia script logo was also displayed on the hubcaps, see example shown below:

This is a Columbia hubcap (c1903)      dkc

Columbia scripts were not displayed on early cars. A number of restored early Columbia cars do display scripts, but these have been added later during restoration. A possible exception is the following "Columbia" script painted on the outside of the dash of a restored 1903 Columbia car. Scripts are known to have been painted on the dash on some very early motor cars.

Columbia electric with script painted on the dash (1903)  hyman

The first four-cylinder gasoline powered Columbia cars appearing in 1904, carried a small brass nameplate mounted on the radiator tank top, see example shown below:

This is a Columbia car showing a radiator nameplate (1904)   bruceduffie

However, this radiator nameplate is a radiator maker's emblem and not a Columbia nameplate.

The same nameplate is seen on a surviving 1904 Columbia, see photo shown below:

Columbia Mark XLIII with radiator maker's emblem (1904)  bonhams  

The brass Columbia radiator script seen on this surviving Columbia is unlikely to be original, as Columbia scripts are not seen in original Columbia car photos until about 1910.

The same Columbia Mark XLIII shown above has the original Columbia serial and patent plates displayed on the dashboard, see below. Original Columbia serial and patent plates are very rare.

This is the Columbia serial plate (1904)    bonhams

Columbia patent plate displayed top left side on dash (1904) bonhams

By the following year, the Columbia patent and serial plates had been combined into a single data plate, see example shown below. This Columbia combined data plate is rare.

This is a combined Columbia patent/serial plate (1905)   mjs
Size: 113mm wide 56mm high

Some Columbia cars from 1906 carry a wider brass plate on the radiator tank top, see example shown below. 

Columbia car with radiator nameplate (1906)    dpl    

   Close up showing radiator emblem/nameplate (1906)   

This is a Columbia radiator nameplate emblem, which can be more clearly seen on a surviving 1906 Columbia Mark XLVII, see below. This Columbia radiator nameplate emblem appears similar to the 1903 maker's nameplate shown earlier above and is extremely rare.

This is a Columbia Mark XLVII with a Columbia nameplate emblem (1906)    conceptcarz

By 1909, the Columbia serial plate no longer included any patent details but did include the Columbia script logo, as well as the model designation, see example shown below. This Columbia serial plate is rare.

This is a Columbia Mark 48-3 serial plate (1909)    mjs
Size: 85mm wide 40mm high

The Columbia hubcaps had also changed by 1909, see example shown below:

This is a Columbia hubcap (c1910)     dkc

I can find no further evidence of emblems or radiator scripts from original photos or advertisements up to 1910, see one of several specially commissioned Columbia advertisements published in Life magazine in 1910 which still shows no external identification:

Columbia ad showing no emblem or script (1910) Life

However, the first "Columbia" radiator scripts appear in some original photos from 1910, see example shown below:

This is a Columbia car with rad script in the NY to Atlanta Good Roads Tour (1910)   dpl

The 1910 Columbia sales catalog contains illustrations of Columbia cars, which carry a small metal "Columbia" script mounted on the front hood sides, see example shown below:

Columbia Mark 48 Touring with hood side scripts (1910) kcstudio

Close up showing location of "Columbia" hood side script (1910)

A Columbia car taking part in the 1911 Glidden Tour is seen in original photos to carry a large round radiator emblem, although the detailed design of the emblem cannot be seen, see photo shown below:

Columbia car on Glidden Tour with large radiator emblem (1911) dpl

Close-up showing large round radiator emblem (1911)    dpl

I can find no other Columbia cars with this radiator emblem. A smaller, round radiator emblem is seen on other Columbia cars in 1911, so it is possible that the large round Columbia radiator emblem shown above is a prototype emblem. If this emblem can be identified and found it may be ultra rare.

The following photo of a surviving Columbia Mark 85 shows a smaller round radiator emblem:

This is a Columbia Mark 85 with a round radiator emblem (1911)    kcstudio

This emblem is the brown, black and white Columbia radiator emblem illustrating various mechanical and other instruments shown below. This Columbia radiator emblem is extremely rare.

This is a Columbia radiator emblem (1911-1912)    mjs
Size: 57mm diameter    MM: Whitehead & Hoag

Advertisements for the Columbia Knight in 1912 and 1913 show a similar Columbia radiator emblem but with a serrated edge, see example shown below:

Columbia Silent Knight advertisement (1912) Life

Columbia Knight ad showing radiator emblem (1913)

This Columbia emblem is the brown, black and white enamel Columbia radiator emblem with a serrated edge, as shown above at the top of this post and again below. This Columbia radiator emblem is extremely rare.

This is a Columbia radiator emblem (1912-1913)    mjs
Size: 57mm diameter  MM: Unknown (poss Whitehead & Hoag)

R.C.H.

Hupp Corp. (1912)

R.C.H. Corp. (1912-1915)

Detroit, Michigan

This is an R.C.H. radiator emblem (1912-1915)    mjs
Size: 90mm high 88mm wide

When Robert C Hupp left his Hupp Motor Car Company in 1911 after disagreements with his board of directors (see Hupmobile), he set up Hupp Corporation and announced a new electric car called the Hupp-Yeates (see Hupp-Yeates) and a new gasoline car called the R.C.H., which arrived for the 1912 model year. Hupp was forced to change the name of his company, which became the R.C.H. Corporation.

The first R.C.H. car was a 22 hp four-cylinder model with a self-starter and was offered in five body styles. It was very successful with 7,000 cars sold in 1912 and with orders on the books for more than 15,000 for the 1913 models. But Hupp did not have the necessary working capital and in July 1913 the company was in receivership.

Robert Hupp left the company to try again with the Monarch car and the new owners continued production of the R.C.H., but, in the rush to meet initial demand, quality was sacrificed and many cars sold started to fall apart. The reputation of the R.C.H. was damaged and it was all over by 1915.

Emblem

The R.C.H. script shown above was carried by most R.C.H. cars. The script was either attached to the radiator top or to the radiator core. Original R.C.H. scripts are rare.

The emblem shown below has been seen displayed at the top of the radiator of a 1912 model R.C.H. but I cannot confirm if this was an original emblem. If this is indeed an original R.C.H. radiator emblem, it would be very rare.

This appears to be an R.C.H. radiator emblem (c1912)    ms
Size: Unknown

MACCAR

Mac-Carr Co. (1912-1913)

Allentown, Pennsylvania

Maccar Truck Co. (1914-1929)

Scranton, Pennsylvania

Maccar-Selden-Hahn Corp. (1929-1935)

Allentown, Pennsylvania

This is a Maccar radiator emblem (1917)     mjs
Size: 69mm diameter    MM: Whitehead & Hoag

The Mac-Carr Company was formed in 1912 by Jack Mack, one of the Mack brothers who formed the Mack Truck Company (see Mack), and Roland Carr. Their first products were conventional 3/4-ton and 1-1/2-ton delivery trucks called Maccarr.

The company was reorganized without the original partners and moved to Scranton in 1913 as the Maccar Truck Company, which built Maccar trucks initially ranging in size from 3/4-ton to 2-ton capacity, extending in range to 3-1/2-tons and 5-1/2-tons by 1917. During the 1920's Maccar sales were good and the range and types of trucks produced were extended.

In 1929 Maccar joined Selden  and Hahn in a small combine in Allentown and introduced six-wheel trucks and some heavy-duty high speed models. But the depression defeated the joint venture and Maccar was out of business by 1935.

Emblems

I have not seen a Maccarr truck emblem or nameplate but, if these do exist, they would be extremely rare.

The "Maccarr" name was cerainly displayed on Maccarr serial plates and hubcaps, see example below. This Maccarr hubcap face is extremely rare.

This is a Maccarr hub face (1912-1913)     mjs
Size: 56mm wide 50mm high

The following photo shows the Maccar trademark taken from the cover of the first Maccar sales brochure in 1914:

This is the Maccar trademark (1914)     rnmc

The 1914 Maccar sales brochure includes illustrations of the full range of Maccar trucks offered and these show that the 1914 Maccar trucks carried a radiator emblem, see example below:

This is a Maccar 1-ton truck showing a radiator emblem and trademark (1914)   rnmc

I do not have a photo of this Maccar radiator emblem but I am informed that it was like the Maccar trademark, see emblem design below:

This is the Maccar truck radiator emblem design (1914-1916)    rnmc

If this Maccar truck radiator emblem can be found, it would be extremely rare.

This Maccar radiator emblem was used on Maccar trucks until 1917, when the design was changed to include a map of the Americas and was finished in blue, white, pale blue and brown enamel, see example shown above at the top of this post and again below. This Maccar truck radiator emblem was used for about a year only and is very rare.

This is a Maccar radiator emblem (1917)      mjs
Size: 69mm diameter      MM: Whitehead & Hoag

The Maccar trademark design was changed for 1918, see revised trademark design shown below,  which no longer has the link between the letters "A" and "C" and has a simpler style for all the letters in "MACCAR":

This is the revised Maccar trademark used for the radiator emblem (1918)   rnmc

The 1918 Maccar sales brochure shows that the Maccar truck continued to use a radiator emblem, see example below:

This is a Maccar bus (1918)    rnmc

Maccar bus close-up showing the radiator emblem (1918)    rnmc

The quality of the original 1918 Maccar truck photos in the brochure do not allow the radiator emblem design to be seen in close detail, but it is clear that the emblem is similar to the 1917 Maccar radiator emblem shown above at the top of this post with a dark colored Americas in the background. However, it is believed that the "MACCAR" name in the 1918 Maccar radiator emblem design was changed to match the revised Maccar trademark. If this Maccar radiator emblem could be found, it would be extremely rare. 

After 1918, Maccar trucks no longer carried radiator emblems but, instead, the "MACCAR" name was embossed into the radiator tank top, see original 1919 Maccar truck photo below:

This is a Maccar truck radiator showing the embossed "MACCAR" name (1919)    rnmc

This embossed Maccar radiator emblem is more clearly seen in the 1920's survivor shown below:

This is a Maccar truck showing the embossed radiator emblem (1919-1920's)  jonathan flickr

Maccar truck embossed radiator emblem (1919-1920's) 

Some Maccar models also displayed the "Maccar" name on painted nameplates mounted on both sides of the hood, see example in the original photo below of a demountable Maccar engine unit:

Maccar demontable engine unit showing hood side nameplate (1919)   rnmc

The following are some examples of Maccar hood side nameplates:

This is a Maccar hood side nameplate (1922-1928)     mjs
Size: 226mm wide 51mm high

This is a Maccar hood side nameplate (c1922-1926)   mjs
Size: 225mm wide 50mm high

This is a cast metal Maccar hood side nameplate (c1924)    ms
Size: Unknown

This shows a Maccar cast hood side nameplate (1924)  paul vanderwerf flickr 

This is a pressed metal Maccar hood side nameplate    lktec

There are some variations in the design of the Maccar truck radiator emblems during the 1920's and early 1930's. The following original photo from the cover of a 1928 Maccar Models 64 & 66 brochure shows a radiator nameplate similar to the painted hood side nameplate pinned to the front of the radiator tank top:

This is a Maccar Model 66 showing radiator nameplate (1928)    rnmc

This Maccar radiator nameplate and hood side nameplate are also shown on the following photo of a restored 1928 Model 66:

This is a Maccar Model 66 (1928)     caht

The following original photos show some variations in the design of the embossed Maccar nameplate emblem:

This is a Maccar Model 94 with an embossed radiator nameplate (1924)   rnmc

This is a Maccar Model 86A with an embossed radiator emblem (1928)   rnmc

This close-up of a Maccar Model 86A shows an embossed nameplate (1930)    rnmc

The "Maccar" name was also displayed on the hubcaps, see example shown below:

This is a Maccar hubcap face (dates uncertain)   dkc

I have used Ronald N Moskalczak's comprehensively researched book "Maccar Trucks Built in Scranton" as a reference in preparing this web post. I am also most grateful to Ron Moskalczak for his helpful advice regarding Maccar emblems. Any errors in my interpretation of this advice is entirely down to me.