Estes Kit Inspection Paper Slips
 

For all the expert Estes collectors out there, can someone explain if there was any particular meaning in the numbers used on these inspection slips that were included in Estes kits probably up through the early 70s?

This one is from an early 70s Ranger and I have a number of older kits that contain them, but I have never known exactly 'how' they might be used to identify to Estes which kit it came from if you were to return it to them (as the slip says) if you had a problem with your kit.

The reason I ask (well, beyond the fact that I personally have never heard any background at all on these slips of paper) is that in the left of the number it says "Kit Type and Inspection", as if the number (or number 'structure') is more than just a simple sequential number. Like, maybe the first two to three digits stand for this type of kit, the next series of numbers stand for so-and-so, and so forth.

I did a quick search here but did not find anything, but I could have missed something.

Just curious if anyone knows.

Earl

Hi Earl, I have had many of these inspection slips myself, I would think that Estes just kept a log and when they produced a run they would just use the amount of slips in sequence to keep track of the production. So 200 Astron Alphas produced on Jan-8-1969 would get # 123- 323 and so on.
this would of had been the easiest use of this type of inventory system.

Earl-

Thanks for the feedback. Yes, I guess that would have worked. And it may have been as straightforward as that.

Gosh, if so, wouldn’t it be absolutely golden for someone to get a hold of or find the ‘registry’ of how the batches of numbers were issued and for which kits?! Alas, if it WAS done that way one would suspect that registry to be long gone by now.

I know Vern drops in here on occasion and if we were to get lucky, he might could shed some light on this himself.

Earl