Bob Hufford wrote on 8/14/02:
I noticed something I hadn't seen before on this Paramount:
There is a Julian date code stamping in the headbadge similar to the Japanese Schwinns of the '70s/'80s (this is in addition to the date code / serial number on the dropout). Do any of you Paramount owners out there have a stamping like this in the headbadge? My '75 P-10 does not.
I'm wondering if this has something to do with it being a custom built Paramount (the sizing seems to be in between the stock sizes) or if this is one of those that was farmed out to sub-contractors during the bike boom.
Any thoughts?
I have two Paramounts from about 73 and 74. One is for road, and the other for track. Neither have the date code stamped into the head badge.
However, I picked up a 1979 Schwinn Superior for a friend of mine, via Ebay. This year, and this year alone (according to Internet information), the Superior was for all practical purposes actually a Paramount, but with standard stock Schwinn serial numbers, and painted only with their metallic orange finish of the time. Serial numbers stamped into the frame show it to indeed be the 1979 model, but the head badge had a date (if I recall correctly, as the bike is not in my posession) of 1980. It definitely looks just like a Paramount when it comes to build, and lug work. Make what you will of this, for I do not know what it means truly. Anyone out there know for sure?
Best regards,
Mark Agree
Detroit MI