MIDLAND

Midland Motor Co. (1908-1913)

East Moline, Illinois

This is a Midland radiator emblem (c1912-1913)     sam
Size: 60mm diameter    MM: Unknown

The Midland Motor Company was set up following a reorganization of the Deere-Clark Motor Car Company in 1908 (see Deere). The first Midland was a 30/35 hp four-cylinder touring car. A companion 25/30 hp line was offered in 1909 and by 1910 the horsepower range had increased to 40 hp and 50 hp. 

The Midland was a fine automobile and production rose to over 600 per year by 1911. But in 1913 production ceased when Midland declared bankruptcy due, it was later revealed, to a variety of serious irregularities in the company's operations and finances.

Emblems

The Midland used a distinctive logo with a British pound-sterling sign in place of the letter "L" in the center of the Midland name, see example shown in the following Midland advertisement:

Midland ad showing logo (1908)  ebay

The first Midland cars from 1908 had the "Midland" logo embossed in the top center of the brass radiator, see example below:

This shows the Midland logo in the top center of the Midland radiator (1911)   ms

The "Midland" name was also displayed on a serial plate usually attached to the dash or under the driver's seat, see example shown below:

This is a Midland serial plate (c1910)  mjs
Size: 80mm wide 48mm high

Early period photos show Midland cars with the embossed radiator emblem but also displaying the "Midland" logo on a large brass script mounted on the radiator core, see example shown below:

Midland car with large radiator script in Glidden Tour (1909) dpl

From 1910, the "Midland" radiator script was smaller and usually mounted in the middle of the radiator core, see example shown below:

Midland car with small rad script (1910)    dpl

This is similar to the Midland radiator script shown below. Original Midland radiator scripts are rare.

This is a Midland radiator script (c1910-1911)   ms

Midland cars with the small radiator script are seen in photographs taken at trade shows in the 1910 period but not all, see example shown below of a 1910 Midland trade show car with the embossed radiator emblem but no radiator script:

Midland trade show car with no rad script (1910)  dpl

This suggests that the Midland radiator script may have been an optional extra but used at car events for publicity purposes.

From about 1912, the embossed Midland radiator emblem was replaced by a round blue and white enamel radiator emblem, see example shown above at the top of this post and again below. This Midland radiator emblem is extremely rare.

This is a Midland radiator emblem (c1912-1913)   sam
Size: 60mm diameter   MM: Unknown

SALVADOR/S J R

Salvador Motor Co. (1914)
S J R Motor Co. (1915-1916)
Boston, Massachusetts

This may be a reproduction S J R radiator emblem (1915-1916)  jtc
Size: 51mm high 51mm wide    MM: Unknown 

Salvador J. Richards introduced his Salvador cyclecar in May 1914. The Salvador cyclecar was powered by a 12 hp four-cylinder water-cooled engine with worm drive and a three-speed selective transmission. However, the Salvador was unsuccessful and was discontinued by the end of 1914. 

In February 1915, Salvador Richards announced his new S J R Motor Company and the S J R car, a 25/30 hp four-cylinder water-cooled three-passenger roadster called the Boulevard-Roadster, which had worm drive and the same transmission system as the Salvador. Production of the S J R was minimal and it was all over by mid-1916.

Emblems

The following illustration of the 1914 Salvador cyclecar shows a small shield-shaped radiator emblem, the detail of which cannot be seen. 

 

This is a Salvador cyclecar with rad emblem (1914)
autopasion

If you have better details of the Salvador radiator emblem, please let me know, in order to update this post. An original Salvador cyclecar radiator emblem, if it could be found, would be extremely rare and possibly ultra rare.

The following advertisement showing the S J R Boulevard Roadster includes the S J R Motor Company logo or trademark:

S J R ad showing logo (1916)   atj

The S J R Boulevard Roadster carried a radiator emblem following the design of the company logo. This was a red and white enamel radiator emblem similar to that shown above at the top of this post and again below. However, the S-J-R radiator emblem shown lacks the depth of detail in the border wreath that would be expected on an original emblem and is believed to be a reproduction. An original S-J-R radiator emblem, if this could be found, would be extremely rare.

This may be a reproduction S J R radiator emblem (1915-1916)  jtc
Size: 51mm high 51mm wide    MM: Unknown

LEMOON

Nelson & LeMoon (1910-1927)
Nelson-LeMoon Truck Co. (1927-1939)
Chicago, Illinois

This is a Le Moon radiator emblem (c1920-1927 dates uncertain)    mjs
Size: 67mm wide 37mm high    MM: Unknown (some D L Auld)

The first recorded LeMoon truck built in 1910 was a conventional four-cylinder 1-ton vehicle using double chain drive. It was joined by a 1-1/2-ton capacity truck in 1911. For 1913, 2-ton and 3-ton capacity models were added and in 1918 a 5-ton capacity model was introduced. Worm drive replaced chain drive in 1915 on all but the heaviest trucks. 

From 1913 to 1927 the name Nelson-LeMoon was used rather than plain LeMoon, which became the name again after 1927. By 1930 there were no fewer than eleven models in the LeMoon range. By 1931 LeMoon built a 12-ton six-wheeler with double worm drive. LeMoon introduced some straight-eight engines in the early 1930s and Cummins diesel engines were also available from 1932. Cab-over-engine models and articulated truck tractors were also introduced.

LeMoon diversified in the late 1930's by building taxicabs and a motor home but all production ceased in 1939. Lifetime LeMoon production was about 3,000 trucks.

Emblems

The earliest LeMoon trucks did not carry an emblem but would have displayed the "LeMoon" name on a maker's nameplate or serial plate attached to the body of the truck. 

Original photos of a LeMoon truck taking part in the 1911 Chicago Reliability Run confirm that the truck did not have an emblem but it had the "LeMoon" name stenciled in large letters on the radiator core, see example shown below:

LeMoon truck at Chicago Reliability Run (1911)   dpl

It is likely that this bold identification was specially made for publicity purposes at the Chicago Reliability Run. A more modest "LeMoon" stencil may have been used to put the name on the radiator tank top or on the radiator grille of later models but this cannot be confirmed.

From 1913, the "Nelson-LeMoon" name was used, see the following example of the name stenciled on the front of the radiator tank top of a surviving 1915 Nelson & LeMoon truck. However, this truck has been repainted and it is not certain that this style of lettering was used originally.

Nelson-LeMoon truck showing radiator emblem (1915)  natm

Nelson & LeMoon truck radiator emblem (1915)  natm

Although it is reported that Nelson & LeMoon trucks used the "Nelson-LeMoon" name from 1913 to 1927, the following surviving LeMoon truck from 1920 carries a small radiator emblem marked "LeMoon" only. The emblem sits well on the radiator tank top, which appears too small for the larger   "LeMoon" emblems known to have been used from 1927, see later below. 

Nelson-LeMoon truck with small radiator emblem (1920)    gary alan nelson

This is the blue and white enamel LeMoon radiator emblem shown above at the top of this post and again below. This LeMoon radiator emblem is rare.

This is a LeMoon radiator emblem (c1920-1927 dates uncertain)  mjs
Size: 67mm wide 37mm high   MM: Unknown (some D L Auld)

The Nelson-LeMoon Truck Company was incorporated in 1927 and a new pressed brass radiator emblem appeared, see example shown below:

This is a LeMoon stake truck (1928)   mecum

LeMoon stake truck radiator & emblem (1928)  mecum

This is a LeMoon radiator emblem (1928)   mecum

The following is a very similar but later black painted chrome, pressed metal version of the LeMoon radiator emblem. This LeMoon truck radiator emblem is scarce.

This is a LeMoon radiator emblem (c1935-1939)    lktec
Size: 159mm wide 75mm high    MM: None

G.V. MERCEDES

General Vehicle Co. (1913-1918)
Long Island City, New York

This is a G.V. Mercedes serial plate (c1913)   mjs
Size: 90mm wide 90mm high    

The General Vehicle Company held the license to assemble American Daimler trucks in the USA. The G.V. Mercedes was a four-cylinder water-cooled 6-ton capacity gasoline powered truck with cast steel wheels and shaft drive (see G.V.).

The G.V. Mercedes truck was essentially a copy of the German truck design and remained an outdated commercial vehicle using kerosene lamps and hand-crank starting until production ceased in the U.S. in 1918. 

Emblem

I can find no evidence of an emblem for the G.V. Mercedes trucks but General Vehicle hubcaps may have been used, although I cannot confirm this.

The "G.V. Mercedes" name, however, was displayed on a serial plate attached to the dash or under the driver's seat, see example shown above at the top of this post. Original G.V. Mercedes serial plates are rare.

COLLIER

Collier Motor Truck Co.
Painesville, Ohio (1916-1917)
Sandusky, Ohio (1917)
Bellevue, Ohio (1918-1922)

This is a Collier heavy duty truck radiator emblem (1920)  hatm

The Collier truck was designed by William H. Collier, who had previously designed the Marathon motor car. The Collier Motor Truck Company was established in 1916 with a sales office in Cleveland, Ohio but the manufacturing plant was initially located in Painesville, Ohio. 

Most American truck references report that the first Collier trucks were 1/2-ton capacity units based on a standard passenger car design, although a Collier 3/4-ton Light Delivery truck advertisement in 1917 says "It is ALL Truck" and "It is not a cross between a touring car and a truck" and another Collier truck advertisement in 1918 makes a point of declaring that it was "not a pleasure car chassis with a freight body but a genuine truck through and through". I can find no evidence of a half ton Collier truck but early Collier trucks were certainly light weight. The Commercial Vehicle magazine announced in January 1917, that the four-cylinder 3/4-ton capacity Collier truck introduced in 1916 would be continued in 1917. 

The Collier moved from Painesville and spent several months in Sandusky before moving to a new plant in Bellevue, Ohio in 1918, when it was announced that the 3/4-ton Collier truck could be had with any of three body styles. In  March 1919, a 1-1/4-ton capacity Collier speed truck was announced and by 1920, Collier offered 1-ton, 1-1/2-ton and 2-ton capacity trucks. The Collier suffered problems in the post First World War recession and by March 1922, the Collier range had been reduced to a 3/4-ton to 1-1/2-ton capacity speed truck. 

The Collier Motor Truck Company was in receivership by July 1922 and the Krebs Motor Truck Company announced that it was to take over production of the Collier but the truck was renamed the Krebs.

Emblems

I can find no photos clearly showing the front of the radiator of the Collier 3/4-ton Light Delivery truck and there appear to be no surviving examples. However, Collier truck articles and advertisements include photos and illustrations of the 3/4-ton truck, which indicate that these trucks had conventional radiators with sheet metal shells, see Collier 1500 lb truck photo from a Commercial Vehicle magazine article shown below.

Collier 1500 lb truck showing conventional radiator (1916) tcv

The conventional radiator is also seen in the following Collier 3/4-ton truck advertisement shown below:

Collier 3/4-ton truck ad (1918)   newspapers

It is possible that the "Collier" name was stamped into the radiator top of early light duty Collier trucks but I cannot confirm this. 

However, the 1918 Collier truck advertisement shown above includes what appears to be a "Collier" trucks logo and, although it is far from clear, the following illustration, from an advertisement for Collier 1-1/4-ton and 1-1/2-ton trucks, seems to show this "Collier" logo on the front of the radiator tank top:

Collier truck ad illustration showing possible Collins logo radiator emblem (c1919)    bwc

From about 1919, heavier duty Collier trucks had a cast iron radiator with a ribbed radiator tank top with the "Collier" name cast into the top of the radiator, see original Collier truck photo shown below:

Collier truck showing rad & emblem (1919)  bwc

This cast in "Collier" radiator emblem is seen more clearly on the following two surviving Collier 2-ton models:

Collier 2-ton truck radiator (1919)  bwc

Collier 2-ton truck showing radiator (1920)    hatm

The Collier heavy duty truck cast-in radiator emblem is shown more clearly above at the top of this post and again below:

Collier heavy duty truck radiator emblem (1920)   hatm

The "Collier" logo style name was displayed on cast iron Collier nameplates mounted on the sides of the main chassis frame members on these heavy duty Collier trucks. The surviving 1919 Collier 2-ton truck shown earlier above still retained damaged cast iron nameplates, see photo below:

Collier 2-ton truck chassis side nameplate (1919)  bwc

The following reproduction Collier chassis side nameplate was copied from the original, damaged cast iron nameplates from 1919 shown above:

Reproduction Collier chassis side nameplate (c1919-1922)  bwc

A photo of the final Collier speed truck appearing in a Commercial Car Journal article in March 1922, shows the same cast iron ribbed top radiator shown earlier but with a different cast radiator emblem. The photo is not very clear but the radiator emblem appears to be similar to the "Collier" trucks logo shown earlier and the truck is also seen to carry the "Collier" logo style chassis side nameplate shown above, see below:

Collier Speed truck article (1922) ccj

Collier Speed Truck showing radiator emblem & chassis side nameplate (1922)    ccj

Collier Speed Truck radiator showing emblem (1922)  moroz 

IMP

Imp Cyclecar Co. (1913-1914)
Auburn, Indiana

This is a restored Imp hood script    acdm

The Imp Cyclecar Company was a subsidiary of the W. H. McIntyre Company (see McIntyre). The Imp was a small, lightweight cyclecar designed by William B. Stout, who later designed the Stout Scarab motor car and the Ford trimotor airplane.

The Imp was powered by a 15 hp vee-twin air-cooled engine with friction transmission and belt drive. The Imp had no axles and the wheels were mounted on transverse springs. A four-cylinder model followed in 1914. 

Imp production began in 1913 at ten cars a month but increased to 50 cars a month by mid-1914. Total Imp production was several hundred cars but the Imp cyclecar was a distraction for the W. H. McIntyre Company, which was in serious trouble by late 1914 and, when the company folded, the Imp was finished too.

Emblem

A restored Imp cyclecar on display at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Auto Museum is possibly the sole surviving Imp, see below:

This is an Imp cyclecar with a painted hood side script (1914) acdm

The Imp did not carry an emblem but did display the "Imp " name in the form of a script painted or using a decal attached to the side of the hood. The restored example shown above has been given a brightly colored painted "Imp" script, see photo shown above at the top of this post. This script style is based on the original "Imp" script style shown below.

The original Imp cyclecar had the "Imp" name displayed on the side of the hood in much smaller letters, probably using a colored decal, see the original photo shown below:

Imp cyclecar showing hood side nameplate script (1913)  acdm

Close-up showing Imp hood side script (1913)

ANDERSON (1)

Anderson Carriage Manufacturing Co. (1907-1910)
Anderson, Indiana

This is an Anderson maker's nameplate/serial plate (1907)  ms

The Anderson Carriage Manufacturing Company built high quality high-wheeler buggies and were proud of this. "The Anderson is a motor buggy" said Anderson advertisements "It isn't meant to be anything else".

The Anderson was initially a 12 hp air cooled two-cylinder air-motor buggy with friction drive and solid rubber tires. The engine size raised to 14 hp in 1910. The Anderson catalog for 1910 offers eleven models, including some models with lower wheels and pneumatic tires and runabouts with conventional hoods over the engine. Unfortunately, the Anderson did not survive beyond 1910.

Emblem

Most Anderson models were buggies with dash boards at the front. Anderson catalogs do not show any sign of emblems or scripts but one surviving 1907 Anderson has a brass "Anderson" script displayed on the front of the dash, see photo below, but this is may have been added later for decoration during restoration. If a genuine original "Anderson" script could be found it would be extremely rare.

Anderson Buggy with script on the dash (1907)  pinterest

The 1910 Anderson catalog showing models with hoods over the engine also did not display emblems or scripts, see catalog illustrations shown below:

Anderson Model M showing no emblem (1910)  hcfi

Anderson Model O showing no emblem (1910)  hcfi

The Anderson buggies did display the company name on a small maker's nameplate/serial plate attached to the rear of the vehicle, see example shown above at the top of this post and again below. This Anderson nameplate/serial plate is very rare.

This is an Anderson maker's nameplate/serial plate (1907)   ms