174 Hudson Hornet Sedan (1958-63)

Just arrived, via ebay, an excellent cerise 174 Hornet in a very good box, with a somewhat indistinct inspection stamp. The top line reads '367', middle '?4' (possibly 14), and the bottom '7(orZ)5?'. The box has the correct colour spot, and small pink rub-marks inside coinciding with the door handle positions, so I have no reason to think it is not the original. The car has cleanly-cast details, spun hubs and a gloss base. Strangely, there is a small hole in the base at the same distance from the central line of text as the forward mounting hole. Perhaps this was caused by inattention on the part of the operator stamping the bases, inserting it into the jig the wrong way round. -Kevin.

Hi all, A for me surprising variation of the Hudson Hornet just arrived today. This yellow/grey model has cream hubs in stead of the usual grey. A nice factory error. No inspection stamp on the box! The box is in very good condition, the model is far from perfect, but I love these variations. In real life it looks better than on the picture. I bought it for a bit more than 40 Pounds. I see empty boxes fetching more, so I was lucky. Kind regards, Rob

Bruce--I finally got around to supplying you with the information requested: a photo of the inner flap, showing the date codes, and a scanned copy of the original invoice from H. Hudson Dobson. First, the date stamp. I do not have any ulra violet lamps, but did use my closeup lens, with high resolution, and then ran the photo through Photshop Elements, to try and help the image, which is extremely faint...previously, I hadn't even noticed it! To me, it is pretty clear that the first number in the third row is a '5', which I would guess should mean May....the number next to it kind of looks like a '9', but it is extremely faint, and I don't see a third number at all....................but, I am not sure that the '5' is really the first number....the stamp on my end flap, was done right across the seam of the fold, so it is possible that we are really seeing the 2nd and 3rd numbers..... Also attached is the original invoice I received from H. Hudson Dobson, showing their date of April 20, 1960. This invoice shows the 174 Hudson Hornet, along with several other purchases....all for the princely sum of $5.00.....oh, those were the days! I was only 15 then, and near the end of the first phase of collecting Dinky's. I did not like the new models, with windows, shiny base plates, heavily treaded tires, and new colors....I was already 'old school' by then, and actually have much the same feelings 58 years later. I am very glad that I had the foresight to save my HHD correspondance!And yes Bruce, even at that age I was usually very careful with most of my models, especially Dinky's. The only ones that escaped that care were the open wheel Grand Prix cars, which were routinely raced down our concrete driveway, with the resultant scratches, etc.Best regards, Terry

Rob, this just goes to show that, if you know what to look for, there are still bargains to be had. Well spotted!