Why do some item numbers begin with 0?

The model numbers of some Miniatures begin with an apparently unnecessary 0 (such as A-063). This is the reason:

The Miniatures were written down in the Mold Book as they were sculpted, and numbered consecutively, starting with 1. When number 499 was reached in 1961, it created a dilemma in that numbers 500 and up had already been preempted by the Designer’s Workshop line. As a work-around, the Miniatures numbers were begun again with 001, 002… and continued in this fashion up to 096. (At that point, the numbers skipped, irregularly, to the 900s, followed by the 800s and then 2000s.) 

As a result, the presence or lack of an initial 0 is an important clue to when a piece was created. Miniatures A-1 through A-96 were sculpted no later than 1950, but A-001 through A-096 were designed from about 1959 to the mid-1960s.

Unfortunately, H-R often randomly added or dropped the 0 on the order forms, so the order forms are not reliable in this regard. This inconsistency was carried over to the Charlton Catalogue.

I have removed or replaced this 0 as needed, to match the original Mold Book numbers. The happy result is that almost all the confusion of pieces previously appearing with identical model numbers is gone. For example, Charlton lists A-011 as the number for both “Citation” and the Early Rabbit Baby, ears down. I have corrected this to A-11, Early Rabbit Baby, and A-011, “Citation.”

When a model number has been amended, any numbers previously used are included in the notes to help with identification. 

Category: Facts and Figures

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