When "N.O.S." is "N.O.T."
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Only a few accessories managed to survive in the Ford service parts inventory for more than a few years, and one of the most enduring was the C2RZ-15A700-A Engine or Trunk Compartment Lamp. This lamp first appeared on dealer's shelves in 1962 as part of the new "Rotunda" parts line, and remained available until the mid-1990's. Though the box changed from red, to brown, and finally to blue and white, the lamp itself -- a product of Springfield, Illinois' John W. Hobbs Corp -- remained generally unchanged, so much so that even after the demise of the Rotunda parts line (circa 1968), Ford didn't even bother to update the part number or remove the Rotunda logo from the instruction sheet. As a result, there exists some confusion among some parts sellers (and buyers), who frequently advertise a blue-and-white Ford-boxed lamp as a "N.O.S. Rotunda" accessory. Although the design remained generally unchanged, it's not entirely surprising that over the course of its nearly four-decade manufacturing run, subtle differences did manage to creep in.  At left in the photo above, the "true" N.O.S. Rotunda-boxed lamp; at right, a later Ford-boxed edition. Immediately apparent is the darker finish of the earlier lamp -- slightly less obvious is that it has a more rounded opening and a dome-shaped top -- the later version features a very distinctly flattened (and in fact slightly concave) area on the top.  Note how the lower corners of the opening on the Rotunda lamp have been curved slightly inward, while those on the later model are "squared-off".  A side view of both lamps, showing (again) the more rounded top, larger opening, and the more deeply punched "dimple" on the vintage version. 
Somewhat surprisingly, the manufacturer's stamp on the newer version (right) is much deeper, crisper and more readable -- the vintage lamp bears identical information, but the imprint is barely noticable. Trivial differences? Perhaps -- only you can decide whether they're noticable enough to warrant hunting down an original Rotunda-boxed lamp -- valued at roughly $50-75 today. The Ford-boxed lamps were available through your Friendly Neighborhood Ford Dealer until just a few years ago for around $10, and still bring in $15-25 on the noveau-N.O.S. market. The prices of both styles will undoubtedly continue to rise -- but unless the gap narrows considerably, beware of anyone demanding top dollar for their "rare" Blue and White Ford-boxed "1960's N.O.S. Rotunda" lamp! |