HERITAGE HOT SHEET: Hopalong Cassidy Cowboy Bike

An irregular news release about upcoming items in Heritage auctions

WHAT IT IS:

Hopalong Cassidy Cowboy Bike (Rollfast, 1949).

WHY IT'S COOL:

Feast your eyes on the #1 Hoppy collectible, so shiny and brand-new, it seems teleported across time from more than a half-century ago. Our offering was purchased new in 1949, then stored and forgotten for 45 years. Call the design "Extreme 1949 Deluxe" - this beauty is loaded! Rubber nubs on the tires, tassels on the handlebars, Hoppy leather saddlebags straddling the buddy seat, built-on front headlight, bike horn, white seat, white sidewalled 26-inch tires, and 3-D Hoppy images in chrome metal - could it have possibly been more cool? Yes! It also had "Hopalong Cassidy" spelled inside a painted "rope", and again on the front steer's head. Everything is all-original, including the white-colored bicycle chain. It's unused, unrestored, and unique - the "Original Hopalong Cassidy Cowboy Bike" by Rollfast. Hopalong Cassidy was immensely popular in the 1940s and 1950s with a radio show, a comic strip appearing in over 150 newspapers, his own comic book that ran for 16 years, more than 100 movie and TV films, and a top-rated television show. Hundreds of Hopalong Cassidy products have been licensed over the years, but none any more desirable than this. There is a paint chip on the front wheel mount that can be seen when the wheel is turned, and a few light paint scratches on the rear fender. The fenders are covered with so many round, chrome metal, cowboy-style studs, it's hard to believe one is missing. There is a half-inch scrape on the frame just below the Rollfast emblem and two scrapes at the top of the yoke above the front fender. Otherwise, this amazing artifact is in Excellent condition, celebrating a nostalgic icon and oblivious to the passing of time.

WHAT IT'S WORTH:

This piece has a pre-auction estimate of $10,000.

WHEN IT'S BEING OFFERED:

Heritage Comics Sale #811, to be held June 11-13, 2004 in Dallas, Texas.

For more information about this or upcoming sales, or to consign items, please visit www.HeritageComics.com.