nvmos2 wrote:Ref Steve's machine:
A Skyscraper with hand-load JP, JP counter, metal award plate, and a lettered serial number; VERY interesting.
The serial number is high for a Skyscraper, indicating it is near the end of the model run and close to the introduction of metal award plates on Half-tops.
This may very well be an early use of metal award plates by Mills.
Very few Mills machines had a letter prefix.
The Bueschel/Zimmerman serial number list already has 390126 assigned to a 25 cent Castle Front.
That may provide a clue as to why the A prefix;
perhaps quality control discovered the duplicate number and the accounting department (or some government regulator) said they could not just change the duplicate number, but had to modify it.
The mechanism number is unreadable in the photo;
I think Steve indicated it had a hand-written A prefix and he could read some of the printed numbers indicating it matched the case.
That's kool that you figured out an additional machine with an identical serial number !
Kinda nixes the theory that the A was added later by an operator / restorer, as previously suggested in another post.
If you could see the serial number in person you would be able to tell that the letter and numbers were stamped by the same means .
I did not attach the serial number sticker/tag 's picture with above post, I'll do so later tonight / tomorrow AM
thanks nvmos2