Merkin

Hello all!

My father has a Schwinn Black Phantom that was his as a kid, from some time in the mid fifties. The handlebars aren't original to the bike, as they broke when he was a kid, and the bike has a decent bit of surface rust but no 'cancerous' rust, a broken headlight, and the panniers are rotted away, although the rack is still there. What are Black phantoms worth in such condition, how much do restorations usually run these days, and what is the going rate for freshly restored Black Phantoms?

Thanks!

Unfortunately, I can't post pictures, as the bike is locked in my Grandparent's garage, and I am not in the immediate area at the moment. Just a very general rough idea is fine. I am trying to figure out if it would be worth having it restored at some point in the future.

oldroads

Tough to tell without pictures, but that is a desirable classic.

95% of the time I recommed NOT repainting a cycle.
It is rarely worth the cost, you can never find all the right parts and decals.
It's only original once.

miamijim

+1 to what oldroads said. Replace the minimum number of parts as possible. Recondition/clean everything else.

xizangstan

I had one growing up as a kid in the mid-1950s. I recall mine weighed a ton! But that didn't slow me down as a young man, and that bike and I went everywhere. These days, I'm in love with a GT Xizang titanium framed hardtail mountain bike that I bought new in 1995. As I ride my feathery-light titanium lady around, I often wonder what happened to my old Schwinn Phantom. Maybe I ought to locate one someday, just for nostalgia value. If I could find one priced cheaply enough...

Esteban32696

AGREE. These are a very collectible bike. What it will bring, is really up to whatever anyone wants to pay. In said condition, certainly $400. Fully restored, up to $4000.
You can get some idea by doing a search on the site below or watching E Bay.

https://oldroads.com/master_query.asp

jmagruder10

I live in Kansas city and have been looking at a black phantom. This is a one owner bike, has the wrong seat , lightly rusted on all chrome, and missing rear tail light and front light lens is cracked.Has an exceliser headbadge , so I think it is an earlier model. But the paint is nice . Price ? The seller wants $500 I offered $350 and I am waiting for a reply. But then again, Kansas City is a hard place to sell vintage bikes, espically one that have been sitting for 20 years and not in ridding condition.