I've had this 26" girl's Hoppy restored recently. It had holes drilled in each side of the tank and in the front and back fenders where holders had been attached. A previous owner had accessories in the holders, but they were not original to the bike (pretty sure). When the bike was restored, new holders were fabricated to recreate the ones that had been there before - I liked the idea of keeping that part of the history of the bike, imagining some kid showing off her cowgirl stuff.
My understanding from looking carefully at the old advertisements is that this 26" model did not come with the cap gun holster seen on the smaller versions that year. When I purchased the bike (in somewhat rough shape, but not too bad), it came with a set of heavy leather saddlebags that were probably held secure through the holder on the back fender. (For those interested, they are not original Hoppy ones, unfortunately, but nice ones with concho details, so I plan to fix up and use them.) It also came with a toy waist holster and two 50s cap guns (again, not Hoppies, but cute) buckled through the holder on the tank.
My question is, what is up with the holder on the front, in front of the light? What kind of accessory would have been attached there? I found a pic online of another Hopalong with a holder on front just like this, but there was nothing attached to it. Does anyone know? Is there another must-have accessory out there that I need to be looking for?
