@alsancle
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Some surviving early Peerless cars from 1903-1905 display the "Peerless" name on brass radiator scripts but these were most likely added much later, possibly during restoration. The first "Peerless" script logo appeared in 1903 advertisements, see example shown below, but was not used as a radiator script:
This "Peerless" script logo was changed in 1904 to the now more familiar "Peerless" script, see example shown below:
The following photo shows the radiator of a surviving 1904 Peerless Type 8. The small rectangular plate in the center of the top face of the radiator is not a Peerless emblem but is a radiator manufacturer's nameplate, inscribed "The Whitcock Coil Pipe Co.".
The brass "Peerless" radiator script shown above was not in use in 1904 and was no doubt added some years later. The "Peerless" name continued to be displayed, however, on sill plates and hubcaps and on the serial plate attached to the body.
The following Peerless advertisement for 1905 shows what appears to be a small radiator emblem on the radiator tank top:
It is unlikely that Peerless would show the radiator manufacturer's nameplate on their advertisement and it was indeed the first Peerless radiator emblem, see following photos of a surviving 1905 Peerless:
The brass Peerless radiator emblem shown above is extremely rare.
The "Peerless" name continued to be displayed on the sill plates and the hub caps, see examples shown below:
The 1905 radiator may just possibly have had a brass "Peerless" script attached to the core, as shown in the photo shown earlier, but the first confirmed use of a brass radiator script is in 1906, see the small script shown in the original photo shown below:
The shape of the Peerless radiator developed from that used in 1904 to the 1905 design, both shown earlier above, and, with some further small changes in detail, this became a distinguishing feature of Peerless cars for many years. This radiator shape was used until 1923. Probably because the shape of the Peerless radiator was so well known, the Peerless people did not see the need to put a large brass "Peerless" script on all their cars.
It was usual for motor car manufacturers to display radiator scripts on their cars taking part in the Glidden Tours and other events for publicity purposes. However, original photos of Peerless cars taking part in these events do not show any radiator scripts.
The large brass panel at the top of the Peerless radiator where the radiator emblem was mounted in 1905 was significantly reduced in size by 1906, see the photo shown above. A small rectangular, brass Peerless radiator emblem, with the "Peerless" name inscribed similar to the 1905 radiator emblem shown earlier, was attached to the remaining brass strip at the top of the radiator. This can be seen in the 1906 photo shown above. A similar sized Peerless emblem continued to be mounted in this location through 1908, see original photo shown below:
The following small Peerless maker's plate was probably attached to the body of the car but may have been used as a radiator emblem on some models. This particular example has been marked "1907" on the back but I have not been able to confirm this date, which could be much earlier. This Peerless nameplate is very rare.
In 1909, the small brass, rectangular Peerless radiator emblem was attached to the front of the radiator filler neck, see photos shown below of a surviving 1909 Peerless Model 19, which also displays a radiator script:
The small brass Peerless emblem shown above continued to be attached to the radiator filler neck until about 1912 when it was phased out. These filler neck Peerless emblems are very rare.
The Peerless radiator script shown above was most widely used in the 1909-1910 period but continued in use until about 1913, although not so frequently, presumably because the Peerless radiator was still seen as its most distinguishing feature.
Most Peerless cars in the period 1913-1917 carried no emblem apart from the occasional radiator script and the hubcaps, see example shown below:
The following is a Peerless hub emblem. This Peerless hub emblem is scarce.
It has been suggested that the following pressed metal emblem in the shape of the Peerless radiator with a radiator script was used as a radiator emblem in 1916/1917 but this is not confirmed. If you have better information about this Peerless emblem, please let me know, in order to update this post. The example shown below still has excess metal yet to be trimmed after initial emblem pressing. This Peerless emblem is very rare.
The following blue enamel version of the previous Peerless emblem is certainly a Peerless radiator emblem and was used on all Peerless models from 1917-1922. The emblem was screwed to the radiator tank top. This Peerless radiator emblem is rare.
There was a change in 1923 to a round, two-piece Peerless radiator emblem design depicting a gilded eagle and a small shield. There are two versions of the emblem, which was used in 1923-1924. The most common version is the green, red, white and blue enamel Peerless radiator emblem shown below. This Peerless radiator emblem is scarce.
The red, white and blue enamel Peerless radiator emblem version shown below is rare. If you know, which Peerless models used this red version of the Peerless radiator emblem, please let me know, in order to update this post.
The following is a Peerless V8 Delco switch plate displaying a small enamel eagle emblem, used from 1923-1924:
The following is a Peerless hub emblem used in the period 1923-1930:
The following blue enamel Peerless radiator emblem was used on six-cylinder Model 6-70 and some Model 6-72 cars from early 1924 to early 1925. This Peerless radiator emblem is scarce.
@alsancle The oldest Six-70 in existence, a Phaeton left in a field in Montana for 60 years and 1st Peerless I ever saw, has one of these. The company hadn't built a six since 1915, so it was a novelty when the Collins Six came out in January, 1924.
@alsancle IDK. It was for sale in MT for years; Doug Kucera bought about 10 Condition # 5 & 6 prewar cars and brought them down to TX(2012); bought by Bill Thomas of Richards, TX; sold to a 3rd guy in TX. The Last I heard someone wanted about 2 grand for it. It does have an engine. The 2nd TX owner restored cars and had an antique car collection, but it's unknown whether he had any improvements made to the Six-70. Unfortunately, Mr. Thomas died in 2021.
I would love it if someone restored it. Someone buy this and a '24 Packard Eight needing an engine rebuild...and paint, see which one the expenses add up the most on. Be pretty close, I think. When you're done you have one of about a thousand Packard straight 8s...and the only '24 Peerless 6 in the world. Peerless built 2,784 Model 6-70s in 1924 and 1925, only 3 known to survive. One's a restored '25 Five-Passenger Sedan and one's a '25 Five-Passenger Touring Phaeton just like this -- but restored in the 70s. Sold for about 9 grand at a ND farm auction around 2022.
Peerless28
9 minutes ago
@alsancle I find this car fascinating, despite being a Condition No. 6 automobile. It has a Pullman Body tag on the r.s. cowl and even gets mention in a long Coachbuilt.com article on the Pullman Co. of Chicago by Mark Theobald:
"Pullman manufactured the coachwork for the 1924 Peerless Model 6-70 5-passenger touring phaeton, of which one example survives today. It's unknown whether the survivor was a production vehicle or a prototype although the Pullman archives contain daily production reports, 1923-1925, for both Moon and Peerless auto bodies and financial records (monthly financial statements, 1922-1924, billing records, 1924-1925, and journals, 1920-1924).
The Pullman archives also note that "some" Pullman bodies for Peerless cars were in storage during 1924 although no distinction is made as to if they are production or prototype bodies. Circa 1923-1925 the bulk of Peerless' production bodies were being supplied by Budd, Murray, Raulang and Springfield Body Co.'s."
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