Mystery Tricycle Made by Midwest
Q: Not sure what brand or year it is. It has the two step and bakelite looking round hand enclosures with sparkly handle bar grippers. It has possible space age grid half-way down the front tire. It is mint green and a seemingly green green for main paint areas. Love your site. Kerin
A: Your question is an example of exactly why we need a photograph to identify tricycles. Your tricycle is not considered a two step model. The two step models have two flat steps. Nothing on the tricycle is Bakelite, widespread us of it stopped years before this tricycle was made. The fender really isn’t considered Space Age (except perhaps by a few over reaching eBay sellers looking for keywords); it’s just a fender with partial skirt that has a pierced design. If anything on the tricycle is Space Age, it would be the hand guards.
OK, so what is it? It’s a circa 1950′s tricycle made by Midwest Industries or perhaps their parent company MTD – both made very similar tricycles, some of them using the same exact design. Originally there would have been a headbadge sticker that would have had the brand logo on it.
Though not the most valuable tricycles by any means, Midwest trikes seem to be quite popular and people really like the pierced fender skirt design.
Q: Any help in identifying and dating this trike would be helpful. I think the “MW” on the headbadge may refer to Montgomery Ward. 