A Piece of History

[Dutchman]

This Nichols Patent striking bag swivel is currently offered on eBay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ANTIQUE-1900S-NICOLS-STRIKING-PUNCHING-BAG-SWIVELW-BO_W0QQitemZ370027402602QQihZ024QQcategoryZ151738QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

This one is the best looking example that I have seen. It appears to have been little used, if at all.

[Speedbag]

This Nichols Patent striking bag swivel is currently offered on eBay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ANTIQUE-1900S-NICOLS-STRIKING-PUNCHING-BAG-SWIVELW-BO_W0QQitemZ370027402602QQihZ024QQcategoryZ151738QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

This one is the best looking example that I have seen. It appears to have been little used, if at all.

Your knowledge of speed bag history, both people and equipment is amazing.

great find.

[roberthelpus]

That looks dead on my old thang except for the text markings.

http://speedbagforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=852

Strike that, mine has the same markings on the bottom. I just looked. It's the exact same swivel, same scrollwork too. That reads patented June 12, 1900. That doesn't necessarily mean that it's that old.

[Dutchman]

The Nichols swivel was the next step up from the previous way of securing a striking bag to the platform. Early bags did not have leather loops at the top. They had a rope that was attatched at the top, and it was threaded up through a hole in the platform. A knot was tied in the rope to set the height of the bag, and you were ready to work out. Simple, yes, but not without some issues. The major issue was that the bag wound spin, twisting the rope. Then it would reach a point where it would start unwinding. With the Nichols (and there were other swivels that were similar) you still had the advantage of adjusting the bag height by with the rope, but the cup allowed the bag to rotate without winding up.
With the advent of the loop at the top of the bag, the ball and hook swivel as we know it now came into being. From photos and film that I have seen that seems to have occured in the late 1920's, early 1930's.

[toolboxdiver]

The Nichols swivel was the next step up from the previous way of securing a striking bag to the platform. Early bags did not have leather loops at the top. They had a rope that was attatched at the top, and it was threaded up through a hole in the platform. A knot was tied in the rope to set the height of the bag, and you were ready to work out. Simple, yes, but not without some issues. The major issue was that the bag wound spin, twisting the rope. Then it would reach a point where it would start unwinding. With the Nichols (and there were other swivels that were similar) you still had the advantage of adjusting the bag height by with the rope, but the cup allowed the bag to rotate without winding up.
With the advent of the loop at the top of the bag, the ball and hook swivel as we know it now came into being. From photos and film that I have seen that seems to have occured in the late 1920's, early 1930's.

Great information and thanks for sharing your knowledge with us on this great piece of vintage boxing gear

[Speedbag]

This Nichols Patent striking bag swivel is currently offered on eBay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ANTIQUE-1900S-NICOLS-STRIKING-PUNCHING-BAG-SWIVELW-BO_W0QQitemZ370027402602QQihZ024QQcategoryZ151738QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

This one is the best looking example that I have seen. It appears to have been little used, if at all.

Your knowledge of speed bag history, both people and equipment is amazing.

great find.

Look for pictures of this swivel to appear on the history pages of Speedbagcentral.com