Paramount 50th Anniversary Special Edition
In 1988, Schwinn celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Paramount. All bikes built that model year received a special 50th Anniversary decal.
In addition, Schwinn offered a Special Edition 50th Anniversary frameset designed as a ridable but collectible bike. Based on the Paramount Standard of the mid-80’s, it included lots of extras:
- Gold plated fork: Paramount packed the fork in a red velvet bag.
- Gold decal set: Based on the Paramount Standard styling. The Gold decals were only available for special edition frames (Waterford honors that tradition to this day).
- Special edition serial number: in addition to the self-describing serial number of the day, each special edition frame had an extra serial number, ranging from 1 to about 650 (the total number made), stamped on the bottom bracket.
- Application for a certificate: Customer could mail in the application and receive a certificate, signed by Tom Schwinn, documenting ownership of that frame.
Typical colors were Candy Red, Anniversary Black (a black metallic finish) and Pearl White, though the full range of Paramount colors were available.
By all accounts, it was a success. While many of these frames were turned into complete bikes (often with Campagnolo 50th Anniversary groupos), many others stayed in the box, hoarded to this day.