GLASS’S MOTOR CYCLE CHECK BOOK…Glass’s Guide

This little gem of a booklet is little known amongst even literature collectors in our classic/vintage motorcycle movement, un-illustrated, it contains a mine of information on dating, with engine, frame numbers and changes to specifications during a model production.
It was produced for the motorcycle trade to assist them to identify models being traded in on another purchase and to work out a price. Glasses also produced a monthly “Glasses Guide to used motorcycle prices” to compliment the check book. Who are Glass’s ?
Glass's is part of the privately-owned EurotaxGlass group of companies that has operations in more than 30 European countries.

Automotive data is at the centre of the entire operation and the group provides leading-edge solutions to more than 25,000 customers across Europe in all sectors of the automotive market.
In the UK, Glass's employs almost 200 staff and is based in Weybridge, Surrey, UK.
William Glass was born in Scotland in 1881 and was an engineer by trade. As well as publishing the first Guide to Used Vehicle Values, Glass had an innovative and enquiring mind and made a number of inventions including the portable hydraulic jack, the electric switch-off kettle, the self-filling fountain pen and the through-the-propeller machine gun firing mechanism.
The founder of Glass’s Guide also manufactured cars under the Firefly marque for a short period of time in Croydon. Glass’s other innovations included the first motor auction and the first uniformed attendants at petrol filling stations.
Glass's was founded in 1933 by William Glass and the first Guide to Car Values was published in July of that year. Since that time the company has expanded into Commercial Vehicle, Motorcycle and Caravan values, supplying data in printed, electronic and web formats.Of interest to us is the small Motor Cycle Check Book, first published in 1957 and covering from just before 1950 to 1957, The next issue, which I have, as well as a range of several more check books up to about 1979, ran from 1950-1959 and is illustrated in this blog.
As you rarely see them for sale, I can’t hazard a guess at the price….
Left click on photos to enlarge.