Dating a Millers Falls tool was easy for a brief time
Primarily in the 1950’s and 1960’s, Millers Falls stamped the inside bottom of the box with the date the tool was packaged. The date format is in a numeric month and two digit year. This ink stamp also included a three to four digit numeric number. If you look at enough of these stamps, you can see the numbers are each individually stamped. This state-of-the-art approach can lead to mistakes such as reversing the year and changing the order of the three fields. I will point out a few that were found. One option on what the three to four numeric code will be entertained.
The first example is a Type 2 second release with a date stamp “Sep 22, 1950” from the hardware store where it was sold. Inside the box is a stamp “805 43?”.
If you reverse the 05 to 50 when the store had the plane one month after it left the factory.
No. 14B with a date stamp “11 66” and code “3625”. Also, note the ink stamp on the iron.
Closeup of the 14B stamp
The date on this type 4 No. 14 is January 1955 “155 ?30”. Type 4 started in 1953.
Closeup of the type 4 No. 14
The No.36 stopped production in 1961. This one was produced in July 1959.
The No. 90 started production in 1958. This one left the factory in September 1959.
The No. 90 series ended production in 1969. This No. 90B has a date of February 1965. All the examples up to this one had a month, year, and code stamp. In this example, the year is first followed by the month and the three-digit code.
The ink on this next example is difficult to see. It is a No. 700 with a stamp of “1155 430”.
Closeup of the No. 700. "11 55 430"
This style No. 900 was made in the 50’s not the 40’s. Another example of creative formatting
This pre-V-Line No. 900 has a June 1955 and a code of 430. The V-Line did not start until 1956.
Closeup of the No. 900
This is a No. 1455. In this example you can see yet another change in the order of the stamp. First is the three-digit code, next is the year with no space and the month is near the corner and difficult to see in this picture. “43258 12”
This box contained bench plan irons. The stamp shows November 1966. The irons in this box had an ink stamp applied. From this example, we know ink stamps were used in November 1966.
Sometime in the later 60's, the company changed the format of the stamp in the box. This plane has an ink stamp on the iron and a box stamp that looks like "19 FM 931". It is not known what this stamp represents.
This stamp was from a No. 707 with an ink stamp iron and the same type of box that was in the previous picture. The ink stamp in the box looks like " 7 FI 867". More examples are needed to try and understand this new format.
This box has a February 1939 stamp. Notice that the bottom half of the early boxes had the same red wrapper on it as the top half.
These two box stamps are the earliest stamps on a Millers Falls product. The top box has one of the earliest numeric stamp found in a box. The bottom box has the stamp "BOXXX" that is found on many type 1 boxes.
The "BOXXX" stamp is found on both block and bench planes.
This No. 700 was produced with the initial features.
Employee Number
The following list is a tabulation of over fifty examples taken from ink stamps found inside of boxes. The employees at Millers Falls had badges with employee numbers. One guess as to what the three or four digit numeric code is would be an employee number. You can see that some of the numbers are used over many years.
Codes inside a box
|
Code In Box |
Date In Box |
Plane Model |
Plane Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 249 | 2/65 | 90B | |
| 427 | 11/54 | 75 | |
| 427 | 10/54 | 9 | T4 |
| 429 | 1/55 | 900 | T3A |
| 429 | 10/54 | 707 | VLine |
| 430 | 1/55 | 14 | T4 |
| 430 | 3/55 | 900 | T3A |
| 430 | 4/55 | 85 | |
| 430 | 6/55 | 900 | T3A |
| 430 | 9/55 | 16 | |
| 430 | 11/55 | 700 | |
| 430 | 2/56 | 9 | T4 |
| 430 | 3/56 | 56 | |
| 430 | 6/56 | 900 | T3D |
| 430 | 9/56 | 85 | |
| 430 | 10/60 | 16 | |
| 430 | 10/60 | 707 | |
| 430 | 10/61 | 17 | |
| 430 | 3/62 | 90 | |
| 430 | 9/62 | 07 | T2 |
| 430 | 11/62 | 900 | T3E |
| 430 | 2/63 | 14 | T4 |
| 432 | 8/50 | 9C | T2/2 |
| 432 | 10/52 | 07 | |
| 432 | 11/52 | 900 | T2D |
| 432 | 12/52 | 900 | T3A |
| 432 | 7/53 | 814 | T3A |
| 432 | 11/53 | 900 | T3A |
| 432 | 4/54 | 900 | T3A |
| 432 | 3/55 | 75 | |
| 432 | 4/55 | 900 | T3A |
| 432 | 9/55 | 400W Worthington | |
| 432 | 10/56 | 75 | |
| 432 | 5/57 | 900 | T3C VLine |
| 432 | 8/57 | 55 | |
| 432 | 6/58 | 22 | T4 |
| 432 | 10/58 | 90 | |
| 432 | 11/58 | 900 | T3E |
| 432 | 12/58 | 1455 | |
| 432 | 2/59 | 90 | |
| 432 | 7/59 | 56 | |
| 432 | 7/59 | 36 | |
| 432 | 9/59 | 90 | |
| 432 | 10/59 | 707 | VLine |
| 432 | 10/59 | 1455 | |
| 432 | 12/59 | 87 | |
| 432 | 12/59 | 16 | |
| 436 | 1/51 | 700 | |
| 436 | 4/51 | 67 | Blk Body/Knob |
| 446 | 12/61 | 206B | |
| 446 | 12/61 | 900 | |
| 482 | 10/52 | 814 | T2C |
| 482 | 9/59 | 90 | |
| 625 | 5/63 | 700 | |
| 625 | 10/64 | 33 | |
| 625 | 2/65 | 4 | |
| 625 | 9/65 | 900B | T4A |
| 907 | 10/64 | 37033 Sears | |
| 3625 | 11/66 | 14B | T5 |
| 3625 | 1/66 | 90CBG | |
| 3625 | 1/66 | 85 |
I think we can put this one to rest.