Info on WBCCI numbers?

[66Overlander]

Originally Posted by kevinb

Joe not trying to work you to death but think you might have a weakness for this one my 55 safari shows # 576
kevin

Hi again Kevin,
The #576 on your '55 Safari does not quite look like typical WBCCI numbers. On the other hand, the numbers were usually hand painted on the early caravans and in the early days of the club, and they can appear different than the "standard" number decals that were typically used from the late 1950's to the current day. For now I'll assume that the number is legit and not due to membership in another travel club (of which there were several that used these types of numbers in the old days). Some doubt about whether the number is a legit WBCCI number does remain in my mind, however.

That said, #576 was first assigned in 1956. The earliest Directory I have after that is 1960, reflecting membership as of 12/31/1960. In that Directory, #576 is assigned to Norman and Ethel Best of Midland, MI. The Bests are listed as having participated on caravans 1, 7, 10, 16, & 17:
1 - Central America 1951-52 (probably in a non-Airstream)
7 - Mexico Winter 1956
10 - Cuba Fall 1956
16 - Mexico Winter 1958
17 - Central America Winter 1958

It would appear likely that your '55 Safari was on some great adventures with Wally Byam himself, although it cannot be proven that the trailer didn't get those numbers under an earlier or later owner.

In my next Directory, 1966, which reflects membership as of 12/31/1965, #576 is assigned to Robert and Barbara Wood of Burlington, VT, no caravans. The Woods are last listed in 1968, same address, no caravans.

#576 is then unassigned in 1969. In 1970, #576 is assigned to Art and Zerita Bowman of Lubbock, TX, no caravans. The Bowmans are last listed in the 1985 Directory, still in Lubbock, and they are listed as having participated on the following Caravans: 86 - Alaska Summer 1972, 95 - Eastern Canada Summer 1973, and unidentified post International Rally caravans in 1975 and 1977.

I think it is most likely that the Bests owned your '55 Safari and it traveled to some exciting places, but that neither the Woods nor Bowmans owned your trailer. Of course, that is a guess and I don't have any proof. Now if you find any of their names on any documentation you got with the trailer, that would help prove the provenance.

In any case, Good Luck with your '55 Safari! (I am sort of partial to that model).

= = = = = = = =

For the others waiting for feedback, I have run out of research time tonight (it takes a while to look things up) - I'll try to get to your cases soon.

[66Overlander]

Originally Posted by pb379_2010

Hi,
Can you give me some history on the number 27291? The original owner of my '72 Ambassador was a Colonel named Marlin Howard. He bought it from International trailer Sales in Ogden, Utah. Thanks

Hi Lance,
#27291 was first assigned in 1972, so that makes sense for your '72 Ambassador. According to my 1973 WBCCI Membership Directory, which reflects membership as of 12/15/72, #27291 was assigned to Marlin and Irma Howard of Hamilton Hill AFB, UT, no caravans. I don't have a 1974 Directory, but in my 1975 and 1976 Directories #27291 is unassigned.

I don't have a 1977 Directory, but in my 1978 Directory, # 27291 is assigned to William and Eleanor Lippy of Millersville, MD, no caravans. The Lippys are last listed in the 1986 Directory, then in Lebanon, MO, but still no caravans. #27291 has been unassigned since then.

Due to the vast location differences, it seems unlikely that both the Howards and Lippys owned your Ambassador, but at least I was able to confirm that Marlin Howard was in the club at the correct time and lived on an Air Force Base in Utah.

That's all I can determine. I hope it helps. Merry Christmas!

[66Overlander]

Originally Posted by wasagachris

Hi Joe I'm looking at a 75 soverign here. It has 30347 remnants on it. Would it be possible to trace some history on it. Thanks for any help you can provide.
BTW Doug (shacksman) has also helped me with my resto. I enjoyed reading your thread.

Hi Chris,
Yeah, Doug's a great guy and I'd still be stuck without his help. He mentioned to me that he had helped you a few weeks prior to helping me. I'm following your thread, too. I don't know how you are getting so much done so fast! My project is moving at a much slower pace.

Now on to your '75 Sovereign. I can confirm that #30347 was first assigned in 1975 and that in my 1976 Membership directory, which reflects membership as of 12/15/75, #30347 was assigned to Gord and Betty Statham of Waterloo, Ont, Canada, no caravans. Gord Staham is last listed in the 1997 Directory, still in Waterloo, no caravans. #30347 has been unassigned since then.

Looks like you have an Airstream that spent its whole life (except for possible travel) in Ontario, Canada. Enjoy! And Merry Christmas!

[kevinb]

Hi Joe
Thanks so much for the info on the 2 trailers, really nice of you to donate your time.
Have a Merry Christmas!
Kevin

[Aviator]

Joe,

Thanks for doing this. It is fascinating reading.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

[cfernandz]

I've just purchased our first AS, a 1976 29 ft Ambassador. It has 14709 on it. I would appreciate any past info that you can provide. Thanks!

[/IMG]

[RV H-D Lady]

Hi Joe,
My grandparents had two Airstreams back in the 60's. Their number was #201. Any chance you have something about that number? It would be really cool to see. I think they sold their last AS in 1971.

Thanks so much!! Sally

[66Overlander]

Originally Posted by RV H-D Lady

Hi Joe,
My grandparents had two Airstreams back in the 60's. Their number was #201. Any chance you have something about that number? It would be really cool to see. I think they sold their last AS in 1971.

Thanks so much!! Sally

Hi Sally,
Easy one first . . . at least if your grandparents were Howell and Vera Cannon of Ventura, CA.

#201 was originally assigned in 1955 to Richard and Frances Howey of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is then unassigned in my 1960 WBCCI Membership Directory (and I am missing 1961 through 1965).

#201 has been reassigned to the Cannons in my 1966 through 1972 Directories. Howell is last listed in 1971, but Vera is still listed in 1972. The Cannons are listed as having participated on the following Airstream company caravans:

• 36 - Mexico Fall 1963
• 57 - Eastern Mexico Winter 1968
• 59 - Maritime Province-Eastern Canada Summer 1968

This suggests that the Cannons first joined WBCCI somewhere between 1961 and 1963.

In the 1973 Directory, #201 is assigned to someone else.

That's all I have. I hope it concurs with your memories.

[66Overlander]

Originally Posted by cfernandz

I've just purchased our first AS, a 1976 29 ft Ambassador. It has 14709 on it. I would appreciate any past info that you can provide. Thanks!

[/IMG]

Hi cfernandez,
Welcome to Airfourms - I see this is your very first post!

#14709 was first assigned in late 1965, so it originally went on a trailer older than yours. The first couple to be assigned that number, Charles and Anita Allen of Kingsville, TX are still listed in my 1973 Directory, but not my 1975 Directory (I'm missing 1974). They thus never owned your Ambassador.

In the 1976 Directory, # 14709 has been reassigned to Leon and Doris Drombrowski of Holt, MI, no caravans. I am missing a 1977 Directory, but #14709 is unassigned in the 1978 Directory.

In the 1979 Directory, #14709 is assigned to Carl and Marcia Traywick of Roswell, NM. The Traywicks are last listed in the 1996 Directory, still in Roswell, and are listed as having participated on Airstream Company Caravan 146 - Eastern Canada Maritime Summer 1983, as well as a variety of WBCCI club caravans between 1981 and 1989.

I spot checked after that and it appears the number has been unassigned since 1997. I seems unlikely that the same Airstream bearing the number 14709 may have been owned by both the Drombrowskis and Traywicks given the distance between them, but it is not impossible. Certainly at least one of them did own your '76 Ambassador. If it bears a dealer sticker from Michigan, I'll suggest the Dombrowski's may have owned it. If it sports a dealer sticker from somewhere near New Mexico, I might suggest the Traywicks, in which case it may have been on some caravans, but there are no club records to prove what Airstream was owned by a member and/or may have participated on any given caravan. It is all guesses unless you come across some sort of documentation (paperwork, stickers, etc.) in or on the trailer to prove something more specifically.

Good Luck with your new purchase! Enjoy that Ambassador!

[cfernandz]

Thank you so much Joe, I appreciate you taking the time to research this.

Carlos

[moparjohn]

Hi, this is awsome. I will ask for any info you have on mine. It's a 1973 Tradewind, built in Oct 1972. WBCII #13025. The original owners might have been from new to 1986, then 2nd owners 1986 to 2010, then in August it became mine. I belive it has been a NJ trailer all it's life. Any info would be fantastic! THANKS! MPJ

[RV H-D Lady]

Originally Posted by 66Overlander

Hi Sally,
Easy one first . . . at least if your grandparents were Howell and Vera Cannon of Ventura, CA.

#201 was originally assigned in 1955 to Richard and Frances Howey of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is then unassigned in my 1960 WBCCI Membership Directory (and I am missing 1961 through 1965).

#201 has been reassigned to the Cannons in my 1966 through 1972 Directories. Howell is last listed in 1971, but Vera is still listed in 1972. The Cannons are listed as having participated on the following Airstream company caravans:

• 36 - Mexico Fall 1963
• 57 - Eastern Mexico Winter 1968
• 59 - Maritime Province-Eastern Canada Summer 1968

This suggests that the Cannons first joined WBCCI somewhere between 1961 and 1963.

In the 1973 Directory, #201 is assigned to someone else.

That's all I have. I hope it concurs with your memories.

Oh, thank you so much, Joe. This is so special!! Yes, Howell and Vera were my grandparents. They sure had a blast traveling all over with WBCCI. And here 40 years later their daughter and granddaughter have their first Airstream.

[66Overlander]

Originally Posted by moparjohn

Hi, this is awsome. I will ask for any info you have on mine. It's a 1973 Tradewind, built in Oct 1972. WBCII #13025. The original owners might have been from new to 1986, then 2nd owners 1986 to 2010, then in August it became mine. I belive it has been a NJ trailer all it's life. Any info would be fantastic! THANKS! MPJ

Hi John,
#13025 was originally assigned in 1965, so originally it was on a trailer older than your '73 Tradewind. The original assignees only stayed in the club through 1968. #13025 is then unassigned from 1969 through 1973.

I have no 1974 Membership Directory (which would reflect membership as of 12/15/1973), but in my 1975 and 1976 Directories #13025 is assigned to Jerry and Elaine Bouchard of Bradenton, FL, no caravans.

I have no 1977 Directory, but in 1978, #13025 is unassigned. In 1979 & 1980, #13025 is assigned to Robert and Bea Hunter of Benedict, MN, no caravans.

#13025 is then unassigned from 1981 through 1983, before being assigned to David and Katherine Benson of Vincentown, NJ in 1984. The Bensons are last listed in 1996, in Marlton, NJ, no caravans. #13025 has been unassigned since 1997.

Thus #13025 has been assigned to four different couples in total and three during the period that your '73 Tradewind has been in existance. At least one of those three must have owned your trailer, but unless you have paperwork matching a name I have provided, it may be tough to tell for sure who may have owned your trailer.

Given the information you have provided, one can guess that it was the Bensons of NJ that owned your Tradewind and put the number on it. It is even possible that they joined the club in 1983-84 with a different Airstream and then "upgraded" to the '73 Tradewind in 1986 as you suggest. Or maybe they got the Tradewind in 1983-84, earlier than they could remember to tell you.

It seems unlikely that if the trailer was in NJ in the mid 1980's that it could have been in MN in 1979-80 and/or FL in 1975-76, but that is certainly not impossible. I thus cannot authoritatively say anything about ownership prior to about 1983-84, other than to suggest that when the trailer was purchased new in about 1974, its owners could have immediately joined the club as many did and been listed in the 1974 Directory that I don't have. That is a reasonable suggestion (but without any proof). If true, it could have been the Bouchards of FL that originally owned your Tradewind. They could have later moved to NJ after they dropped out of the club and they might have owned the trailer for years (up to the mid-1980s?) after dropping out of the club. But without a paper trail, this is really all just speculation. It is certainly also possible that someone who was never in the club owned the Tradewind from 1973 to the mid-1980s. In that case I can not help at all.

That's all I got. Enjoy your Tradewind!

[moparjohn]

Joe. thanks for your time and information. I will enjoy the Tradewind. Happy New Year! MPJ

[BabyBoomers]

OK, can I get in on this? Long time lurker, recent joiner. We just got '63 Safari 223T411. Last tagged in '90, seems to have been used for storage since then. We may be the 3rd owner, possibly 4th. Any recorded history? Many thanks!

[BabyBoomers]

Forgot I had a pic with the numbers on it: 25013. Many thanks!

[66Overlander]

Originally Posted by BabyBoomers

OK, can I get in on this? Long time lurker, recent joiner. We just got '63 Safari 223T411. Last tagged in '90, seems to have been used for storage since then. We may be the 3rd owner, possibly 4th. Any recorded history? Many thanks!

Originally Posted by BabyBoomers

Forgot I had a pic with the numbers on it: 25013. Many thanks!

I can't tell you anything from the serial number, because the club does record them, but #25013 was first assigned in 1971. In the 1972 WBCCI Directory, which lists membership as of 12/15/1971, it is assigned to Jesse and Louise Eder of Raytown, MO. The Eder's are last listed in my 1976 Directory in Summit, MO, no caravans.

I have no 1977 Directory, but #25013 is unassigned in 1978 & 1979. In the 1980 through 1984 Directories, #25013 is assigned to Tom & Elsie Wilson of Concord, TN, no caravans.

#25013 has been unassigned since 1985, so we can conclude that with Eder's, the Wilson's, or both owned your '63 Safari. Given that OK is closer to MO, I suspect the Eder's are more likely to have owned your Airstream, but the only proof either way would be if you got documentation with the trailer that listed their names.

Good Luck with your Safari!

[Tabasco]

Hey this is really neat. I would love to know more about the history of my 64' Tradewind.

I *think* my numbers are 10931. or 10951 maybe? I have the original owners manual at home but I cant remember the original owners name off hand. I'm fairly certain my AS spent most of its life in Ohio and then some time in PA.

Thanks in advance!

[66Overlander]

Originally Posted by Tabasco

Hey this is really neat. I would love to know more about the history of my 64' Tradewind.

I *think* my numbers are 10931. or 10951 maybe? I have the original owners manual at home but I cant remember the original owners name off hand. I'm fairly certain my AS spent most of its life in Ohio and then some time in PA.

Thanks in advance!

Quick partial response. The second digit is also not totally clear, but I agree that it is most likely an "0". This makes sense because the highest number assigned in 1963 was 10187 and the highest in 1964 was 12257 (with one exception). That makes a 10931 or 10951 appropriate for a 1964 Airstream since it very likely got it's numbers when new. Like you I am debating the 4th digit because it is not totally clear, but I lean toward a "3", but a "5" cannot be ruled out.

The first directory I have that lists owners for these numbers is 1966, which actually lists membership as of 12/31/1965.

In that Directory, #10931 is assigned to Col. Robert & Kay Orth, of Tacoma, Wash. and #10951 is assigned to Floyd & Marian Stark of Brooklyn, OH. Neither are listed as having participated on any caravans up to that time. Do either of those names sound familiar? If one does, I'll do some further research on that number.

[dmcinfo]

What can you tell me about my 1968 Globetrotter, its WBCCI 21010.

Thanks for any information.