1954 and 1955 Lincoln Hubcaps

[mercman from oz]

Did you know that the 1954 and 1955 Lincoln Hubcaps are different?
In the above photo, the 1954 Hubcap is on the Left and the 1955 on the right.

[mercman from oz]

Did anyone spot the difference?

[58Yeoman]

The armor breastplate is different. Plus, the right one is shinier.

[mercman from oz]

Close-up of the 1954 Lincoln Hubcap showing the detail on the Crest

[mercman from oz]

Close-up of the 1955 Lincoln Hubcap showing the detail on the Crest

[56sedandelivery]

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Slats on breastplate are different, shoulder is differenct

[kiwi nz]

Cross is different

[mercman from oz]

It is obvious that not many people know that they are different.
Check out these eBay advertisements. They all state 1954/1955

VINTAGE 1954 1955 LINCOLN

Lincoln hubcap/wheel cover 1954-1955 - 15"

OEM 1954-1955 Lincoln Genuine Parts Wheel Cover LA-1130-B

1954 1955 54 55 LINCOLN HUBCAP/WHEEL COVER ORIGINAL FOMOCO

Vintage 1954-1955 Lincoln 15''Inch Hubcaps

[Daves55Sedan]

Not that I ever buy anything from epay anymore, but I've seen enough on there that the seller's don't know what year car and sometimes not even what make of car their part is for. NEVER trust what the seller is advertising on epay.
As for the Lincoln full-wheel covers, they both appear to be the same stamp. Both even have the black paint in the sunray embossments (although these are badly worn away). Mostly, the center paint scheme is different. The '54 has a heavy accent on red at the center background. While both have white paint inside the shield where the 3 dots are and both have the interior of the star painted white, the '54 has blue accents in the fluted area of the shield while the '55 fluted areas are bare. The interior of the '54 cross inside the shield is painted red while the '55 is bare.
Personally, I like the '55 scheme better, but the contrast between the two covers makes them look very different. The '55 scheme would have been more cost effective to complete also, which is probably why they went to it.
BTW, I don't think Lincoln issued "hub caps" on any of the '54/55 models as a standard equipment. They really didn't have a "cheap" model compared to Ford's "Mainline" series.

[mercman from oz]

Further to Daves55Sedan's comments, the 1955 Lincoln Hubcap should also have a red painted centre. This is how I purchased them. The biggest difference is on the shield on the 1954 Hubcap that has a red painted + behind the star, while on the 1955 Hubcap, only the horizontal area has paint (missing in the above example) Also, the shoulders of the Knight are different. Living in Australia, I have never seen a 1954 or 1955 Lincoln, but have found out these differences by research. It seems that many owners of these two model years of Lincolns also are unaware of these differences.

[mercman from oz]

1954 Lincoln Hubcap

1955 Lincoln Hubcap

This high dollar restored 1954 Lincoln has Mismatched Hubcaps.
It seems that the Owner or Restoration Shop didn't know that 1954 and 1955 Lincoln Hubcaps are different?

[scicala]

Must have been a slow day at wheel cover design for Lincoln to make a new stamping die for such minor changes that maybe 1 in 100 people would notice without pictures blown up like these.

Sal

[Daves55Sedan]

OMG, look at the difference in the knights helmets. The '54 has a shallower chin. And now that you mention it I do see the difference in the shoulders. Why did they bother?

[mercman from oz]

Lincoln Hood Badge on the 1954 Lincolns.
Notice that the shield is the same as the shield on the Hubcaps.

[mercman from oz]

Lincoln Hood Badge on the 1955 Lincolns.
Notice that the redesigned shield is the same as the shield on the Hubcaps.
Compare it with the 1954 Shield above and you can easily see the differences.