Hetchins Transfers

DOWN TUBE TRANSFERS

FAIRGROUND (1938 to present)
SCRIPT (1953 to 1960s, Millennium)

Fairground: the standard down tube transfer is known as the Fairground transfer; it is so-called because the font resembles that used on fairground merry-go-rounds. The earliest known intact original ones date from 1938 and 1939. Pre-War ones have red shading which fades into the gold background, whereas post-War ones have a sharp line between the red and the gold.

A smaller version of the Fairground transfer was sometimes fitted to top tubes behind the head lug; it had the same font and measured 11 cm long.

Script: a second down tube transfer is a three-color cursive one known as the Script transfer. This was introduced in 1953 and used until the mid 1960s. [Single-color gold script is a reproduction, not original.] Click here for Script.

The family name is Hetchin (no s); the bike shop was known as Hetchin's (i.e., Harry's shop). The Script transfer included the apostrophe to indicate the possessive form, whereas the Fairground transfer omitted the apostrophe.

The standard down tube transfer, FAIRGROUND type:

Above, pre-War Fairground, red fades to gold.
Below, post-War Fairground; red/gold is the most common.
White/gold and sky-blue/gold variations are known from the early 70s.
The dark blue variation was fitted to Paul Riley's 2008 track bike.
[Green/gold is a reproduction, not original.]

Below, early fade-to-background version compared with
later hard-line version. One fade-exemplar is known as late as 1953.

above: later hard-line version; below: early fade-version

Down tube transfer, SCRIPT type:

Above: three-color Script, from 1953.
Below: modern reproduction (note different 'e').

Below: a recent reproduction is more accurate.

Below: red Script transfers were specially made for the MO Millennium.
These included the frame number of each frame.

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