[valdo]

I have 3 identical low-frame Hermes "herrcykel" frames, all have been black. One with the number 1089xxx, one without original number and I don´t know the 3 -ds number at the moment.

Most on Hermes bicycles spread in Estonia were painted in black and had chromium-plated mudguards and rims. I have about 3-4 remains of these bicycles, unfortunately all unrestored and in bad shape.

Beside of these Hermes bicycles I have a well-preserved green-painted Hermes - year 1939, frame no 1217982. Look http://forum.automoto.ee/showthread.php?tid=37796 for pictures.

This bicycle has original paint, original chrome etc. What is interesting, is paint which is a metallic paint (already in 1939!).

Generally for Estonian market Swedish bicycle factories produced black bicycles with chromium-plated mudguards and rims. At first I thought that this bicycle is produced for inner market, but it was not - it has rims for beaded-edges tires - this standard was in Sweden inner market already forgotten in late 1930s but was in deep use in Estonia until 1940s. All the Swedish bicycles I have met which have been made for Estonian market, have rims for beaded-edge tires.