Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

Getting closer to completing my '50 Deluxe restoration and I'm getting more and more picky about the original details:

I had a new patent plate made with engraved serial # so the font would be as close as possible to the original. I plan to have an ink stamp made by a local maker but I can't find again the picture of the ink stamped Paint and Trim Codes. I ran into it once - I believe on this site but now a search can't locate it. Thought it was in Robert Neal's book - "Packard 1948 to 1950" but after thumbing back through it this morning I found it was the stamp and pad kit - no font example.

Does anyone have or recall the link to show the ink stamp fonts? - "X" and "69" in particular

Thanks!
- Sam

ok - well this is what I ended up with.
I searched through MS office fonts and decided on "Centry Gothic" (bold), when by the local Office Max - and after a few sizing trials and voila!
- I hope it's close to authentic!

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Looks very good to me, though I'd check the parts book, I question whether the plate was attached with Philips screws - I just don't remember. I hope you have the original plate and keep it with the car.

Also, I question the decision to engrave the numbers. I believe they were stamped, but I'm not as familiar with postwar Packards. And they usually didn't put in a dash between the numbers, but, again, postwar????

West, as far as stamping versus engraving, yes the originals were stamped but where does one find a stamp set with the correct font and size; easy enough with the "I" versus the "1", but correct style "6" and "9" aren't found in any stamping sets I've looked at. So in my view engraving with a correct font is a better option than stamping with the incorrect font - plus it's neater.

Regarding the use of hyphens, just looked thru some photos of prewar patent plates. All the Canadian-built cars seem to use a hyphen (and a different font); it also appears very often (but not always) on 1937 cars and sporatically in other late prewar years. At least some of the 1941 "DE" cars used hyphens. I don't seem to have a photo of a 22nd/23rd series -9- or -5- plate but I believe from memory they had hyphens.

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The vehicle number on my '50 Super's original data plate is engraved (with hyphens) and with the unique Packard font. The remaining numbers/codes were not engraved as they have long since vanished from my plate probably due to previous owners' attempts to polish.

Though the stamping was usually very neat, I've never seen an original factory patent plate that was engraved, how about a picture? Often the "metal distress" from stamping shows thru on the reverse so a backside picture would also be helpful.

Easy can-do. Will post picture this evening after returning home.

Reviewing this thread, I think there may be some looseness in our use of the term "stamping." My point is that, at least on my car, the paint and trim codes must have orginally been INK stamped...as they no longer are present. The vehicle number, I assumed, was engraved...but could very well be neatly METAL stamped. Pictures of front and reverse to follow this evening.

Changing the patent plate to add space for paint and trim (and dropping selling dealer and date of sale) occurred partway into the 22nd series but probably after November 1947 production. From my own observations except for 1954 and later, paint and trim codes were always stamped in ink.

Just when they stopped stamping the key numbers on the backside of the plate is something that it would be nice to pin down. Anyone have any sightings of key codes on the reverse later than 1936?