Saturday, November 12, 2011

BSA Gold Column

(this is a story I posted a while ago, but after the Schwinn Paramount story, I think I am going to make a regular thing- "swap meet tales")

Late 1940s BSA Gold Column that I looked at a recent bicycle swap meet. I did not purchase it, as the price of the bicycle was not fixed, and as the day went along, the price went up, and then was told the bike was sold, but if I wanted to pay $20 more than the price that it sold for, it could be mine. I don't condone that type of selling. 
So I don't know if the bike actually sold or not. Did the buyer not pay for it yet, and if I were to buy it, would the seller just tell the original buyer- 'hey, you should have paid for it.' Or if the original buyer did pay for it, and intended on picking it up from the seller at the end of the swap meet, was the seller then just going to hand back the money and say-'Sorry, this guy paid me $20 more than what I sold it to you for. . .' 

It was a very unique bicycle, in original condition, an outstanding example of post war British bicycle. The brakes are quite rare, and i have never seen the decals on the Dunlop Special Lightweight rims, but imagine that the decals didn't last long.


I also picked up an issue of Cycling magazine that had information about this little known model (I have not yet photographed it). BSA had many models of bicycle that started with 'Gold'- such as- Opperman Gold Special, Triple Gold Star, Gold Shield, Gold Crest, Gold Band, and Gold Vase, and that is just from the 1938 BSA Gold Catalogue.









5 comments:

Toast Ghost said...

wow those are some cool brakes...

RAy said...

That's all well and good, but how much for the Bata Bikers?
And what size were they?

Anonymous said...

I now have the same BSA model and am just completeing the restoration. I am missing the bar stem and the alloy wingnuts. If anyone has any information as to either a source of a stem or a set of photo's from which I may be able to machine one I'd love to hear from you.

Patrick said...

I'm restoring my dad's BSA Gold Column and I'm hoping you might have more pics of the original paint.I want to get the striping right. Any luck?

David Newell said...

I know this is a way old thread, but I too am restoring a 1949 Gold Column. I'm trying to get some decals made, but am in bad need of some good pictures - particularly of the seat tube decal.

Any halp would be much appreciated!