I am in possession of a frame that I cannot Identify...help please.

[Rahul Sapariya]

Does '2153 MY' mean anything? I thought maybe it was a postcode so when I used google maps, it came up with the location of the International Olympic Committee. My optimistic side says I am in possession of a valuable frame but my logical side tells me I am being a tit and it was just google messing up. The bottom Bracket axle (cotter pin axle) says 'F102'. I am still finding no luck on the internet. Apparently my boss mentioned that there are people who are almost like experts when it comes to Hercules so maybe I should find this so called 'expert'. BSA's are cool. I've worked on so many, sometimes the parts get ceased up (old BSA's) so I just fetch my trusty tool, good ol' hammer

 

[ColinJ]

We didn't have postcodes in the UK in 1955 - they started coming into use in 1959!

 

[Rahul Sapariya]

That is unfortunate. I just took the frame to bits to see if the original owner put a note in there. I've heard stories of people doing that such as putting in a note with their details. When I find out the frame model, the first thing I will do is put a note inside it with my details and and the details of the frame...that should stop anything like this from happening again. Do you have any inkling as to what the '2153 MY' means? Also I have discovered on the rear dropouts, a bunch of vertical cuts. I have heard of dropouts with these with numbers marking the length.

 

[pubrunner]

Those photos are much better and I can now see that some of the transfers are in pretty good nick, especially the one on the seat tube - seems a shame to get rid of it. Maybe you could just clean the frame up and try and retouch the paint where necessary? Or even mask off the parts where the biggest transfers are and leave those areas as slightly different bands?

I agree with Raindog - I'd just carefully clean it up; it'd look a whole lot better and have an original patina. Powder coat it, and you've obliterated a great deal of history.

 

[Rahul Sapariya]

The problem is the rust is quite extensive, even on the artwork. It is surface rust but the artwork needs to be recreated and I do have a certain budget for just the frame, let alone the parts. For me to get someone to paint the frame and do the artwork again, I'd be looking at over £100. If I had the frame powdercoated and then applied the new transfers, I could do it for about £100 or there abouts. If money was no issue then I'd definitely have it hand painted and such.

 

[Rahul Sapariya]

I forgot to mention I found out some things about what the frame came with when my friend got it. It had a cyclo P2 derailleur and it was a 5 speed with a standard single chainset. That is how my friend got it and my friend wasn't the original owner. If the cyclo P2 was the original mech on it then I'd be looking at the sort of 1960s era for it.

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

Try H Lloyd Cycles for decals; I had a quick look at the online catalogue (which they say is not kept up to date) and I see they have some Hercules.

Fingers crossed!

 

[Rahul Sapariya]

Thanks for the website. It would be good if they actually had pictures though. Because I barely know anything about my frame, finding decals for the Hercules is going to be near enough impossible without pictures.