QUEEN

C H Blomstrom Motor Co. (1904-1906)

Detroit, Michigan

This is a Queen radiator script (1905-1906)    mjs
Size: 388mm wide

The first Queen in 1904 was a simple 8 hp single-cylinder runabout but was also offered with a double-opposed engine. Both models were available with detachable tonneau. From 1905 the engine sizes were increased to 12/16 hp and a 24 hp four-cylinder model was added to the line.

The C H Blomstrom Motor Company was dissolved in late 1906 in a merger with the Car De Luxe Motor Company and production of the Queen ceased.

Total production of the Queen was about 1,500 units.

Emblems

The first Queen Model A runabouts in 1904 were unlikely to have had any emblem, although a small maker's serial plate was likely to have been attached to the dash or under the driver's seat.

Some Queen Model B runabouts for 1905 did display the "Queen" name on panels located on the sides of the body below the driver's seat, see factory illustration below: 

This is a factory illustration showing the Queen side emblem (1905)    bhl

This Queen nameplate was also shown on some advertisements for 1905 Model B runabouts, see example below:

This is a Queen Model B ad showing the side nameplate (1905)   catj

But, there are other Queen Model B advertisements for 1905 that show blank side nameplates, indicating that these nameplates may have been optional extras, see examples shown below:

This is a Queen ad showing Model B with blank side panels (1905)   ms  

Queen Model E with blank side panel (1905)  ms

Some restored Queen Model B runabouts sometimes have a small brass "Queen" script mounted on the side panel but I suspect that the original side panels either displayed the "Queen" name using a colored decal or was simply hand-painted on the panel.

Queen touring models had a radiator and a larger brass "Queen" script was attached to the radiator core possibly as an optional attachment, see restored 1906 models shown below:

Queen touring car with radiator script (1905)   larrysramble 

Model K Queen touring (1906)  bonhams

Close up showing radiator script (1906) 

Restored Queen models from 1906 are likely to be carrying reproduction radiator scripts,. Original Queen radiator scripts are very rare.

The following, small Queen nameplate has been seen soldered to the radiator tank top on some restored Queen cars but it is unlikely that this nameplate was originally attached by solder as there are holes for pins or screws. It is possible that the nameplate was screwed to the radiator top but was more likely to have been attached to the car body.

This is a Queen nameplate (1905)     bonhams
Size: Unknown (approx 60mm wide)

The "Queen" name was also displayed on the step plate, see example below:

This is a Queen Model E step plate (1905)     conceptcarz

The following, small Queen emblem may have been a hub emblem but I cannot confirm this:

This may be a Queen hub emblem (c1905)     sam
Size: 38mm diameter

STANDARD ELECTRIC

Standard Electric Car Co. (1911-1913)
Standard Car Manufacturing Co. (1913-1915)
Jackson, Michigan

This is a Standard electric maker's serial plate (c1913)   mjs
Size: 96mm wide 35mm high

The most popular Standard Electric car was a coupe, although a runabout and a roadster were also offered. The Standard Electric advertised 110 miles between battery charges and had a maximum speed of 20 mph. 

In November 1913 the company was reorganized as the Standard Car Manufacturing Company but the company was in receivership two years later in November 1915. 

Emblem

The Standard Electric did not carry an emblem but did display the "Standard Electric" name on the step plates, as shown in the photos below of a rare surviving Standard Electric on display at the LeMay Museum:

Standard Electric roadster showing step plate (1913)  conceptcarz

Close-up showing Standard Electric step plate (1913)

The same step plate was used for the coupe model, as can just be seen in the following Standard Electric advertisement:

Standard Electric coupe advertisement (1913)  pinterest

The Standard Electric also had a black painted nameplate/serial plate mounted inside the vehicle, see the Standard Car Manufacturing Company example shown above at the top of this post. This Standard Electric nameplate/serial plate is very rare.

NELSON

E.A. Nelson, Mechanical Engineer (1917)

E A Nelson Motor Car Co. (1917-1920)
E A Nelson Automobile Co. (1920-1921)
Detroit, Michigan

This is a Nelson radiator emblem (1917-1920)    mjs
Size: 50mm diameter    MM: None

Emil A Nelson had been an engineer with Packard and Oldsmobile and, as Chief Engineer at Hupp Motor Car Company, had designed successful models for Hupmobile before his own venture into automobile manufacture. 

The Nelson was a well-designed, light weight, high speed, 29hp four-cylinder automobile, with a unique engine construction which offered excellent performance. The only problem was the timing of the enterprise. Emil Nelson did almost everything himself, he provided all the finance, built his own factory in Detroit and set up a production capacity of 10 cars a day. Production began in early 1917, before the E. A. Nelson Motor Car Company was established later in 1917.

But then came the post First World War depression. Nelson was in receivership in March 1920 and reorganized as the E A Nelson Automobile Company later that year. Final bankruptcy arrived a year later after building just over 1,000 cars.

Emblems

The first Nelson cars were built by Emil Nelson in his own factory, see early 1917 advertisement shown below:

Nelson ad (May 1917)  detroit free press

These first Nelson cars carried a round metal radiator emblem, see surviving example shown below:

This is a Nelson radiator emblem (1917)  pwc

This is the Nelson radiator emblem inscribed "E. A. Nelson Engineer" shown below. This Nelson radiator emblem is very rare.

This is a Nelson radiator emblem (1917)     sac   
Size: 51mm diameter   MM: Unknown

After the formation of the E. A. Nelson Motor Car Company later in 1917, there was a new radiator emblem, see example shown above at the top of this post and again below. This Nelson radiator emblem is rare.

This is a Nelson radiator emblem (1917-1920)   mjs
Size: 50mm diameter   MM: None

There is a Nelson wire-wheel hubcap with a black painted hubcap emblem, see below:

This is a Nelson wire-wheel hubcap (c1917-1920)  tcc

The following Nelson advertisement appeared in the Automobile Trade Journal in 1920. This advertisement shows a dark colored Nelson radiator emblem, whereas the Nelson radiator emblems in use up to that time had been plain metal emblems, as shown earlier above:

Nelson ad with dark color emblem (1920) ebay

The same dark colored emblem is shown in the Nelson brochure that appeared in 1920, see the cover sheet and internal detail shown below:

Nelson brochure cover sheet (1920)  sfam

Detail from Nelson brochure showing dark emblem (1920)  sfam

Close-up showing the colored Nelson radiator emblem (1920)

Examples of this colored Nelson radiator emblem, inscribed "E. A. Nelson Motor Car Co. Detroit", have not been found.  

I suspect that, at a time when the Nelson company was struggling to survive, with falling sales and lack of finance, Emil Nelson may have decided to produce a brightly colored emblem to enhance the appeal of the Nelson, which had a rather drab metal emblem, and possibly to make the Nelson appear to be a new model without the expense of making any other material changes to the car. The 1920 Nelson was much the same as the 1917-1919 model. Putting a new emblem on a car to give the appearance of a new model was not uncommon for motor car companies in financial trouble. The new emblem shown above was clearly designed before the September 1920 reorganization and a small batch of emblems may have been made before going into receivership in March 1920.

Some new Nelson radiator emblems may have been made for use on at least some models after the September 1920 reorganization, see the following original photo of a 1921 Nelson Model E, which appears to have a dark colored radiator emblem, although this cannot be confirmed absolutely from this photo:

Nelson Model E appearing to show a dark colored radiator emblem (1921)   wiki

We cannot tell if this radiator emblem is inscribed "E. A. Nelson Motor Car Co. Detroit", as shown in the brochure printed in 1920, or "E. A. Nelson Automobile Company Detroit" and to date (December 2024) no genuine, original dark colored Nelson radiator emblem has been found and no Nelson radiator emblem of any kind has been found inscribed "E. A. Nelson Automobile Company".

If a genuine, original colored enamel Nelson radiator emblem, or any emblem inscribed "E. A. Nelson Automobile Company" could be found, they would be extremely rare and possibly ultra rare.

Emblem collectors should beware, however, as there are blue and red enamel Nelson emblems, but these are usually Pulfer reproduction emblems.They all have flat shiny backs, whereas the earlier metal Nelson radiator emblems had mounting cups attached for fixing through a hole in the radiator shell.

This is a reproduction Nelson radiator emblem   ms

This is a reproduction Nelson radiator emblem   ms

The following illustration shows Harry Pulfer's plans in 1969 to have his first reproduction colored Nelson emblems made:

Pulfer sketch showing ideas for reproduction Nelson emblems (1969)

It is not clear why Pulfer selected the blue and red enamel colors, as the illustrations of the dark colored Nelson emblem shown earlier are shown in a uniform intense black with no shade of color difference on the emblem. It is possible that Pulfer's rubbing shown above was made using an original colored Nelson emblem but this cannot be confirmed.

It is interesting to see the proposed Pulfer reproduction of a "E.A.Nelson Engineering" emblem, which was to be finished in red, white and blue enamel. I have never seen this reproduction Nelson emblem. Possibly it was decided not to proceed with this emblem. However, it is possible that some copies of this Pulfer reproduction emblem do exist somewhere. A reproduction "E.A.Nelson Engineer Detroit" emblem was made in the blue and red enamel proposed for the "regular" Nelson emblem, as shown earlier above.

HARROUN

Harroun Motors Corp. (1917-1922)
Wayne, Michigan

This is a reproduction Harroun radiator emblem  thc
Size: Unknown

Ray W. Harroun built his first automobile, a racing car, in 1905 but did not proceed to production. Ray Harroun became a riding mechanic for the Buick racing team, had some success as a race car driver  and later joined Marmon. In 1911, Ray Harroun drove the Marmon Wasp race car to win the first Indianapolis 500 and became a celebrated race car driver.

Harroun designed the car bearing his name, possibly as early as 1915, as it was later claimed that the first Harroun cars, presumably prototype models, were introduced at auto shows in January 1916. However, the Harroun Motors Corporation was not incorporated until September 1917.

The first Harroun Model A-1 was a well-designed, small 43 hp four-cylinder automobile offered in roadster and sedan body styles. 

Production of the Harroun began almost immediately in 1917 and about 500 cars were built by April 1918, when Harroun Motors Corporation received a large government contract to manufacture munitions for the war effort. Some Harroun car production continued with new models introduced in 1919 but a return to full automobile production was delayed because of problems in getting compensation from the US government after the war. 

The consequent lack of working capital and the effects of the post-war depression caused serious problems for Harroun Motors Corporation. An improved Model AA-2 appeared for 1922 but few were built before the company went into receivership in June that year. 

A total of 1135 Harroun cars were produced over the life of the company.

Emblem

The earliest Harroun logo or trademark showed the Harroun name with a larger first letter "H", see 1916 Harroun advertisement and logo shown below:

Harroun advert (Oct 1916)
Detroit Free Press

Harroun logo   ms

The same logo appears on the first Harroun brochure for 1917, see cover shown below:

Harroun 1917 Brochure Cover  ms

This "Harroun" logo continued to be used in advertisements through 1918.

The following Harroun trademark depicting an Arabian horseman was filed in April 1917 with a claim that the trademark was first used in January 1917:

Harroun Trademark (April 1917)   ms

This Harroun trademark was later used in Harroun advertisements but the earliest that I can find is from January 1918, see below:

Harroun ad with logo (Jan 1918)
Detroit Free Press

The earliest original period photo of a Harroun car shows a 1917 Harroun Model A-1 car at the Harroun factory site, see below:

Harroun Model A-1 at factory site (1917)  flp

Close up showing Harroun Model A-1 (1917)

Harroun Model A-1 radiator (1917) 

It can be seen that this Harroun Model A-1 from 1917 carries a radiator emblem with a design that appears to follow the design of the Harroun trademark shown earlier, although the detailed design is unclear. There also appears to be an emblem on the headlight bar, which may also display the "Harroun" name, but this cannot be confirmed. 

There are very few original period photos of Harroun cars and none appear to show the radiator emblem in clear detail. The following photo shows a 1918 Harroun Model A-1 touring car displaying the same radiator emblem:

Harroun Model A-1 Touring (1918)   flp

Harroun model A-1 close up (1918)

Only two examples of the Harroun are known to have survived, one is in storage in pieces, the other, a 1918 sedan Model A-1 has been restored, see below:

Harroun Model A-1 Sedan (1918)   thc

This restored Harroun Model A-1 has been given a reproduction radiator emblem based on the 1917 trademark, see photo at the top of this post and another photo below:

Harroun A-1 Sedan showing repro emblem (1918)  thc

If an original Harroun radiator emblem could be found, it would be extremely rare and likely ultra rare.

DUPLEX

Duplex Power Car Co. (1908-1916)
Charlotte, Michigan
Duplex Truck Co. (1916-1955)
Duplex Div. Warner & Swasey Co. (1955-1975)
Lansing, Michigan
Badger & Crane Div. Warner & Swasey Co. (1975-1977)
Winona, Minnesota
Nolan Co. (1977-c1986)
Midvale, Ohio

This is a Duplex radiator emblem (1919)    gcm

The first Duplex vehicle appeared in 1908 and was a 3/4-ton capacity four-wheel-drive delivery wagon powered by a 14 hp two-cylinder engine under the driver's seat. The first production model was called the Model B, which sold well and was the only model built until 1916, when a 3-1/2-ton capacity four-wheel-drive model and a 1-1/2-ton rear drive truck were added. By 1917, the Duplex truck range was four-wheel-drive only, in 2-ton, 3-ton and 3-1/2-ton capacity sizes. During the First World War, Duplex built trucks for the military. After the War, Duplex re-entered the commercial market with a new 2-ton capacity two-wheel-drive truck called the "Limited", which pneumatic tires and was intended for higher speeds.

In the 1920's, both two- and four-wheel-drive trucks were produced. Duplex trucks Duplex trucks were also used in the logging industry and as fire engines. By 1929, the only four-wheel-drive model was the 3-1/2-ton model. The other Duplex trucks ranged from 1-1/2-tons to 5/7-tons. During the 1930's the range of Duplex trucks included models from 2-ton to 7-ton capacity, with a 9/10-ton capacity truck added from 1938 to 1940.

During the Second World War, Duplex built specialist trucks to carry searchlights. After the War, Duplex resumed production of conventional trucks. From the 1950's, crane carriers became an increasingly important part of the Duplex output. In the 1960's, Duplex suffered a serious labour strike, which resulted in a loss of some major customers. Duplex continued to build conventional trucks but put more effort into specialist equipment, including dump trucks, earth-moving machinery, road/rail maintenance units, snowplows and fire trucks. A further labor strike in the 1970's resulted in the decision to stop truck manufacturing but the fire engine chassis line continued.

In 1977, the remaining assets of Duplex were bought by the Nolan Company and Duplex fire trucks continued to be made on a limited basis at a plant in Midvale, Ohio. During the 1980's, Duplex fire truck production increased and an airport crash and rescue vehicle was also produced but it was all over for Duplex by about 1986.

Emblems

Original period photos of the first Duplex Model B truck do not show any Duplex emblem or nameplate. However, it is possible that the production models displayed the "Duplex" name on a rear mounted nameplate, but I cannot confirm this. 

The 3-1/2-ton four-wheel-drive Duplex that appeared in 1916 did carry a radiator emblem in the form of the "Duplex" name cast into or embossed on the top front of the radiator and "Duplex 4 Wheel Drive" was also displayed on the sides of the truck under the driver's seat, probably using a stencil, see Duplex advertisement shown below:

Duplex truck ad (1916)   eBay

Close up showing Duplex radiator emblem & body side nameplate (1916)   eBay

The following photo shows a surviving Duplex 3-1/2-ton truck from 1917 showing the radiator emblem embossed on the front of the radiator. Another example of this Duplex radiator emblem is shown at the top of this post. This embossed Duplex radiator emblem was certainly used through the 1920's and may have continued into the 1930's, although I cannot confirm this.

Duplex 3-1/2-ton truck showing radiator emblem (1917)  dbc

Close up showing Duplex radiator emblem (1917)

The following shows an example of the Duplex body side nameplate on a surviving 1918 Duplex truck:

Duplex truck with body side nameplate (1918)  fountainheadauto

The following photo clearly shows the Duplex truck radiator and emblem used until the late 1920's:

This is a Duplex truck radiator & emblem (1919)  gcm

I have not seen the following painted brass Duplex nameplate on any illustrations of Duplex trucks. It is possible that this was used as a rear mounted nameplate on some Duplex models.

This is a Duplex truck nameplate (date unknown)   mjs
Size: 204mm wide 33mm high

The following illustration from a Duplex motor show flyer is dated 1928-1929 and shows a different style of radiator and Duplex emblem. This may be the lighter duty 1-1/2-ton Duplex truck but I cannot confirm this. If you can identify this Duplex truck, please let me know, in order to update this post.

Duplex truck radiator & emblem (c1928-1929) ebay

Heavy duty Duplex trucks used a cast radiator with the "DUPLEX" name cast into the radiator tank top from the 1920's and into the 1940's, see surviving example shown below:

Duplex truck showing cast in radiator emblem & hood side nameplate (c1946)  facebook

Cast-in Duplex radiator emblem (c1946)   facebook

The surviving Duplex truck shown above also displays the "Duplex" name on hood side nameplate, see example shown below. This Duplex hood side nameplate is scarce.

This is a Duplex hood side nameplate (c1945-1960)    mjs
Size: 300mm wide 50mm high   MM: None

A new style of heavy duty Duplex radiator and emblem appeared in 1948, see heavy duty Duplex truck brochure cover and factory photo shown below:

Duplex truck brochure cover (1948)   

Duplex Model L truck showing rad emblem & hood side nameplate (c1950)   facebook