Eureka Model 1414 Bicentennial Edition

[paul]

Although I found no mention in the ads of 'Bicentennial Edition', the bag pattern of the Model 1414 appears to have been designed for the occasion.

Pics include:

1) Eurekaboy's Model 1414 from thread 12441
2) October 1975 ad
3) October 1975 ad close-up
4) November 1975 ad

 

[huskyvacs]

Wow nice find! Yes, anything that came out on or near 1976 would usually have some sort of American theme for the Bicentennial, which also went with the Federal style era of furniture at the time.

-----------------------------

"The United States Bicentennial in 1976 prompted an explosion in Americana, including Early American and Colonial Revival furniture. The cover of the 1976 Sears Spring/Summer catalog shows a family of four posed at the Quincy, Massachusetts, birthplace of Founding Father and second U.S. president, John Adams. A flag waves against the blue-sky backdrop of the red-painted wood Colonial home. Inside the catalog, you can find plenty of furniture like Windsor-style chairs, plaid “country style” couches, and heavy-wood furniture lines branded as Early American and Colonial Style—including the Sears Open Hearth Country Home line. The corniest products of 1976 are known as Bicentennial Chic and came in the colors of the American flag with overt American symbols incorporated into the design. The catalog contains leather-covered bars with eagles and shields embossed into the front and bedspreads in “patchwork” and red, white, and blue patterns."

https://www.collectorsweekly.com/ar...e-70s-the-story-of-your-grandmas-weird-couch/

https://retrorenovation.com/2014/07/07/bicentennial-chic/

 

[justjunque]

I'm pretty sure I'm a weirdo, but I've always really liked that style.
Not so much the plaid leisure suits, but the home furnishings. And, I loved the sense of pride in our country!
I actually have a few Bicentennial items sitting around the house for nostalgia sake.

Barry

 

[paul]

Huskyvacs,

Great fun! Thanks for the links related to the Mid-20th Century home decor and Bicentennial Chic - a term previously unknown to me. The bag jacket pattern definitely fits in with that!

I was raised in a Colonial-style house with a green & blue floral pattern couch that my parents later had recovered in rust tones of a similar pattern - similar to those featured in the post. Along with that we had colonial-style furniture, so I could relate to the topic.

To my knowledge Eureka and Hoover were the only two vacuum cleaners to produce a Bicentennial-theme bag jacket and related colors.

 

[paul]

P.S.

Gotta love the '70s clothing in your photo!

P.P.S. Come to think of it the quilt pattern of the Regina Electrik-Broom's dust jacket in picture 2 of my initial post is also reminiscent of handmade quilts of the colonial period.

 

[eurekaprince]

Did Regina have a Bicentennial Electrikbroom? I seem to remember that there may have been one…I could be wrong though…

 

[rugsucker]

Regina

The broom cloth bags had a label stating they were a copy of early American designs.

 

[rugsucker]

Regina

The broom cloth bags had a label stating they were a copy of early American designs.

 

[opelgtkarl]

My Bicentennial Eureka

Hello all! I’ve seen the different ads for the Bicentennial Eurekas for years and found a few more including 1 from Macy’s that advertised both the Eureka and Convertible Bicentennial models. I have only found record of the Eurek model 1414, but I have also seen one of the pagoda hooded uprights in the matching brown color with the Bicentennial bag on it as well as the machine that I found a few years ago. Mine is a model 1453 in the same brown as the other Bicentennial machines and dated 1975 to be sold for 1976. It also has the Bicentennial bag. I’m not sure if it was possibly a department store exclusive, but I’m very proud to have a Bicentennial Eureka!

I also attached a couple more ads I’ve saved over the years for Bicentennial machines including one for a Viking labeled Eureka from Eatons department store in Canada and another ad from Woolco advertising the Bicentennial Convertible.

Enjoy!

 

[eurekaprince]

don’t want to hijack this thread….but I had no idea Bissell made a two-motor power nozzle stick vac like the one shown in that print ad! Cool!

 

[eurekaprince]

Thanks for that reply Jimmy!!!

 

[huskyvacs]

Nice!

 

[texbodemer]

1977

In 1977, Frederick and Nelson (Seattle's division of Marshall Field's) was still selling it as having an "Early American patterned dust bag cover."

This ad is from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, January 7, 1977

View attachment texbodemer-2023012023024201587_1.jpg

 

[opelgtkarl]

Another Bicentennial model

In my previous post, I mentioned that I had seen a pagoda hooded Eureka with a Bicentennial bag on it. Well, I was digging around and found this photo on Pinterest. I’m not sure whose collection this is or if it’s a production model, but it does seem to be the same brown colors as the other Bicentennial models. I wasn’t able to find anything else out about it other than this, but I do believe that they marketed the Bicentennial models with different designs from 1975 to 1977. If anyone else has any other info, I’d love to know more about these

 

[eurekaprince]

Love the last pic with the array of Eureka uprights, including a very early “Vanguard motor hood” model with the top side hose port in front of the headlight.

I am curious if the current Sanitaire traditional red bag upright (model 888 I think) has the identical shape of motor hood as the early 271 from the 1960’s. If yes, that motor hood design has really been around for a very long time.

Would be fun to see a pic of the earliest Eureka Vanguard style model with the latest Sanitaire Dial a Nap model…especially if they both had chrome motor hoods.

 

[louvac]

Eureka Bicentennial Bag

My mom bought a Eureka upright in 1976 which had the bicentennial bag. I am not sure of the model number right now. It may be 2042 but I could be way off. It's brown with the "Rugulator" sliding carpet height adjustment. We still have the machine and it's in decent shape for 47 years old but the original bag is long gone. But I do recall vividly that the bag which was a heavier quality vinyl had opposing Liberty Bells in brown. It didn't resemble the ones in the previous replies above. I would love to see that pattern again if anyone has an original bag.

In my honest opinion the reason why many of the Eureka outer bags and the Hoover outer bags, as well, didn't last was because there was too much tension on them to hold them up straight. It would have been better had the manufacturers added a link to the spring or simply made the spring with far less tension. Eurekas were much more taut at the base than the Hoovers but all that tension caused them to strain and eventually tear.

Hmmmm.....and they call themselves engineers? Makes you wonder! On several of my machines I simply will add a ring to the spring to lessen the tension. It makes the outer bag loosey goosey but it saves the bag from further damage.

 

[paul]

Thanks for all the replies and additional info. I've found that most newspaper ads in the database I've been using feature the BOL and MOL cleaners.

Regarding the photo in Reply #13, it would've been helpful to research to have included model numbers.

OpelGTKarl, your 1453 looks terrific!

Louvac, the tension issue was probably left as is to help increase profits with sales of replacement bag covers.

 

[paul]

Model 2014

Here's a Eureka ad from the May 27, 1976, ST. PETERSBURG TIMES featuring the Bicentennial Model 2014.

 

[paul]

Re: Replies 5-6-7

1976 newspaper advertisements featuring Electrikbrooms (the only models mentioned were 5628 & 5639):