Collector's Call Web Extras: Vintage Schwinn bikes for the kid in you!
Sting-Rays, Phantoms and Whizzers were sweet rides!
It's all about bikes for enthusiast Rodney Griffis, owner of an extensive collection of antique bicycles — all meticulously curated and proudly displayed in his Illinois retail shop, Blue Moon Bikes.
Some of Rodney's prized possessions include a near-mint Schwinn Apple Krate Sting-Ray, a 1947 Whizzer motorbike; and a 1977 bike once owned by supermodel Cindy Crawford. Totaled up, it's all worth about $500,000!
We brought in fellow collector and bicycle-shop owner Jeff Hajduk to appraise Rodney's massive collection.
1. Image Gallery: Inside the Collection
Rodney's collection is worth half a million bucks and includes enviable rides like Apple Krates, Pea Pickers, motorbikes… and Cindy Crawford's 10-speed?
2. Bonus Video: Schwinn Black Phantom
The "Cadillac of bicycles," the Schwinn Phantom hit shops and streets in 1949. It was a particular favorite of paperboys. This is a replica, released in 1995 to celebrate the Schwinn centennial. But it's still worth thousands.
3. Bonus Video: Signed 1963 Schwinn Sting-Ray
Al Fritz, the development engineer for Schwinn who helped create the Sting-Ray, autographed the seat of this 1963 original Apple Krate.