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Posted By: Millerhouse

In looking over my T209-1s, three-quarters of them have what appear to be hand-stamped factory numbers. To me, this suggests that someone stumbled on some requirement for the factory number and appended them after the initial printing on whatever had yet to be distributed. (Plainly, the issuer of T216s had whatever the requirement might have been in mind, given that factory numbers appear on two of the Kotton backs and the Mino back.)

Also, note that the Type 3 Kottons (which, I believe, consistently lack the factory number) are printed on a thinner type paper consistent with Virginia Extras and frequently seem hand-cut as well.

The absence of a factory number from the Pirate cards is not surprising since they were supposedly issued in the South Pacific -- and likely were not subject to any U.S. regulation.

And regarding T217 Monos, I had never previously noticed this before, but none of mine bears a factory number, either. An interesting anomaly. Perhaps Federal inspectors never got to the West Coast . . . !

Dan