Patent Plate Minutiae

[Mick Hobday]

Hugh, not "really early", but definitely original to my April 1925 Chummy, chassis 9165.  Complete with a filled in hole!


   

[Hugh Barnes]

Thanks Mick! That is the same as the 1927 and '28 versions I have, so I will add this to the list as per 1925...

Slowly chipping away at them..

HUgh

[JonE]

It might help having a summary for all the variants ("14 row" or a size or whatever) so people can do quick checks.
This one is separated from a car, but i post just for scrutiny... yes I did make it upright before loading!    

[Hugh Barnes]

Give me a chance John! I am accumulating them from different years and now have '25, '27, '28, '29, '33, '37 and the one undated. All of them have images in this thread. Your's is not a particularly clear image and would help to know what year car the example comes from. Is it the same as my 1933 version?

[David Stepney]

The one JonE has posted is the same as the one on my RP, so probably 1933/34.

[Colin Morgan]

This is one is from from a 1924 tourer, Ch No 3044.  Hard to read. The plate is a similar shape as the one above from the 1925 car, but the text looks a bit different towards the bottom?

   

[Hugh Barnes]

Thanks Colin. I'm afraid we will need a better image of that, so we can be certain of what is used when. It does appear different from the 1925 car you mention, something on the left of the list about 3/4 of the way down which is clearly different? In fact, the whole left hand side, where it says 'Patent no' appears different

?

[Henry Harris]

RM  B3-8981
   


RM  B4-4483
   

[Hugh Barnes]

Thank you Henry. Just to confirm, I can assume these are 1931 cars?

Interesting to note, although they both contain the same information, they are quite a different 'design'.

Which does bring me onto another question. How does the team think these were manufactured? They are not pressed or stamped as the rear of the plates is totally unmarked. It has been suggested to me they might have been acid etched, though that seems quite an undertaking for the numbers that we being produced. However, I cannot think of another process that might work? And were they originally plated? Some of the versions already posted hint at that..

Hugh

[Mike Costigan]

I would agree with the acid-etched theory; basically the same process as used to produce letterpress printing blocks. It would be very easy to set up a mass-production line to produce them; similar plates were a standard item on radio sets of the period, for example.