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- Barley Hubcap, 1923-1924 - Early automobile wheels had a central hub with a greased wheel bearing. Hub caps kept grease in and dust out. Beginning in 1915, the Aluminum Goods Manufacturing Company of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, supplied hubcaps -- including this one -- to many automotive manufacturers. Hubcaps became functionally unnecessary as wheels evolved, but they remained important components of style and marketing.

- 1923-1924
- Collections - Artifact
Barley Hubcap, 1923-1924
Early automobile wheels had a central hub with a greased wheel bearing. Hub caps kept grease in and dust out. Beginning in 1915, the Aluminum Goods Manufacturing Company of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, supplied hubcaps -- including this one -- to many automotive manufacturers. Hubcaps became functionally unnecessary as wheels evolved, but they remained important components of style and marketing.