I want to apologize for spreading misinformation. The original owner of my Matchless wheel was misinformed; it was not the 3rd wheel made. When I got home and saw that my wheel’s birthday was 02/02/88, I knew I had it wrong, so I called Schacht to get the scoop. The date on the wheel is indeed the day it was assembled (its birthday), but the number following the date actually indicates what number it was for assembly that day. So, mine was the 3rd wheel assembled on 02/02/88 and Kat’s was the 6th assembled on 1/15/88. 1988 was indeed the first year they made the Matchless wheel, so it’s still pretty cool to have the original model (though the flyer has come a long way since then), and that sexy strip of walnut on Kat’s wheel is really attractive

If your Matchless is relatively new, the assembly date will be preceded by ST or DT indicating whether it was originally a single treadle or double treadle. In the beginning they were all single treadle, but when Schacht added the DT model, they offered an upgrade to those who owned a ST model. The woman I spoke with was very friendly and helpful and if you ever have any questions, you should just give them a call. Also, if you have one of those awful original flyers that has met it life expectancy, you can either have a wood working friend groove it out for you, or Schacht will sell you a new and improved one for about $100.00.

Keep spinning!

Amanda