Bought this at a buddies yard sale... it's got to be 50's if not earlier. Any one got any background on this old custom styled glass shift knob ? Thanks.
These were popularly referred to as ONYX swirl shift balls. They were a very popular accessory item available from when the first floor shifters were offered in cars. Though some were actually stone, those of this style were usually glass and available in white with blue, black, yellow, green, red and probably other constrasting colors to the white base. Others were a purplish "oil and water" sheen, and still others solid colors. Shapes varied from the "standard" ringed style shown to to varying sizes of round balls, oval shapes, and some were pretty large like an extra large egg. These have been remade as reproductions both in glass and stone starting in the 70s. We sold hundreds of the glass swirl knobs while they were available and quite a few of the true polished stone ones. Original early pieces would have varying sizes of machined brass inserts threaded for specific applications by thread count and stud size. Later versions had the rather ugly plastic/rubber universal "self-threading" inserts as the one pictured appears to have. Others have a standard threaded insert in the ball with externally threaded inserts internally threaded to varying sizes for "universal" applications.
There was a guy who had quite a few of them at the LARS. I didn't ask to see if they were old or something new. Looked pretty cool though...
I just scored a orange and white swirl , has 3 small ribs in it , large metal insert , with a brass insert 3/8's fine thread . It came out of a 22 Dodge Brothers touring car my bud just bought . Im sure it is way older than 70's .
The Jalopy Journal
