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I just replied my guess to a dye stamp serial no. My question is?

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HEMI426

Cruisin' on my Bluebird
After replying to that thread, I thought does the factory stamp the serial no. to the bare frame or after it is assembled. Just curious if anyone knows.
 
If the numbers were stamped before painting, I assume they're from the factory. I've seen numbers stamped after painting. but they're usually police registration numbers or the like.
 
The older 1945-J Murray serial numbers example did not appear to have any amplifying information or details regarding a model, type or style. Later Murray bicycles would have such additional information.
I believe that in the 20th century competing manufacturers were interested in efficiency and profits, and using just-in-time methods, it may have been likely that at the moment a frame was being built, that the customer’s order and such details may have already been determined?
The alternative method might be to fabricate a big pile of bottom brackets, (or other parts), because the company will eventually use them someday, and sell them to somebody?
 
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It varies. Schwinn for instance apparently stamped the number before they even made the frame. Some makes/models had more info.

I have seen threads about some Murray Ohio bikes made for Sears that actually had a Sears catalog number stamped in the frame. In that case you could know a lot by finding the correct Sears catalog.

Similarly, for a while in the 70s-80s, Huffy was stamping a date/factory code and a model number in addition to the serial number. How you would look up the model I have no idea, but it was there.

On a lot of bikes you are lucky if you can even figure out who made it and what year from just the serial number, never mind model or color or anything like that.
 
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