marshg246
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- Jul 12, 2015
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Yes, it's a very early one - probably built in the first week or at least month of actual production of the 3xxxxx bikes. The only one I have info on earlier is 300107 and I have almost nothing on it.
Your dispatch record will be very interesting as I have this note on my Commando ID page:
From Joe at Andover Norton (paraphrased): Numbers 300000 through 300021 (except 300014 which went to Berliner/USA) were booked to Experimental, starting Oct 25, 1972, next to some it says "No Date". The next date is Feb 4, 1973, but 300020 went to Bob Trigg on Jan 23, 1973. The regular dispatches start with 300022 produced on Jan 22, 1973 which was shipped to Berliner. Real production then started on Jan 24, 1973. The bikes from the experimental Dept. were partly sold later - 300007 to NV Canada, 300009 to NV Sydney, 300010 through 300013 to NVC California, 300014 to Berliner, 300015 to NVC California, 300018 through 300020 to Berliner, 300021 to NVC California. Most of the early production went to NVC California and Berliner.
Your dispatch record may clear up some things if it has certain info. If your Certification Label says Dec 72 and they didn't start actual production until Late Jan 73, then it's likely the frame had the label at least a month or more before production started and it was dispatched later still. From pictures, it is clear that at least some frames had the steering bearings and certification label before being put on the assembly line. When the label was stamped is not known as the pictures are from the side but it is my guess that at least the date was stamped when the frame was prepared for those bikes.
