Camsley

I found an old bike in a basement and I'mtrying to find out if it’s of any value, brand and year? The back wheel ismostly rusted off, still original red paint (faded), no badge on front of bike,it’s a boy’s bike and has tank, the tank has compartment door that opens on theright side, the pedals have reflective type dots on one side of each pedal, anyhelp would be appreciated.

marius.suiram 

Any pics of the tank?
What's your location?
I am interested to buy the bike.

CliffordK

Post some photos of your bike. Some of the old "Tank Bikes" have quite a following, and can have some value, even in rough shape.

Others... don't.

Camsley

I have some pictures but won't be able to post them until tomorrow, my location is in PA.

marius.suiram 

Waiting for the pictures

Camsley

Have the pictures, not sure how to post them.

CliffordK

Size the photos smaller than 1000 x 1000 or so, JPG format. Somewhere around 100 KB or so.

Go into the advanced editor and click on the paper clip icon. It is pretty straight forward after that.

sloar 

Sounds like it's from the 30's or older. The tanks with the little compartments were for tools and were mainly prewar. The tank alone is very valuable, especially with original paint. Looking forward to pics.

Camsley

I uploaded a few pictures......

sloar 

Thats called a hanging tank. Its really hard to give a value without seeing it first hand. But I would scrap the wheels, and sell it as is. The tank alone could be worth a couple hundred if someone is searching for one.

Camsley

Thanks, any advice on where or how to sell?

sloar 

Craigslist, but if it were me, I would post this on thecabe.com for sale section. This will more than likely sell there. You will have to ship the bike though so be prepared for that. But without the wheels it shouldn't be to expensive. Good luck.
Where is the bike located just in case someone here is interested and close by.

Camsley

Greencastle, PA

okane

Google CABE..../Classic Antique Bicycle Exchange...they are very knowledgeable about that type of bike and will probably be able to identify and give you a general idea of value in short order.


Seller Beware!

Don't clean it or do anything until you find out more info. Wheels maybe scrap but hubs not so much...axles, cones, etc. might be good. Never throw anything away. Let the buyer do that.

How do I know this? When I first go into old bikes I trashed some rusted parts I thought were junk. Found out latter I go have gotten $90 for that junk!

sloar 

Good advise, the hubs and cog should be worth something depending on condition. Those skip tooth chains run around $60-$90.

repechage

What a starting point for a "rat rod".
Good advice so far, I like the look overall.

daf1009

Very good advice to NOT make any changes...let the buyer do that. I have bought a lot of bikes where the seller made an "improvement" that I turned around and did away with! Even the wheels, keep 'em...it may cost a bit more to ship...but...who knows what a prospective buyer is truly searching for!