This past weekend I made a difficult decision to let something go that had a special place in my heart – my 1954 Indian Princess Bicycle. I found this beauty a few months back at an estate sale north of Sanford and knew it was special the moment I set my eyes upon it. The embossed Indian Princess logo, the smooth lines of the fenders, the vintage 1961-62 Michigan Bicycle License Decal, and the rusty chrome were different than any other I had ventured upon before. The current owner let it deteriorate on their front porch for many years before it made its way to their sale. Matter of fact, I believe they thought I was crazy for wanting to take this rusted beauty home with me. Thankfully, my supportive partner Lisa knows that I have a love for bicycles and she didn’t question my interest one bit. Lisa has a similar relationship with vintage flamingos.
Well, the bicycle found shelter for several months in my workshop before a decision had to be made. What do I do with the bike? My workshop is already crowded with many unfinished projects and funds are a little tight to consider a complete restoration, given a baby is on its way in a matter of weeks. We even considered using the bicycle as a lawn decoration, however I could not quite resolve intentionally allowing this unique piece of history to decay further. The only real solution seemed to be finding a new owner that would either appreciate the heritage of this bicycle or find someone who would ride it. This is where Skip comes into the picture. The bicycle and Skip were destined to meet.
Skip is a collector of all things manufactured by Indian and is assembling an Indian Bicycle Collection. He is currently in possession of a motorized Indian Bicycle, an Indian Scout, and has been searching for months for an Indian Princess and Indian Chief to round out his collection. It was indeed his lucky day because he won $300 in the Florida lottery before spotting my ad through a Google Search. Thanks to Skip and his desire to have a museum quality collection, my bicycle will be completely restored within a matter of months and stand proudly with its family. Of course, it will no longer be mine. However as the saying goes, sometimes if you love something, you have to let it go free. In this case, it is definitely the right decision and maybe one day Skip will send me a picture of our Indian Princess.
{ 0 comments }
