When did Romeo Palamides make his first 12 spoke

When did Romeo Palamides of American Racing make the first magnesium 12 spokes. I have a pair that I am trying to figure out the year and what they are worth. They have no markings on the spokes so they are before he formed American Racing. Does anyone know ?

 

You guys are slippin'....

 

I went through some 1959 Hot Rod Magazines...The first use I seen was Mickey Browns dragster in the July 59 issue.
They are one of my favorite wheels... In a 1964 catalog the price was $52.50, about the same price for a chrome reverse wheel.

 

The first ad I have found is June of `59 HR , page 89 ; lists 15"x3 1/2" spoked front wheel (10 1/2 lbs.)...$52.50. The ad is American Racing. I`ve not found any just under Palamides. This ad does say (formerly Palamides Racing Equipt Co.)

 

Pretty sure early version has a different snout at the bearings...most wheels without markings, were usually polished at some pointdow'd in their career

 

I seem to remember hearing that he made the first ones in '56

 

who's the dickhead who rated this thread a 1?

 

Those wheels are pure coolness. Nothing says drag racing like they do.

 

In 1954, early drag racing innovator Romeo Palimides teamed up with J.O. Ellison, a San Francisco machine shop owner, to design and craft cutting-edge, high strength-to-weight ratio magnesium racing wheels for his dragster. Eventually they met up with forward-thinking Tom Griffith, an engineer that was ahead of his time, and the heart and soul of American Racing Equipment was born.

 

Thanks, now we're gettin somewhere. I'm at that "Should I sell all four or keep staring at them ?" stage.

 

That's a different question, what would you put them on? Would look great on a late '50s nostalgia racer, and they have to be rare, not that many mag wheels of any brand survived, too many got corroded or chipped up...if they were mine, I would hang on to them...

 

I'm not puttin them on this.