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Post by maui_chimes on Aug 18, 2017 18:34:45 GMT
My guess is that the number stamped on the headstock is not a serial number at all. The size and font are not a match for the way National stamped numbers.
However, on other vintage instruments made around this time you can see similar number and letter code stamps on the end of the headstock. What they mean is a mystery. Military, catalog number, warehouse ID, nobody really knows. I've seen Martin and Gibson instruments stamped this way.
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Post by rbe on Aug 21, 2017 20:01:03 GMT
Maui - I think you are 1/2 correct. The font is correct for serial numbers of that era, but the size is not. But I would expect that they had more than one size stamp set around. They did use around three different serif style fonts, in several different sizes for serial number stamping. But you are correct, what we are used to seeing on National guitars from the early thirties is smaller than what is on this headstock. The interesting thing is that the size and style of the numbers on this Style 0's headstock are very close, if not the same as what you might find on a Dobro from that era. And at that time (assuming around 1930 - 1931), Dobro and National are clearly separate. But by the time of the merger in the mid thirties, this font stamp could easily have found its way onto a National headstock.
I still like the date theory. That would make sense to me, but I'm not sure why they would bother. Seems somewhat uncharacteristic for National.
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Post by slide496 on Aug 25, 2017 18:27:23 GMT
11-28-31 (November 28, 1931?)
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Post by Pickers Ditch on Aug 25, 2017 19:07:11 GMT
11-28-31 (November 28, 1931?) See page 1. Best, PD
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Post by rbe on Aug 25, 2017 19:27:28 GMT
I'm going to take this a bit further. When I look at the way the numbers are struck on the headstock. I think the "stamper" was thinking in pairs for some reason. Or everything would align better or be more random. Just a thought.
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