Set Production Figures
 

On a few threads there have been estimates of the production figures of various sets, but has anyone tried to make a definitive list?

For example sets with the BRC 1500 chassis were supposed to have added up to over a million, possibly based on Thorn's claimed sets per day production rate & the length of time in production.

Re: Set Production Figures
 

Whatever you use to establish production-numbers, don't place any trust in the "Serial number" stamped on a particular receiver's chassis-plate.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_tank_problem

Manufacturers are well-known to 'do stuff' with their serial-numbers to disguise/enhance the apparent production-numbers.

In times-past I was given a [CLASSIFIED] sheet with 1000 randomly-assigned 4-digit serial-numbers and I was required to use them on my production-run in the order they appeared on the sheet . . . .

Re: Set Production Figures
 

I was also thinking that serial numbers might not be an accurate gauge of production figures.

Sometimes manufacturers code model numbers, build dates & other specs into the numbers, which means often they are not issued consecutively.

Re: Set Production Figures
 

Actually, serial numbers are the most accurate gauge of production figures (as was found when counting german tanks, as linked above), but you will have to know how to interprete them or they will indeed be worse than useless.

In practice, serial numbers for completed units are mostly sufficient once the system is decoded (assuming the wanted information is coded in the serial numbers to begin with; you won't get useful information on particular models if the system is factory wide sequential).Sometimes serial numbers on parts can be useful (but you will have to know in how many different models those parts were used!)

Re: Set Production Figures
 

Thanks for letting us know, you can normally work out a rough date of manufacture from a serial number when someone uploads one, especially the ones on a CRT.