Veritas 350 production dates

Does anyone know when Veritas 350s were made?

 

Are these dated like the Superb models?

 

From memory I think they are all early to mid 1950s. I have seen a few with a date mark on the lower globe cage flange. ::Neil::

 

Mine doesn't have and date stamp that I can see, but am I right in thinking probably early to mid 50s? Were they concurrent with the Superb or do they predate them?

 

I’m thinking that you’re near the mark there @ColinG
My 2 examples of the Superb are both date stamped 255 representing February 1955. My 350A is stamped 551 representing May 1951.
Cheers
Pete

 

I don't know if the Veritas Superb was predated by the 350's. The 350's began production in 1949.

 

So where is the date stamp on a 350?

 

@ColinG

On the one example I have with a date stamp, it's on the lower globe cage flange between the air tube and lighting slot.


Henry.

 

I've just noticed that the above lantern has only a slot in the floor of the glass support, my other 350 which is undated also has a hole.




Anyone else noticed this variation ?

 

Hi Henry, its an older base plate, used on the 9955 model for pricker rod, got a few here the same, also think most are brass and newer ones are steel.

Steve

 

It appears the Veritas 9955 was only in production for a short while and frames were left over from that production. These were subsequently used up on the newer model 350s, hence the hole in the frame’s base.
Cheers
Pete

 

Hi Steve, thanks for that, I never gave the 9955 a thought. The one with the hole for the needle control rod is definitely brass and bears traces of either nickel or chrome plate which was long gone by the time I got the lamp.

Henry.

 

OK. I've just looked at my minter P9955 and the steel base-plate has the pricker operating wire going through the circular hole and is undated.

A Veritas 350 I've been meddling with lately has 1051 (badly) stamped on the rim. It has no circular hole so that would suggest this one was always intended for the 350 and that the surplus P9955 base-plates had been used up by the back-end of 1951.

Good to see you back Steve...

 

Just managed to find the numbers of 1251 on a very rusty 350 frame, chrome tank with side pump like on the Superb and Dutch army ones. If you have one of these and want to try and find the numbers on a very rusty frame, get a small flame torch and heat the frame up (but no need to go to Cherry red) where the numbers are, let cool then just a light rub with very fine wire wool, keep repeating and if the rust is not too bad you may see faint numbers.

 

I took a steel wire brush to mine and with a bit of persistence that worked well enough. I'll try heating it next time.

Naturally, if it had been a brass baseplate, I'd have used a brass wire brush without much force...