New book on bicycle head badges

[Spaceman Spiff]

Putting this book on my wish list:

http://www.collectorsweekly.com/arti...dbadge-hunter/

I've always loved a classy head badge. To me, it's one of those little touches on a frame that broadcasts "quality."

[rousseau]

Wow. I totally see how you could become infatuated and collect these things. From the article:

[William]

Some cool designs there. Book added to the "acquire" list.





William

[572cv]

Very nice. Some wonderful designs, for sure. Thanks for posting this!

[Louis]

Interesting, but I have to wonder if any HT badge collectors feel bad when they purchase a bike solely for the badge then just toss the frame?

[fiamme red]

Jim Langley is a collector. Scroll down to "Nameplates" and you can see the headbadges in detail.

http://www.jimlangley.net/brake/brake.html

Nameplates (also called “head badges”) are what manufacturers used to attach to the fronts of their bicycles as a classy signature, not unlike Mercedes’ hood ornaments. These plates gave the makers a nifty way to differentiate their models from others. This was important because the bikes often looked remarkably similar. But, if your model featured an amazing nameplate, you could win the sale. Imagine how a 10-year-old might be drawn to a bike with a Robin Hood emblem. And, fittingly, the nameplate often survived long after the bike was tossed because it was the main emotional attachment and easy to store. I collect nameplates because each (I have about 700) makes me imagine who might have ridden that bike.