Oddballs.
A) In the 1980s, some other frame numbers were used, parallel to the above-mentioned series; these frame numbers consisted of four-digit numbers, mostly without a leading H, starting at H1000; the last known one of the series bore the number 1116. A series of 4-digit frame numbers starting with a C is also known. It is possible that these frames were subcontrated by Alf to an unknown Italian frame builder. The frames seen to date are plain-lugged.
B) In 1952, five frames were made and presented to the Romford Club Team to be raced in the Tour of Britain (ToB). They bore numbers from HET1 to HET5; two are known to have survived.
C) A few frames from the 1930s have surfaced with three-digit numbers, both with and without a leading H.
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1060, 1050: 1980s; running from 1000 to 1116.
C1019, ca. 1970s or 80s.
HET3 and HET5: year 1952, two of five special orders for ToB.
Occasionally frames turn up which fit into no known block of year-prefixes; for dating these frames, we rely on physical evidence on the frame itself (lug pattern, fitments, dropouts, and so on), as well as the Hetchins Register for comparison to known nearby frame numbers, and other documentary &/or anecdotal evidence (such as magazine articles, catalogs, and so on). Click here for an article how we do it.
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In the late spring of 1986 Hetchins and Bob Jackson Cycles were officially fused. However, Alf had been subcontracting at least some frames out to Jackson before this. Jackson used a totally different numbering system. The first frame documented to have been built by Jackson bears the number 8601 on the bb shell; Donald Thomas has confirmed by email that this was the first number using Jackson's system (though not necessarily the first frame subcontracted to Jackson). Alf's receipt gives the date of sale as 12 Nov 1984, and the original owner said he waited at least 6 months for it, so it was presumably built in the late summer or autumn. The number 8601 is puzzling, as we had previously assumed that the 86 prefix stood for the year of the official fusion, whereas this frame was built nearly two years before that.
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above: 8601, first documented Jackson build;
original receipt, 12 Nov 1984.
Jackson continued using 86xxx & 87xxx numbers, where x stands for sequential production, as follows:
1986-87 numbers: 86003-86064
1988 numbers: 86065-87111
1989 numbers: 87112-87150
1990 numbers: 87154-87184
1991 numbers: 87185-87203
1992 numbers: 87204-87228
1993 numbers: 87229-87231
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above: 86004, Jackson build from 1986; 87184 from 1990.
Above: 87129, Jackson build,
Southend shop receipt dated 1989.
David Miller separated Hetchins from Jackson in the period from about April to July 1993. He has used a 2-digit year prefix plus a 2-digit production suffix. David Miller's production suffix restarts for each year, but is not always sequential because some customers choose their own suffixes. For 2020, 20xx numbers would have overlapped with 1962 numbers, hence, the first frame ordered in 2020 bore the number 2020 00.
For frame numbers during this period, turn the frame updside down and read the bb shell starting from the chain-side, left to right.
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above: year (20)08, frame no. 11.
above 0500: year (20)05, frame no. 00.
above 0750: year (20)07, frame no. 50.
above 2020 00: year 2020, frame no. 00, first frame ordered in the year.
Duplicates: in 2010, ten frames were made with frame numbers ranging from 10005 to 10009, and 10015 to 10019, duplicating some frame numbers from 1970. The 1970s numbers would most likely have had a leading 'H' and have been stamped on the dropout; the 2010 numbers were without a leading 'H' and were stamped under the bb shell.
Conclusion: we may not assume that every frame number can be assigned a date of production, or that a lower frame number within a block of sequential ones necessarily implies that it was made before a frame with a higher number within the same block, for the following reasons
First, a complete production list of every frame number is not available; production lists are available only for some years. Extensive sales records do exist, listing nearly every frame number. However, the date of sale was sometimes years after the date of production. Moreover, Hetchin's accounting year did not begin on January 1st, but Sept. 1st of the previous year. This further complicates the dating of historic frames, as sales dates give only a latest-possible production date, but no firm earliest-production date.
Second, during the 1950s, Hetchin employed three frame builders, Jack Denny, Bob Stratfull, and Stan Broom. Each was capable of producing 14 to 20 frames per week. Each one kept his own sequence for each week (documented by extant job orders). Job orders exist for some frames made during the 1950s and 60s; thus, some frames can be dated exactly, down to the day. However, the total production over a week's period, when all three frame builders are taken into account, implies that sequential numbers do not necessarily map to sequential production days.
For these reasons, apparently sequential frame numbers may exhibit anomalies: a higher one may have been sold &/or produced before a lower one, and a frame may seem to have been sold before it was even produced. This may be due to overlapping production by three frame builders, complicated by Harry's financial year starting a quarter early, complicated by changing the year-prefix at irregular intervals (apparently corresponding neither to calendar years nor to Harry's financial years).
So far as we know from what the builder's cards reveal, frame numbers were assigned only after a frame had been soldered and cleaned up, but before painting.
In sum: sales records are extensive from 1935 to 1967 (in the form of photocopies of original ledgers, plus searchable Excel files); a fortuitous find of an original sales ledger carrying on from 1968 to January 1972 has not yet been thoroughly studied or converted to digitally searchable format. Production records are partial. There is a long gap in the records, from Feb. 1972 to 1986; no records (neither sales nor production) are extant for this period. Production records from 1986 to 1992 were in the possession of Donald Thomas (formerly of Jackson Cycles) until 2020 when Jackson Cycles was acquired by Woodrup Cycles; the current whereabouts of these records is unknown. Production records pick up again in 1993 and are extensive from 1993 to the present.
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Where to find the frame number:
The frame number on a Hetchins is usually stamped onto:
a) the bottom bracket (1986 to present) or
b) the left or right rear dropout outwards (1930s to 1986)
and c) the steering tube (all years); the fork must be removed from the frame to verify the number on the steerer.
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Not Hetchins frame numbers:
A correct frame number appears below right. Note the font--this remained constant throughout the production period from 1935 to 1986. Forged frames may have numbers which fit the sequence, but the font may be different.
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(above left) H25447, a correct number as verified in the sales ledgers, but actually a forgery (note wrong font and double strike of second '4').
(above right) H72882, genuine serial no., correct font.
Click here for more on fake Hetchins.
In 2001, the frame numbers het001, het002, and het003 were used by a replicator (not the original Hetchins firm); only three such frames were built. In the 1950s, five frames were supplied to the Romford Cycle Club team bearing the numbers het1 to het5--these are genuine.
Two or three digit numbers stamped on forks and bottom bracket shells are enameler's numbers, not Hetchins numbers, and indicate that the frame was resprayed at some time. Most of the large or London builders used the same painters who stamped their own numbers on the frames (possibly to identify them and their forks when stripped bare). Neither is the number 1563-1 a Hetchins frame number -- this was the Chater Lea article number of the bottom bracket shell and was the same for literally thousands of castings.
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No frame numbers here!
Chater Lea part numbers (yellow);
enameler's numbers (cyan).
Above: dropout manufacturer's numbers (not Hetchin's numbers).
Above: Numbers marked in red are Hetchins frame numbers.
Numbers marked in cyan are enameler's numbers.
No frame numbers here.
Click here for a detailed explanation how we go about dating Hetchins.
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