TerryB Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 (edited) (See my post of 12 /31 for photos)My wife and I are handling an estate for a deceased friend. In the tons of old paperwork we found was a receipt for the purchase of a new Ford in November 1917. The car was purchased at the dealership of Frank Burkholder in Lititz PA. Mr Burkholder also sold farm implements along with Ford automobiles as we also found a receipt for the purchase of a chicken brooder and it was written on Ford letterhead. The brooder cost $12. As for the auto, the following cost breakdown was listed:1 Ford touring car. $360.00 Freight. $22.00 War Tax. $10.80 Shock absorbers. $10.00 Speedometer $11.00 Chains. $3.10 Tool Box. No charge Total. $427.40 Dash light. - $2.40. (Assume another n/charge acc) Total. $425.00I don't know if the car was a 1917 or 1918 model as the purchase was finialized on November 30th. The war tax surcharge was also new to me as I had not heard of that for WW 1. I think this was neat view of the automotive buying experience nearly 100 years ago. It's surprising it's managed to survive all these years. Hope you enjoyed the look back in time.Terry Edited December 31, 2015 by TerryB (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rp1967 Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Someone may know better but at that time I think cars were same year that they were originaly titled.So if that same car was sold after jan 1 of 1918 it would then be a 1918 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rp1967 Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Very interesting, especially about the war tax! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Terry, thank you for this look back in time. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne sheldon Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Ford varied from year to year, but "model year" usually started between early August and late September. It is usually attributed to the date of manufacture, which can be pretty well nailed down by the engine number which likely should be on the paperwork. A car sold at the end of November '17 likely would be considered a 1918 "model". It could of course be a true '17 model if it had sat around long enough. Again engine serial number would clear that up somewhat.Ford made continuous running changes throughout the model T years. There are numerous minor changes that separate an early '17 from a late '17. There are several things to separate an early '18 from a late '18. A late '17 and an early '18 are virtually identical.As far as license and registration go, it becomes even more confusing. Many states at the at time, did not register or license cars at all. Those that did, rules varied widely from state to state. A car sold and first licensed late in the year, in some states would be registered by the calendar year, not the model year. Many states would not require registration until years later, and a car might be registered by whatever year the owner thought to call it. Those are some of the reasons for confusion on the year of cars a hundred years later.Any original sales records or receipts for a car that far back is a great bit of automobilia. Nice find!W2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 (edited) Ford did not have an annual model change. In 1917 many cars did not. A car sold in November or December would be registered as a 1917, If it was registered in January it would be 1918. Starting the model year in the fall did not become common until the 1930s. Edited October 21, 2015 by Rusty_OToole (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 (edited) Living in that part of Pennsylvania, I found the name "Burkholder" vaguely familiar. Then, I checked my AACA roster from 2012. There are still 5 families (AACA members) surnamed "Burkholder" living in the area-- members of the Hershey and Pennsylvania Dutch Regions. Knowing the stability of this area, I believe the chances are excellent that they're related. You should contact one or more of them: That bill of sale is likely a long-forgotten part of their family history that someone would love to have! If you P.M. me, I can give you their contact information. Edited October 21, 2015 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted October 21, 2015 Author Share Posted October 21, 2015 There's no auto serial number I'd on the sales receipt, but there are some PA auto registrations from the early 1920s that I have to examine closer for serial number information. I did find a trail of paperwork that seems to indicate this ford might have been replaced by another model t in the early 1920s and then that one was replaced with a new Chevrolet the late 1920s. While these paper items may not have much if any monetary value, they sure make for interesting reading. There are at least 30 receipts for repairs in the group that also show the failure items common during that time. Transmission and brake bands seem the most commonly replaced parts.Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rp1967 Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Those original bands were lined with cotton, and failed often. Replaced mine with kevlar, makes them an almost lifetime band. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lamburk Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Thanks for posting this info. my name is Leonard Burkholder and I live not far from Lititz, PA. I think I'm related to almost every Burkholder in these parts. Your find is very interesting. I know my Great Grandfather's (Ezra Burkholder) first car was a 1917 to 1919 Model T. He lived in Ephrata, PA. I have a pictures of his first car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted October 22, 2015 Author Share Posted October 22, 2015 (edited) Leonard, great to hear from you. I would be happy to show you these items sometime. I live just north of town near the Sheetz gas station. Send me a personal message for my contact information.The dealership was known as The Lititz Motor Company and owned by Frank B Burkholder. That information may help with your research to see if you are related!Terry Edited October 22, 2015 by TerryB (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Bond Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 Gives you a good feel for the impact of inflation at that time. My 1914 T Instruction Manual has a yellow tag inserted - "Due to the limited supply of speedometers, some cars were not fitted with them during assembly. If your car did not come with one, you are entitled to a $6.00 credit." Looks the price went up a bit, or perhaps things were just more expensive when purchased through the parts dept. That doesn't happen today - does it?Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted December 31, 2015 Author Share Posted December 31, 2015 Finally some photos!Car photos are from real photo post cards found recently. Fixing the flat tire does not look like fun!Terry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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