Vintage Harley Sign Packs Serious Historical Significance
At first glance, this just looks like some well-kept old Harley sign. But there’s much more to this fascinating story!
Metal automotive garage signs are as all-American as apple pie, and typically just as well-loved as the brand painted on them. Whether you’re sitting in some chain country restaurant or visiting a local car museum, you’re bound to be surrounded by lots of these tin pieces of nostalgia. And their effect is every bit as strong today, instantly transporting you back to a very different time. But most old signs show their age these days. Few look as incredibly new as this NOS Harley piece, that’s for sure.
That’s why we did a double take when we spotted the amazing little piece of art as it heads to auction over at Barrett-Jackson. The 1940s/1950s-era piece certainly lives up to its billing as “museum quality,” showing just a couple of rub marks. If the subject of the sign, Bill Kennedy Harley-Davidson, was just another dealer, it wouldn’t diminish this thing’s significance. But it turns out, Bill Kennedy was a special place (and man), too.
In fact, Kennedy was awarded Arizona’s very first Harley dealer franchise way back in 1928. He enjoyed tremendous success for 30 years, but things quickly went south in 1958. That’s when Kennedy decided to also sell Yamaha motorcycles, which were just coming to market. Obviously, Harley wasn’t a fan of this move and promptly yanked Kennedy’s dealer license.
The license switched hands a couple of times and eventually fell under the care of Buddy Stubbs. Stubbs was only supposed to run the dealership temporarily until a suitable owner could be found. But he did such a great job that Walter Davidson himself co-signed a loan with Stubbs to keep it in his care. And today, nearly 50 years later, Buddy Stubbs Harley remains the brand’s only dealership within the Phoenix city limits.
And to think, it all started with a simple, old school, tin sign!
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