Cycles that modeled for 'American Motorcycles'
stamps to kick-start Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

The first of 85 million classic antique "American Motorcycles" stamps mirroring bikes owned by members of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America's Long Island Big Sandbar chapter rolled out of the Black Hills of South Dakota, Aug. 7, to kick-start the nation's premier motorcycle event - the 66th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

The stamps were dedicated before a crowd of 700 motorcycle enthusiasts just prior to the Mayor's annual ride to the Crazy Horse Memorial and Custer State Park.

Penny Nickerson's 1918 Cleveland, Larry Spielfogel's 1940 Indian Four and George Tsunis' 1965 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide® were in the forefront of a 10 ft. enlargement of the stamp images that included a circa 1970 Chopper computer generated image created by stamp artist Steve Buchanan.

U.S. Postal Service Chief Marketing Officer Anita Bizzotto emceed the event, and James C. Miller, III, chairman of the presidentially-appointed Postal Service Board of Governors, dedicated the stamps. Also participating were Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds (R), Utah Governor Jon Huntsman (R), Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD), Sen. John Thume (R-SD), U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth (D-SD), Mark Ziegler, Mayor of Sturgis and the Sturgis Honor Guard. Special Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs, Maggie Grant was recognized as a special guest along with Clem Felchle, USPS District Manager, Customer Service and Sales, Dakota's District and Vickie Cartwright, Sturgis Postmaster.

The Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame exhibited the cycles where the owners of the cycles autographed special collectables.

The story behind the motorcycle stamps is fascinating.

The Postal Service receives suggestions from about 50,000 people every year. Only 20 to 25 subjects make the cut. To narrow down the selection, the Postmaster General's Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee-a cross section of designers, historians and academics-review the suggestions and make recommendations to the Postmaster General for final approval.

Once the American Motorcycles stamps concept got the go-ahead, Postal Service representatives met with the Smithsonian Institution's curator of the Division of Transportation to determine which cycles to depict. The 1918 Cleveland proved to be a visually appealing example of an early model. The Indian's enclosed fenders established it as a classic. And the Harley personified America's love affair with a big cross-country cruiser. Prominent during the 1960s and 1970s, Choppers followed a tradition of earlier customized motorcycles known as "bobbers" for their shortened or bobbed features.

See below to see photos of the featured cycles. For additional information about the rally, go to: www.sturgismotorcyclerally.com. Interested in the Sturgis Museum? Go to: www.sturgismuseum.com.

Nickerson's 1918 Cleveland

In September 2003, Penny Nickerson, a retired teacher with two grandchildren, got the call from the Postal Service asking permission to use her 1918 Cleveland as a model.

"I was very surprised and honored," she said. "I had to keep the news to myself until the Postal Service officially announced the stamps last year. I wanted to jump up and down and tell everybody," she added.

Penny, director of the Big Sandbar chapter, told the Postal Service there were Indians and Harleys owned by other club members. She emailed the club to ask that 1940 Indian Four and 1965 Electra Glide owners contact her. Then she forwarded the names to the Postal Service, which chose an Indian Four and Harley Electra Glide for two of the other stamps.

When living in Maryland, Penny first fell in love with her "Olive" as she refers to her bike, when she was 15.

"It was in a barn owned by my boyfriend's father, who found it on an abandoned farm. I was intrigued by the bike and expressed my interest in buying it."

She and her boyfriend later went their separate ways. Penny moved to Long Island, her boyfriend to a Pennsylvania farm.

Years later, after her former boyfriend's father died, his widow called Penny to ask if she was still interested. After negotiating a price and driving eight hours in her pickup, Penny's anticipation turned to disappointment. The widow had a change of heart. Another of her sons decided to restore the Cleveland himself.

Two years later in 1986, the widow called Penny again. Her son never did anything with the bike, so she decided again to sell it.

This time, Penny said, "I gave her the cash, threw the bike in back, slammed the tailgate and took off into a blizzard. I didn't want to stick around to see her change her mind again."

She spent 10 years researching and restoring the bike, learning it was used by the U.S. Army in World War I for dispatch duty. She named the Cleveland "Olive" after reading an article in a 1918 edition of Motorcycle and Bicycle Illustrated, about a woman who bought a 1918 Cleveland and named it Olive because, "It's like an olive, you don't know how great it is until you bite into it."

Today, Olive is considered to be one of the rarest of its kind. Its street legal until dusk. Penny still rides it around the neighborhood, sometimes even making it up to a thrilling 30 mph.

Spielfogel's 1940 Indian Four

An avid motorcycle collector, Larry Spielfogel was out with his family one weekend in 1995 when he stopped at a gas station to fill up. He asked the owner if there were any old motorcycles around for sale and got directions to an old Victorian house.

After knocking on the door several times, he started to walk around to the back when an older gentleman, Leonard Moeller, shuffled out the front door. Larry explained the purpose of his visit and Leonard motioned him to follow as he slowly made his way around back. Leonard started kicking at a 5 ft. high by 10 ft. wide pile of leaves to reveal a blue tarp. Larry uncovered it to discover the 1940 Indian sitting on blocks. All of the original parts were there but the bike was rusted and in very poor condition. An expensive restoration that took more than two years followed. Of the 60 motorcycles Larry owns, 14 are four-cylinder Indians like the one depicted on the stamp.

"I am so proud the Postal Service is immortalizing this Indian. It's a testament to the original owner. We became good friends. Leonard and his wife had no children. He had a passion for motorcycles you don't see today. The Indian and his 1918 Pope Twin I that I later bought were his children. His wife was his love. I wish they were alive today to experience this."

Tsunis' 1965 Electra Glide

George Tsunis has had a life-long passion for motorcycles.

"I was so excited a bike from my antique motorcycle collection would be commemorated on a stamp. It's really flattering to be positioned as an authority on antique Harley-Davidsons. I wish the Postal Service could issue a motorcycle stamp every year.

As the third owner of the Electra Glide he purchased in 2000, he rides it often. The first owner, a Vietnam Veteran and New Jersey railroad worker, maintained it for 25 years and rode it to Daytona three times and Sturgis once.

The Electra Glide is in original condition, including the paint, except for a few nuts and bolts that George corrected. It has earned the prestigious AMCA's Winners Circle Award. While George's Harley is black and white, the Postal Service used a blue and white version of the Electra Glide depicted on the stamp to highlight the overall design of the stamp pane.

George's extensive Harley collection includes Knuckleheads, Panheads and Shovel heads dating from 1936 to 1969.

Circa Chopper 1970
Artist Rendering by Steve Buchanan

The circa 1970 chopper featured on this stamp was invented by the stamp artist Steve Buchanan in consultation with professional chopper builders. Although lacking safety features such as mirrors, turn signals and front brakes required today, this chopper would have been legal to ride circa 1970.

From left: 1940 Indian owner Larry Spielfogel, 1918 Cleveland owner Penny Nickerson and 1965 Harley owner George Tsunis autograph collectables in the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame. The museum is housed in the former Sturgis Post Office building.