Packard Red Hexagon 5/8" Soft Enamel Lapel Pin

About the Red Hexagon Lapel Pin

The Red Hexagon is one of the automobile industry’s earliest marks of quality. This design was first used on Model L Packards in 1904. In those early days, the hexagon was black on the hubcaps of Packards in 1904.There are several interesting stories about the Red Hexagon. Years ago, owners of the first Packards were in the habit of sending their Packards back to the factory to be overhauled. When Packards were overhauled at the factory, the hexagon-shaped hubcaps were painted red. This was to signify the “final OK” after rigid factory inspections. For some reason, the idea caught on the many buyers of new Packards requested red hexagons on their cars, also. This is why the red hexagon is on Packard Hubcaps today.

As all good stories do, there is another version: The origin of the Packard hub cap hexagon had its beginnings when the famous indentation was provided as a tool aperture for hub grease cap removal. This maintenance practice was frequent in an era when grease broke down quickly because of its high animal fat content At some time in Packard history, a harried mechanic probably inadvertently packed the same bearings twice. So that he would not make the same error the next time, he identified his completed work with a dab of red paint in the indent. The effect was dramatic, and soon owners did the same or demanded it on their new cars. The red hexagon was formally adopted by Packard in 1913. CREDIT: packarddownunder.com.