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Harley-Davidson Hollister Motorcycle Rally Tin Advertising Signs (2) (116895)

Currency:USD Category:Western Americana Start Price:100.00 USD Estimated At:200.00 - 400.00 USD
Harley-Davidson Hollister Motorcycle Rally Tin Advertising Signs (2)  (116895)
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Two tin metal Harley-Davidson signs measuring 18" x 12" with punch holes in corners for mounting on display. Both signs are reproduced 1930s Harley-Davidson published advertisements that are classic highly collectible, classic HD memorabilia even sold as paper reprints. We could not find any other examples of tin signs made for these two advertisements and there is no printer or manufacturer information on either sign, indicating these were custom made. Both are printed in black ink, one is on white tin, the other on HD orange tin. The white sign has sticker for the 1997 Hollister, California Event celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the day that inspired "The Wild Ones" movie, which premiered in 1953.



The Anniversary event in July of 1997 was a historic, world-wide motorcycle rally that drew an unprecedented, international group of riders. The Los Angelas Times reported, "the Oakland Hells Angels have selected the downtown (Hollister) saloon as their weekend headquarters to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the birth of the outlaw biker movement." What was the big event that inspired one of the greatest motorcycle movies of all time and was "the birth of the outlaw biker movement?" In July 1947 some wiley members of a Los Angelas bike club called the Booze Fighters rolled into Hollister to attend an American Motorcyclist Association Rally over 4th of July weekend, along with about 4,000 other bikers from all over the Western States. This particular group, though, was wilder than most, known to be drinkers and ready to raise some hell. According to later newspapers and magazines the rally got out of hand. So 'out of hand" in fact that some reports earned international press coverage. One such article, published in Life Magazine featured a photograph of the Boozefighters fearless leader, a WWII vet named Willie Forkner, AKA "Wino". The caption of the photograph entitled the article that followed and read "Cyclists Holiday: He and Friends Terrorize a Town..." In truth, after guzzling whiskey, brawling with bar patrons and plotting to bust a fellow club member out of jail, Forkner ("Wino") posed for a camera man sitting on his Hog outside the Hollister Bar with a dozen empty bottles at his feet. . That now-infamous photograph and article became the inspiration for the iconic Marlon Brando Film, "The Wild Ones" that has gone down in the history books as "the original outlaw biker film, and the first to examine American outlaw motorcycle gang violence, according to Wikipedia. You see some say that the early Boozefighters paved the way for the Hells Angels. In his 1966 book “Hell’s Angels,” author Hunter Thompson wrote of the two groups: “The Boozefighters were as numerous and fearsome in their time as the Angels are today.” Adding to the hype of the 1997 Anniversary Event was the fact that outlaw biker icon, Willie Forkner died of heart disease just two weeks earlier, after telling a reporting how much he was looking forward to the 1997 Anniversary celebration. On that Independence Day weekend over 100,000 motorcycles rolled into the small California town so their riders could relive "The Wild Ones" legendary weekend, as well as mourn the passing of one of their heroes, "Wino" Willie Forkner. Despite a lot of pre-event press about the 1997 event, although spirited, the cyclists did not run amok or become violent. In fact, they were invited back .



These two tin signs commemorate not only Harley-Davidson iconic advertising from the 1930s, but also the original "Hollister Invasion" in 1947, "The Wild Ones" Motion Picture, the outlaw biker movement as a whole and the 1997 50th Anniversary Rally that drew record breaking attendance from all over the world. While not official H-D Licensed product, these signs still have more Harley-Davidson History than you can shake a stick at!

Provenance:
Country (if not USA):
State: California
City/County: Hollister
Date: 1997