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Under several layers of paint I was able to save these 2 plates and each I have a question about.
1. On the lube plate, I take it that they were installed by the selling dealer not installed at the factory?
2. The Body By Pierce plate doesn’t look like it had any chrome on it, was it bare brass? Was the background black? Jim
Jim, I just found at Hershey an identical lube plate, these are the first two I’ve seen with Los Angeles on them! Yes, I believe this style would have been installed by the dealer. There is another, more generic, lube plate, which possibly could have been installed by the factory, it seems they start showing up on cars about the time the eights came out. I’d be interested to hear other thoughts.
David,
My ’33, 836 has a plate like this one. I haven’t see an LA plate.
Bill
Yes, that’s the “common” one, and it’s reproduced. The one pictured above and the one I found at Hershey, with the LA mentioned, are the first two of those I’ve seen in many years of collecting Pierce memorabilia….
Jim, where was your lube plate mounted when you found it?
I know my Pierce was originally sold to a doctor in Pasadena so a Los Angeles lube plate definitely piqued my interest.
I have been collecting stuff like this for years and have never seen the LA oil change badge till Hershey this year. Very cool! I like the dealer and factory small items. They are much harder to find than cars! I had never seen the coin token until Hershey this year either. With more than one such item floating around it is probably a reproduction. Most pocket watches have modern face replacements with poor graphics and can be recognized as reproductions. Watch fobs found at Hershey are almost all 1950’s reproductions. Keep up the search……..below is a unique dealer item I brought home last week. Ed.
Here is a 1936 factory dealer upholstery catalog for the V-12 cats. Enjoy!
Inside…….
I actually touched and felt and drooled over Ed’s upholstery find, one for being a Pierce memorabilia collector, and two for being a trimmer, so anything upholstery related gets me going…
I have to tell a story on Ed…walked up to the tent, talking to him, sat down, I showed him the LA lube plate and handed it to him. At that point he received a phone call, he walked a little ways away, and glancing back at me slipped the plate into his rear pants pocket. Joking, of course, but smooth, so smooth….
I’ve found many things over the years at Hershey, but it’s so random…if I’d zigged instead of zagged, if I hadn’t walked to the end of the row to throw away the French fry container, if I’d looked right on the row instead of left, if I hadn’t walked the extra 10 steps to look down in the case holding the lube plate….it’s all luck or fate, or some combination of the two, that gets us these prizes…
Here’s a picture of the LA lube plate I found at Hershey, and a “regular” lube plate next to it for reference.
Jim, to answer your question, my plate is made of brass, but it does appear that it was nickel or chrome plated at one time, with the depressed areas painted.
Like Ed, I’ve never seen this item until this year, and for two to appear is an interesting coincidence, although they are both very obviously (I think) real…if someone faked these, they did a helluva job…
I agree the LA lube plate is real………Ed
Those LA plates are neat!
I wish all Pierce dealers had something like that to identify where the cars were originally sold. I give Packard credit for having a plate on the engine side of the cowl where the dealer, if they desired, would mark the city and state of the original sale.
Craig,
The lube plate was on the left front door pillar, but it doesn’t have the holes in the corners like yours. at first I thought it was soldered on but when I slipped a razor blade under it it came off and appeared to be glued on.
I’l sure it is not a repro. since this car had been in the family since the 30’s and the owner had painted the whole car black with a brush including door jambs and chrome for the blackout war era cars. Was anybody making fake parts in the early 40’s?
It’s second owner (maybe the first)was a Dr. in the LA area also. I found a bone under the back seat, maybe he took his work home with him. Jim
Jim, I believe that the body plate was the type screwed into the right
lower front of the body on my 1934 836A. I have purchased a
reproduction for mine as it was missing when I bought it.
Tony,
Yes the body plate was mounted as you said but I understood Craig was asking abot the lube plate. Jim
Ed, that fabric brochure is an unbelievable find!
What an incredible resource for someone doing upholstery on a ’36 V12 car.
Jim, thanks for the input about where your plate was on your car.
I thought the attached may be of interest, since the above discussion included the “reminder” plates for oil and such.
M.L. Mumma (has to be a story behind that name!) was a Studebaker dealer in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, from 1923 until 1939. The dealership was located at 1521-27 4th street, which sounds like the entire block.
Apparently he took on Pierce Arrow cars when the two companies had something in common. Interesting to note that this dealership folded in 1939, a year after Pierce did also.
Note the similarity to the above plates with the three oil/grease/battery bars.
I had this boxed in my pile and forgot I even had it. I am working on memorabilia articles for the magazine and will include this piece in those.
Oops, forgot to mention…the reminder thermometer from Mumma has two long pins on its back, to pin to a fabric sun visor or, I guess if you wanted, a door panel or anywhere there’s fabric. You can see the wicked points sticking out from the bottom in the picture.
Very neat item Dave. Thanks for posting.