INTER-STATE

Inter-State Automobile Co. (1909-1914)

Inter-State Motor Co. (1915-1919)

Muncie, Indiana

This is an Inter-State radiator emblem (dates uncertain)     mjs
Size: 110mm wide 61mm high    MM: Unknown

Production of the first Inter-State car began in 1909. It was a medium priced 35/40 hp four-cylinder car offered in a variety of body styles. Production grew from 1909 to 1912 but trouble followed soon after. For 1913 the Inter-State became a 38 hp six-cylinder model offered only as a five-passenger touring car. In October 1913 the company announced a lack of working capital and bankruptcy proceedings followed.

In February 1914, Inter-State was sold to F. C. Ball, who had been an investor in Inter-State. He reorganized the company as the Inter-State Motor Company and a new, lower priced, 19.6 hp four-cylinder Inter-State touring car, called the Model T, appeared in 1915. The new Inter-State sold well and production grew each year until 1918, when F. C. Ball stopped production of the Inter-State and turned the plant to manufacture for the war effort. Inter-State also built a Deluxe Delivery van in 1916 and 1917 and a Delivery Wagon in 1918. 

It was planned to resume production of the Inter-State after the First World War but in March 1919 the factory was sold to General Motors for the production of the Sheridan automobile.

Emblems

The first Inter-State cars displayed a large brass "Inter-State" script attached to the radiator core but no radiator emblem, see Inter-State advertisement shown below:

This is an Inter-State ad (1909)     tma

Close up showing the Inter-State radiator script (1909)    tma

Original photos of Inter-State cars show a different "Inter-State" radiator script in use in 1909 and 1910, see example below:

This is an Inter-State showing radiator script at trade show (1910)    dpl

The original, brass Inter-State radiator script shown below is very rare:

This is an Inter-State radiator script (1909-c1910)    mjs
Size: 420mm wide

Details of the first Inter-State radiator emblems is a little confusing, as original photos show very different radiator emblems in use around the same time.

Original photos show a rectangular radiator nameplate emblem displayed on some Interr-State cars in 1909, see example below:

This is an Inter-State at a trade show showing a radiator emblem (1909)    dpl

Close up showing rectangular radiator emblem (1909)     dpl

The same Inter-State radiator emblem is also seen in original photos from 1910, see example below:

This is an Inter-State Model 30 showing a rectangular radiator emblem (1910)    wlb

This radiator emblem was a simple brass nameplate soldered to the radiator tank top, see example below. This Inter-State radiator emblem is extremely rare.

This is an Inter-State radiator emblem (c1909-1910)     mjs
Size: 118mm wide 45mm high     MM: None

A surviving Inter-State Model 30A from 1911 has a similar radiator emblem but impressed into the radiator tank top, see below:

This shows an Inter-State emblem embossed into the radiator tank top (1911)   conceptcarz

Original photos annotated c1909, but more likely 1910, show what appear to be an enamel radiator emblem, see example below:

This photo shows a line of Inter-State cars with radiator emblems (c1909)   dpl

Close up showing radiator emblem (c1909)    dpl

This Inter-State emblem may be the red, white and blue enamel Inter-State radiator emblem shown below but I cannot confirm this, as the detail cannot be seen clearly in the photo, partly due to sunlight reflection on the emblem. The Inter-State radiator emblem shown below is very rare.

This is an Inter-State radiator emblem (c1909-1911)     mjs
Size: 69mm wide 60mm high   MM: Whitehead & Hoag

The following variation of this Inter-State radiator emblem has metal "Inter-State" words and arrows and red enamel side triangles. If this is a genuine Inter-State radiator emblem, it would also be very rare.

This is an Inter-State radiator emblem (c1909-1911)    ms
Size: 69mm wide 60mm high   MM: Unknown

The following Inter-State radiator emblem is seen on a surviving 1913 Model 45 and is very rare:

This is an Inter-State radiator emblem (c1912-1914)      mjs
Size: 69mm wide 60mm high     MM: Unknown (probably W & H)

The following Inter-State radiator emblem may have been used on models intended for export. This Inter-State radiator emblem is also very rare.

This is an Inter-State radiator emblem (c1912-1914)     mjs
Size:69mm wide 60mm high    MM: Unknown (probably W & H)

The following Inter-State advertisement for 1916 shows the radiator emblem used after the company reorganization in mid-1914, probably for the 1915 model year:

This is an Inter-State ad showing the emblem (1916)  ms

The following red and white enamel Inter-State radiator emblem is believed to be the emblem depicted in the advertisement shown above. This Inter-State radiator emblem is rare.

This is an Inter-State radiator emblem (1915-1918)     mjs
Size: 69mm wide 60mm high    MM: Unknown (probably W & H)

The unusual, oval shaped, red and white enamel Inter-State radiator emblem shown above at the top of this post is a mystery. I suspect that it may have been used for some commercial Inter-State vehicles built between 1916 and 1918 but I cannot confirm this.

If you have better details of the use of this Inter-State emblem or the dates of use of any of the other Inter-State radiator emblems, please let me know in order to update this post.