1933 Griffin

Comments

  • oldhudsons
    oldhudsons Senior Contributor
    It looks too good to be a repro but I think the front part where the name badge goes was broken off then polished/ground down & replated.

    Can't tell the proportions on it but it might be smaller than the one depicted below which for the '33 Hudson thus off a '33 Terra. 6 or 8.
  • tigermoth
    tigermoth Expert Adviser
    are you sure this isn't just a rechrome of a broken ornament..you can lose a lot of the fine detail in the rechrome depending on how bad it was prior to the rechrome. do they bother to cast up a prototype with fewer details than the production piece? the seller also notes as differences with other production pieces that could be the result of reworking prior to rechrome...the grinding of groves below the claws, less detail in the griffin tail, shorter wings due reworking broken tips. regards, tom
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    I have exchanged several e-mails with the seller of this griffin, and I believe his griffin, although nicely done, has been altered from an original 1933 Hudson one. I don't think he agrees, however, and that is o.k., too. I have an original 1933 Terraplane griffin which is shorter overall than the Hudson griffin. For example, the wings on the seller's mascot are longer than the ones on my Terraplane one. The distance between the mounting holes on my griffin is 4 3/16", while the seller's example measures 5". If you have seen a 1933 Hudson mascot mounted on the car, you will have noticed readily that it is indeed larger than that of the Terraplane. Several Terraplane griffins have appeared on e-Bay in recent years, and some of those have been altered to have an appearance similar to that of the current e-Bay offering. Altered ones look nice, too, but only on a book shelf! Dee
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    I think if it WAS altered, it was done by a true craftsman. I wish I had a '33 Hudson ornament to compare the numbers/casting marks.I've never come across one in all of my 35 years of looking.....
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Apparently those griffins were cast at different times, perhaps by different casters. The number on the one on eBay is 101945 1736 with the "Jarvis" marking. My Terraplane griffin's number is 1716 101946, no "Jarvis" marking. A man from New Zealand wrote that his Terraplane mascot bears the number 8 IE 1718 101948, no Jarvis marking either. Incidentally, there was a 1933 Hudson griffin that was sold on eBay several months ago. I was interested in it, but it was so heavily pitted that I didn't bid on it.
  • oldhudsons
    oldhudsons Senior Contributor
    Rick - yes, as I remarked in a prior post, 2 different sizes, the one for the '33 Hudson being about 25% larger.

    Also, on the inside of an original is the name of the co. that made the casting, "AVOCO", or something like that.

    They are just made from potmetal so easy to carefully grind off edges if broken to make it look good (as in top photo of one for sale), & if not pitted, get a good rechrome job so looks great BUT without the lower section holding the cloisenne name badge, not worth anything.
  • frank spring
    frank spring Expert Adviser
    I will dig up some information on the Hudson 8 Griffins. I have a few of them. There were two different casting companies used even on the Hudson 8 Griffins. I have noticed that before on the ones I have. I will look and post some more information. I believe there were only about 2600 Hudsons built in 1933 (far more Terraplanes) so the larger griffins are much harder to come by. Absolutely no doubt, this one was broken.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Frank Spring, would you measure the distance between the mounting holes on your Hudson griffins to see if it is five inches, the distance between the holes on the one on eBay?
  • frank spring
    frank spring Expert Adviser
    OlHudson8r wrote:
    Frank Spring, would you measure the distance between the mounting holes on your Hudson griffins to see if it is five inches, the distance between the holes on the one on eBay?



    I viewed 5 griffins in all. All from 33 Hudsons, all with the triangle below. They are all marked with the Hudson part number 101945 and a casting number of 1733 just like the one on ebay. Two of them have a name cast on the outside which says Avard Fairbanks 1932. These have three mounting bracket studs. The other two, have just two studs, and they are 5 inches apart. These do not have any casting name on the outside or inside. I forgot to look down in them to see that they all say Jarvis.



    Anyting else I can help with.



    Ed
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    I was reasonably sure the one on eBay was from a '33 Hudson, but the seller pretty much is set in his ways. He has it listed as Terraplane (which it isn't, obviously) and leans toward calling it an unaltered "prototype". Sometimes hype sells, as the $310 current bid points out. Thanks for the verification, Ed. Dee
  • Aaron D. IL
    Aaron D. IL Senior Contributor
    The Griffin is part of the 2010 central regional theme for the Chicago Milwaukee chapter I think. At least it is a feature of the host hotel.
  • tigermoth
    tigermoth Expert Adviser
    $655 !!!! i guess SOMEONE believed this was something other than a broken hood ornament...wow. regards, tom
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    I imagine the seller of that griffin is grinning like a mule eating briers!
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