The ones with the flanges relieved like a Campy high-flange are the Normandy Luxe, a much better-finished hub that cost a lot more. The standard Normandy came on a UO-8, but the Normandy Luxe came on thej PX-10E, in the early '70s. When new enough, the Luxe has a sticker around the middle that says "Luxe."
As far as brands, Normandy, M. M. Atom, and Maillard were at one time the same company. How they got that way, I couldn't say. Probably absorbed into SRAM (with Huret) via the Sachs-Maillard marriage.
On Thu, Nov 5, 2009 at 9:58 PM, Kurt Sperry <haxixe@gmail.com> wrote:
> http://tinyurl.com/
>
> Here's a photo album I've thrown together of some photos from recent
> Ebay sales showing a lot of variations of the Normandy high flange hub
> (and a couple of the more unusual low flange that slipped in). As you
> can see there are hubs with 8 round holes, hubs with 7 slots, hubs
> with the outer surfaces of the flanges relieved and others plain.
> There are bearings outside the flanges and inside and variations
> within each type. We have versions with track nuts and wingnuts and QR
> skewers. And I've not even included the ones stamped only Schwinn
> Approved. There are some that look very Maxi-Caresque and one pair
> stamped both Prior and Normandy with riveted on flanges as well as
> some boxes that are labeled Normandy M. M. Atom AND Maillard! All of
> which makes me wonder if all French hubs weren't at one time or
> another made in the same factory. The French bicycle component
> industry does seem to have been pretty seriously inbred.
>
> Some of the wingnutted 8 hole versions look to me to be the oldest but
> I wouldn't want to hazard a chronology based on such weak stuff!
>
> Kurt Sperry
> Bellingham, Washington
> USA
>
> 2009/11/5 Harvey Sachs <hmsachs@verizon.net>:
> > Here's what I can say from bikes I know:
> >
> > long "oval" slots,
> > look a lot like Campys but with flush outer edge (no ridge), small web -
> > late 1950s, per Marty Walsh's Helyett.
> >
> > 8 round holes,
> > ~7mm and widely spaced. - very early 60s (my Sears). What I think were
> the
> > first of these have the left flange of the rear all the way outboard, and
> > were notorious spoke-poppers on the right side.
> >
> > roughly triangular holes -
> > Schwinn version, mid-60s?
> >
> > harvey sachs
> > mcLean va
> > ++++++++++++++++
> > John Crump wrote:
> > Does anyone know (OR CARE) about dating Normandy hubs, I have one pair
> Large
> > flange that have round oles in em. Now I see another pair NOS yet, 40 32
> > Single fixed with slots in em, Did they follow Campag in the mid 50s
> Campay
> > had holes in the flanges two rows of em in the early 60 they had one row
> of
> > oles, them they went to slots, like the Normandy ones on Brit Ebay,
> anyone
> > have an answer? Cheers John Crump OldfullofolesBrit, Parker, Co USA PS
> Did
> > 40 miles on my 54ish Holland with the Normandy round ole ubs To-day
> _______________________________________________
>
--
Ken Freeman
Ann Arbor, MI USA