1897 Victoria Triumph No 15 for Ladies

THE TRIUMPH OF VENUS

1897 Victoria Triumph No 15 for Ladies

23″ Frame

26″ Wheels

Frame No 12873

Brown Brothers Saddle

Any vintage bicycle retaining its original transfers is wonderful. But a bicycle that proudly declares its name in gilt 120 years after manufacture is a real treasure. This is the earliest Triumph I’ve seen and, as you can imagine, when I found it I did not hesitate. It was for sale at Beaulieu autojumble in 2013, but still in the seller’s van and I was the first to spot it. Obviously my vintage bicycle radar was working well. I immediately reached into my pocket and paid a deposit to secure it.

The seller told me that he’d bought it at a French autojumble fifteen years before, along with a Gent’s Triumph of the same age. After a year of negotiations I eventually managed to get that one too.