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MANUFACTURING PERIOD
Circa 1890s
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MANUFACTURER
Spalding & Company
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The Overman Wheel Company was
an early bicycle manufacturing company
in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts from
1882 to 1900. It was known for bicycles
of higher quality and lower weight than
other bicycles of its time. Despite a
nationwide bicycle craze in the late
1800s, the company was undercut by
lower-priced competition, nearly went
bankrupt in 1897, and never recovered
from an 1899 fire. The company was sold
in 1900.
Overman had contracted with the A.G. Spalding sports equipment company as their
sole bicycle distributor. This worked
well for a few years, but in 1893,
Spalding wanted to return Surplus
wheels. Overman refused, claiming that
Spading was obligated to take 60% of
the output regardless of capacity. The two companies brought lawsuits against each
other. Overman sued Spalding for
$100.000, and Spalding filed papers in
a counter suit for $160.000. Then
they began competing head-to-head for
the sporting goods market.
The A.G. Spalding company started making their own line of bicycles on their
own factory in Chicopee Falls, and
automotive wheels. The Overman Wheel company entered the sporting
goods market with baseballs, bats,
footballs, and boxing gloves,
"everything in the sporting goods line
that the Spaldings made." But,
National League rules required the use
of A.G. Spalding goods only, so Overman
& Co. tried to organize a new baseball
league and gird it for battle with the
National League. A.G Spalding dismissed
the threat, which never developed.
There are two known example of the Phoenix Spalding & Co. baseball
bat to surface in the hobby today. Model No. 4.
and model no. B.
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Phoenix Spalding & Co.
Syracuse N.Y. Baseball Bats |
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KEYMAN COLLECTIBLES
RELATED RESOURCES |
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