I wonder if there is a matching ferrule on the other side of the head tube? If so then it might be a cable mount for barend shifters to contain the cable housing and help keep the headtube paint from getting all cable rub worn, who knows?
Do you have a better shot of the headbadge? Looks interesting.
I found this .pdf file about George P. Wilson:
http://www.dominguezcycles.com/produ...c/gpwilson.pdf
Note this portion of the text:
Because of their scarcity, renowned durability, and aesthetic appeal,
attempts were made to copy the unique properties and design of the
G.P. Wilson dropouts. But, due to the nature of the material used in
their manufacture and the specialized post-casting treatments
required to bring out its full potential, these copies invariably lacked
the combination of properties inherent in the original G.P. Wilson
dropouts, resulting in over-sized, or out-of-proportion designs, or
designs that lacked the durability of the original.
To the right buyer I'd say that your friend has quite the find there. This bike would be a keeper if it came into my ownership/stewardship. Print out the .pdf file and pass it along to your friend. And if he just wants to get rid of the bike then pass along my user name as well
It's a nice looking bike with an interesting heritage attached to it, sort of one of those "industry insider" bikes that wouldn't bring much from the general public but could generate considerable interest from bicycle people. I could be wrong, but this just feels like a great find to me.
Here's some additional text on an old page that googled-up:
http://search.bikelist.org/beta/TreeView.aspx?id=14109
Refers to G.P.Wilson as "Buster".
Here's the search string I used on Google.com to find these with:
+"G. P. Wilson" +bicycle
Definitely seems to be a potentially very nice bike. And if your friend trys to "Drew" it up then whack him with a pedal wrench.
