Topic: Battery OK Label- 65 March Dearborn -Should the date be hand written or stamped?

[georeed]

My car was built in Dearborn in March 65.  I was wondering if the date on the Battery OK Label should be stamped on or can it be hand written.  I have seen the label you can buy filled out are stamped in red and I was wondering if that was correct.  I have also had an individual I thought should know tell me it should be hand written.

[J_Speegle]

First welcome to the site - Hope you find the information and support you need in your restoration endeavors

Original battery inspection strikers were designed not to last many weeks or months and few did making original examples difficult to find. After about 40 years of collecting only have a few 65 Dearborn examples. - none exactly from March 65. We do know it was a black print paper sticker (no clear top layer) with intersecting lines

The closest I have to your car (couple months after) was (boxes from left to right) hand written with the reading - stamped with the date- then punched with the inspectors ID

Earlier cars appear to follow a different pattern of methods and application

[NEFaurora]

From an Original Unrestored '65 car...Unfortunately, Plant and Month time period and VIN# unknown......from my files..

Will keep searching...

[J_Speegle]

From an Original Unrestored '65 car...Unfortunately, Plant and Month time period and VIN# unknown......from my files..

Posted here before - July 65 Projected build date Dearborn

Number of months after OPs car he's asking about but what I was describing above since these are such a rare find after 50 plus years

[NEFaurora]

Well Jeff, I'm glad that you knew where it came from... 

Now I can at least label the file!  Thanks!

)

Tony K.

[georeed]

Wow, that is awesome.  Looking closely at the date, it looks like it may have included the year.  Very hard to tell.  The inspector obviously would have had to apply the punch before the label.  Thanks so much.

[J_Speegle]

Wow, that is awesome.  Looking closely at the date, it looks like it may have included the year.  Very hard to tell.

Yes it was likely one of the band style date stamps with the separate 19 and then year band that was in use at that time

 

The inspector obviously would have had to apply the punch before the label.  Thanks so much.

Not so sure which one came first since  punch could have been just carried in a pocket or the belt of the inspector. If like other inspector labels the sticker would have been printed in rolls so getting that angle would have been impossible until the earlier one was torn away IMHO. Stamp throughs like that were later used on inspectors of other parts of the car (the little square stickers) during some time periods at Dearborn as we've documented though a smaller version or punch