I happened to be browsing a well-known auction site and I noticed a Bialaddin 310 tank with 10.6 ink-stamped on the underside. I can't say I've noticed any of mine with a similar marking and I'll need to have a look. I'm unsure of the dates of production of the 310 but I think we had the 315 starting in 1957. So could 10.6 on a 310 represent October 1956 i.e. an earlier version of our 'dot-theory' for dating 315s? Just a thought...
OK, I looked at nine 310s last night. Of those, 7 bore no markings of any kind under the tank. On the other two, 1 had a marking similar to the one on the lantern for sale which was 09.6 - that would be September 1956. Interestingly, I thought, the other marked example had the 'dot- type' markings we've noted on the 315 models, for April 1957 (four small dots beneath 7 large ones) So, based on the data to hand from 10 lanterns, my theory is that sometime in 1956, W&B decided to date-mark their products. Prior to this there was no attempt at date-marking which explains why the majority of my 310s aren't marked. For the 1957 season i.e. late '56 and early '57, date-marking was used, initially by having two plain figures representing with the month followed by another figure for the year in the decade. This was quite quickly superseded by another system using small and large dots for the month and year. This system continued to be used through the changeover into the 315 model and during its production. I/we need more data...
May I say first of all what a great piece of observation on Claude's behalf regarding the dots. Like Dave I have seen dozens but it never clicked. I have checked my lamps. 2 310s are Feb 57 & Oct 57. One 315 Aug 60. In addition the dots run into Bialaddin 320s. I have 3 with dots. Apr 65, Nov 66 and Aug 67. All these dates fit in with manufacturing dates that I gathered from advertising in pamphlets etc. Although Claude's 1966 315 seems very late as one of my 320s indicates Apr 65. Probably just another example of W&B not wasting anything. They are not going to throw out 315 tanks and frames just because of a new model.
Thanks, Ian - but surely we two can't be the only ones lucky enough to have 310s in our collections... Perhaps this date-marking was initiated by Aladdin Industries (possibly for guarantee or quality control purposes) and continued during the period they sold W&B products. When the agreement between Aladdin and W&B ceased in 1968, the practice was discontinued...
Never mind, Matthew - I reckon there'll be a fair few like that by now. On the other hand, there should still be a good number of survivors with original paint and possibly markings. I always think it's a good idea to leave the original paint under the tank for reference purposes. Odd that Tilley and (possibly) W&B/Aladdin started date-marking around the same time. It could be just a co-incidence, of course, but possibly also linked to some change in consumer legislation at that point in the 50s. Who knows...
Actually my 315 has 3 dots above and 3 below. I just posted another picture as an example, which was 1966.
