STAFFORD

Stafford Motor Car Co.

Topeka, Kansas (1908-1910)

Kansas City, Kansas (1910-1915) 

This is a Stafford radiator script (1908-1911)   sam
Size: 203mm wide 

Terry Stafford was a talented mechanic from Topeka, who engineered the Smith car, but left to set up the Stafford Motor Car Company in Topeka in 1908 to produce the Stafford car.  He moved his operations to Kansas City in 1910.

The Stafford was a 30 hp four-cylinder touring car and there was a lower priced companion roadster model. Terry Stafford engineered his own transmission and drive units but he could not compete with the growing competition and production ceased in 1915 after a total production of just under 500 cars.

Emblems

Early Stafford cars at least carried a brass "Stafford" script attached to the radiator core, see example at the top of this post. Original Stafford radiator scripts are very rare.

The following original period photo, labelled as a 1911 Stafford touring, appears to show the "Stafford" script still being displayed on the radiator core, although the detail is unclear:

Stafford Touring displaying radiator script (1911)  dpl

 
The following photo is reported to show the only surviving Stafford car, a restored 1911 Stafford touring car, which is believed to have been used as a racing car for promotional purposes. This car has a round radiator emblem displaying the monogram "SMC", presumably for "Stafford Motor Car". This emblem is not clearly visible in the original 1911 Stafford touring car photo shown earlier above but this may be due to the poor quality of the photo.

Restored Stafford touring race car (1911)     oldtimer-classiccars 

Close up showing Stafford radiator emblem (1911)

I do not know if this Stafford radiator emblem is a restored original emblem or if it was made specially for this Stafford car restoration. If this is a genuine restored original Stafford radiator emblem, it would be extremely rare and possibly ultra rare.

The restored 1911 Stafford touring race car shown above also displays the "Stafford" name in the same style as the original "Stafford" radiator script shown earlier, on the painted brass serial plate, the cast brass step plates and the cast brass foot pedals, see photos shown below:

Stafford serial plate (1911)    conceptcarz

Stafford step plate (1911)     conceptcarz

Stafford foot pedal (1911)    conceptcarz

SELLERS

Sellers Motor Car Co. (1909-1912)
Hutchinson, Kansas

This is a Sellers nameplate (c1910)     mjs
Size: 89mm wide 54mm high

The Sellers was a well-built 35 hp four-cylinder five-passenger touring model. Two Sellers cars were entered in the Kansas-Colorado Endurance Run of 1909; one finished with a perfect score, the other made the fastest time for the event. The first production Sellers car appeared in July 1909. 

Production was about three cars a week but this was too low to support the high manufacturing costs and a lack of working capital prevented expansion of production. By June 1912 it was all over and the Sellers plant was sold.

Emblem

There are very few photos of Sellers cars and none appear to have survived. The Sellers cars seen in original period photos did not carry an emblem or display a radiator script, see example photos shown below: 

This is a Sellers touring car (1909)      khs

This is a Sellers car (c1910)    wheelsage

This is a Sellers "35" (c1910)   khs

The "Sellers" name was certainly displayed on a painted brass maker's nameplate/serial plate. The Sellers plate shown above at the top of this post was used as a Sellers model nameplate and has no serial number. This Sellers nameplate is rare.

It is possible that emblems were used before the end of production in 1912 but I can find no evidence of this. If you have details of any Sellers emblems, please let me know, in order to update this post.

SMITH/GREAT SMITH

Smith Automobile Co. (1903-1911)
Topeka, Kansas 

This is a Great Smith radiator script (1907-1911)    mjs
Size: 327mm wide

The Smith family of Topeka formed a partnership in 1898 with Terry Stafford, a local mechanic, to build automobiles. A few gasoline cars were built by 1900 and two steamers in 1902. Then in 1903 automobile production began in earnest and the Smith Automobile Company was incorporated in 1904. The first cars were two-cylinder models marketed as the Veracity. A 20/24hp four-cylinder car appeared in 1906 and the name became the Smith.

The Great Smith introduced in 1907 was a smarter version of the Smith. A six-cylinder model was also offered in 1907 but only ten were sold and it was discontinued. By late 1909 the company was under the control of a group of businessmen from Grand Rapids, Michigan who wanted to move the enterprise to Grand Rapids. But a license to move to Grand Rapids was not granted and the businessmen lost interest. Through neglect and lack of finance, the Smith Automobile Company failed and was in receivership by late 1910. The plant was sold in 1911 and the last Great Smith cars were built from parts on hand.

Emblems

The first Veracity and Smith cars did not carry an emblem but, from 1904, they did display the "Smith" name on a Smith Automobile Company nameplate/serial plate attached to the body of the car, see example shown below. This Smith Automobile Company nameplate is very rare.

Smith Automobile Company nameplate/serial plate (1904-1910) mjs
Size: 98mm wide 37mm high

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

This is a Smith/Great Smith hubcap (c1904-1911)    dkc

The Great Smith also did not appear to carry a radiator emblem but did display the "Great Smith" name on a cast brass script mounted on the radiator core on some models, see example shown above at the top of this post. Emblem collectors should beware as there are reproduction Great Smith radiator scripts. Original Great Smith radiator scripts are very rare.

The following painted, heavy cast metal Great Smith emblem is a genuine original emblem but it is not clear where this emblem was mounted. It is possible that this Great Smith emblem was a hub emblem. This Great Smith emblem is very rare.

This is a Great Smith emblem (c1907-1911)   mjs
Size: 84mm diameter     MM: None

JONES

Jones Motor Car Co. (1914-1920)

Wichita, Kansas

This is a Jones radiator emblem (1917-1920)     mjs
Size: 54mm high 44mm wide    MM: Unknown

In 1914 John J. Jones established the Jones Motor Car Company and decided to build a medium-priced six-cylinder motor car. The first Jones appeared in 1915 and was a 21.6 hp five-passenger touring model. The Jones automobile was immediately successful and by 1917 a two-passenger roadster and a five-passenger touring sedan model were also offered.

In 1918 Jones started to build light trucks also. The first trucks were 1-ton capacity using four-cylinder engines. A 2-ton truck was planned but does not appear to have been put into production. By 1919, Jones began building roadster-pickups with a drill bit rack on the rear deck, called the Oil Field Special. Some special, custom built Jones cars were also built for wealthy customers.

Everything was going well and a very wide range of body styles was offered for the 1920 model year but in February 1920 a fire seriously damaged the plant and destroyed completed cars and bodies. The fire, combined with the postwar recession, finished the Jones and it was all over by August 1920.

Emblems

The first Jones cars carried an oval-shaped blue enamel "The Jones Six" radiator emblem, see example shown below. This Jones Six radiator emblem is extremely rare.

This is a Jones Six radiator emblem (1915-1916)     mjs
Size: 77mm wide 48mm high     MM: Unknown

The following is a Jones Six hub emblem:

This is a Jones Six hub emblem (1915-1916)    dkc

Some Jones Six models did not carry a raiator emblem but did display a Jones Six radiator script, see the original 1915 Jones Six advertising poster shown below:

This advertising poster shows a Jones Six radiator script (1915)    ms

Close-up showing a Jones Six radiator script (1915) 

The Jones Six radiator script s more clearly seen on the following original Jones factory illustration dated 1917:

This is a Jones Six showing a radiator script (1917)    freelibrary

Close-up showin the Jones Six radiator script (1917)     

Original Jones Six radiator scripts are very rare.

For 1917, a new shield-shaped Jones radiator emblem appeared, see Jones advertisement shown below:

Jones advertisement showing the new radiator emblem (1917)   ms

The black, white and blue enamel Jones radiator emblem is shown above at the top of this post. This Jones radiator emblem is very rare.

The following black painted Jones Six hub emblem is also very rare:

This is a Jones Six hub emblem (1917-1920)     sam
Size: 55mm diameter

The following Jones Six wire-wheel hub emblem is an obvious reproduction emblem:

This is a reproduction Jones Six wire-wheel hub emblem    ms