As I looked at the Waterford site, I realized I was in way over my hea
d as to how the 40's and 50's serial numbers worked and who built wh
at in the 1950's and emailed Bob to that effect.My guess was that th
ey used the A numbers pre-war and that Schwinn attempted to take more co
ntrol of the Paramounts and used the P numbers after the war. I say mo
re control because it seems like there were Schwinn builders and Wastyn
builders alternating back and forth during the period until Schwinn firm
ly took over in 1959. I think the features of ball end stays and flat
end stays, fishmouth filed cast lugs versus more modern looking presse
d lugs could have oscillated back and forth with the builders and may no
t provide definitive dating but I can't imagine you would have much lu
ck selling a fishmouth type lug bike after around 1953 as it would have
looked so old fashioned compared to all the pressed lug bikes that had c
ome out.With that, I think I'm going to give up on speculating abo
ut pre-1959 Paramounts.Joe Bender-ZanoniGreat Notch, NJ----- Origina
l Message -----From: Robert Clair Date: Wednesday, June 21, 2006
8:22 pmSubject: Re: [CR]Wool Jersey Gallery :: SCHWINN PA
RAMOUNT TRACK(OLD)To: joebz@optonline.net> ... and what wo
uld this "A545 be ... ?> rc-> alex, va> ----- Original
Message ----- > From: > To: "Bob Freitas" > Cc: "CLAS
SIC RENDEZVOUS" > Sent: Wednesday, June 21, 2006 10:15 AM>
Subject: Re: [CR]Wool Jersey Gallery :: SCHWINN PARAMOUNT T
RACK(OLD)> > > > Look a little more at the Waterford site as to
serial number P220.> >> > "> >> > The Earliest Seria
l Numbers> > The very first Paramounts seemed to have had serial num
bers > starting with > > "A" followed by two or three digits.
This seems to have been a > system > > started by Emil Wastyn.
We found a very early Paramount - > claimed to be a > > 1938-9 vin
tage - with serial number A545.> > Little is known about serial nu
mbers for bikes built after > World War II. > > Unfortunately,
an office fire in 1948 destroyed the Paramount > records. > > N
umbers mostly followed a three-digit format - often but not > necessar
ily > > with a "P" as the prefix.> > By early 1959, seri
al number 949 had been reached, > necessitating a new > > system
. "> > So by looks and number I would say this is an early 1950'
s > Wastyn built > > bike. It is a great example of a simple fi
shmouth (or > keyhole) lug > > pattern, usually roughed out in a
blank or large lug with one > hole on > > either side and some sa
w cuts.> > Joe Bender-Zanoni> > Great Notch, NJ> >> >
----- Original Message -----> > From: Bob Freitas> > Date:
Wednesday, June 21, 2006 10:31 am> > Subject: [CR]Wool J
ersey Gallery :: SCHWINN PARAMOUNT TRACK(OLD)> > To: CLASSIC R
ENDEZVOUS> > Cc: Richard Schwinn> >> >> I have now poste
d pictures of my Paramount Track bike on> >> wooljersey. I> >
> know little about it as the serial number P220 matches up with> >
> nothing(Waterford website says its a much later bike than it is> >
> based on> >> the serial number) What I do know is my Dad trade
d for it in> >> 1963 and it> >> hung in his shop until 1985
when he retired.> >> Probably 1965 when I had grow enough to fit
on it he took me to> >> Helyer> >> Avenue and we rode some
reconnasence laps (Him Girardengo is> >> also here> >> in my
folder)> >> with him showing me the ropes, I never did develop
any> >> enthusiasm for> >> riding with a pack of maniacs (wi
th no brakes) and went back to> >> Baseball. Some where along th
e line it was switched to FB> >> cranks and hubs.> >> Anyt
hing else you can fill in would be appreciated.> >>> >>>
>>> >> BOB FREITAS> >> looking to be a beautiful day in
> >> MILL> >> VALLEY,CA> >>> >> http://www.
wooljersey.com/gallery/Schwinn-Paramount-track> >>> >>>
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