Question:

If I set up a simple web page, would folks be willing to share serial numbers and accepted dates from factory letters they have? It would be useful even if you "x" out the last digit or two in improving start and end dates for years.

It would narrow down areas where sending in for random letters from Cody would be most useful.

Folks could always share here. But if you don't want your name linked to a serial number, I can easily create an anonymous web page where you can enter the date. I understand not wanting to publish data publicly.

The "Accepted from factory" date is the most useful when the letter has it. After September, 1926 they didn't record it any more though, so ship date is it.


I'll start:

10.16x - Accepted March 1, 1899
11.50x - Accepted September 26, 1901
12.17x - Accepted September 11, 1899
26.79x - Accepted August 13, 1901
52.33x - Accepted September 23, 1904
225,0xx - Accepted June 6, 1920
429,6xx - Shipped mid-1945


PS: Here's a form you can enter info. Totally anonymous, just serial number and accepted date. Should I add fields for more data? Model? Ship date? Comments?

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1...hZAPLCoTmBzSJZi4yNw/viewform?usp=sf_link

Last year I searched through many of the 24hr threads to find as many references to letter dates that I could. I will send you the xls.

SN178174 Accepted June 21, 1915

Thanks, Keith, I've done the same as they came up. But I'm sure I missed many.

Thanks, Dave!

Link to anonymous web form (also edited it in above):

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1...hZAPLCoTmBzSJZi4yNw/viewform?usp=sf_link

S/N 17373X - Accepted August 1915. shipped Oct. 14, 1915.

Got to love them letters from JTC!

I wonder if the letters will ever be collectible? With Savage, you never know!

Blitz

184145 accepted October 22, 1915. Shipping dept. forwarded to original consignee July 3, 1916

Seeing so many that were accepted on one date then shipped out on another, was that the norm? Both of mine lettered in 1912 and 1919 were accepted and shipped back out the same day, was that unusual? Or, it just is, what it is?

Shipping on different dates was definitely the norm. Usually if they shipped the same day it seemed like they were a special order for somebody.

Absolutely

Want to put out a thank you for everybody who has contributed to the factory accepted dates. I'm finding that we're going to be able to improve on the American Rifleman dates by quite a bit for the pre-WWI dates, pretty significantly in some years.

If anybody has more accepted dates from ledgers or Cody searches, the link is still active, or PM me or email me, or post, or whatever. I think there's more years that are off and we just don't have the data to see it yet.

Send me an email if an additional 50-60 letters would be helpful.

That would definitely be a help, email will be on it's way in a moment. Still have lots of gaps, even after combing through our historical notes and through the internet.

Already had the dates chapter done for my book, going to have to redo it after looking at these. Oh, what I'd give for 4 hours at Cody being able to look at the ledgers.