I have seen so many people with Sears cars dated 1907 or earlier. My dad's (number 1204) use to be one of them. He called his a 1907 for many years which cannot possibly be correct based on what we now know of the Sears. But as we learn, our understanding of the Sears must also be updated to correspond which the facts.

Trying to date a Sears can be difficult. Sears & Roebuck did not keep records on which serial number were built in which years. They do not have production numbers for the years the Sears was built. We have little information to go on to accurately date a Sears.

This much we do know:

This chassis picture of the Sears shows the location of the serial number stamped into the frame cross member Click on the picture to see the full size.

• Serial numbers started at 1000. You will not find a production Sears with a serial number less than 1000, unless it is one of the prototypes, and they appeared to be marked "AK ##". "AK01" still exists and is owned by a Sears Registry member.
• Each Sears was marked in at least two spots with a serial number:
  • Position #1: On the Frame. See the photo for the location to look for the serial number stamped into the frame. The Frame number is the official number of the car.
  • Position #2: On the brass plate attached to the body. The Number on the plate should match the frame number. The number stamped on the plate should match the number on the frame. If it does not, the plate has been changed. This is a common occurrence with the Sears.

So let's talk about Sears Serial numbers. In order to do this, we first need to look at some of the history, so let's start at the beginning.

We know that that Sears was designed by Alvaro S. Krotz. Based on an article by Don McCray in the Fall 1956 issue of The Antique Automobile publication of the AACA, it says that it wasn't until 1906 that Krotz was satisfied that he had designed a really successful car. Krotz claimed that in September of 1907, he had the first one completed an road tested, and that it was so good, he built about a dozen more of them that were used for further testing and to demonstrate to Sears that a reliable car could be built which anyone could afford.

The article goes on to say that "Sears had been convinced, and in the fall of 1908 signed their first contract with Krotz." So here we have an important piece of information. If a contract with Krotz was signed in the Fall of 1908, then how many Sears could have been built in 1908? I am thinking that it would be a small number.

If we look at what the current range of serial numbers are assigned to each year according to the Sears Registry, it looks as follows:

• 1908 - 1,000 -- 1,300 i.e. Approximately 300 cars built in 1908
• 1909 - 1,301 -- 2,300 i.e. Approximately 1000 cars built in 1909
• 1910 - 2,301 -- 3,200 i.e. Approximately 900 cars built in 1910
• 1911 - 3,201 -- 4,000 i.e. Approximately 800 cars built in 1911
• 1912 - 4,001 -- & up i.e. Approximately 500 cars built in 1912 and above

So, could 300 cars have been assembled in 1908 for a car that had not yet been advertised? I think that is unlikely. Remember, the first advertisement by Sears on the Sears Motor Buggy (as it was first know) did not happen until 1909 when a "Special Motor Buggy Circular" was offered to customers receiving the spring general catalogue. I have never seen a copy of this first circular. The earliest ad I have seen was from the fall/winter 1909 catalog on pages 1150 and 1151.

The Sears was first referred to as the "Sears Automobile" (as opposed to the" Sears Motor Buggy") in the spring and summer 1910 general catalog.

I feel the highest production years were probably 1910 and 1911.

Another thing we know is that there were no Model letter designations for the Sears until into 1910 when the five models Appear for the first time. Sears referred to the models in the special catalog simply entitles "Automobiles" in 1910. But this is according to the Sears Documentation. So, when was the first time a different model was built? I feel that a Sears with a Model letter is likely to be a 1910 or newer Sears. Well hopefully we can determine what the earliest surviving sears is with either an original plate showing a model Letter, or a frame stamped with the model letter included. If you have a Sears with a model letter designation, is the letter stamped into your frame? Do you have the original plate? Is it recorded there?

Lets be honest. Many Sears automobiles were restored incorrectly over the years and those that remain which were restored as close to original as possible are few. I know what my dad's car looked like when he started and it was original down to the paint. So I know what car 1204 was like and the way it is today is what it looked like coming out of the factory with a few exceptions which I am well aware of.

How many cars were restored as a model J because of a picture they received? I know of a couple for sure. It is hard to restore a car properly when you do not have access to the information you need. Hopefully this website can help future generations with such problems if we do the proper research as we go and document sources of information.

So the following questions remain:

Was any different model Sears built in 1909?

How many Sears cars were really built in 1908? Is the number 300 realistic? What is realistic?

How many were built in 1909? I am theorizing that not as many as people may currently think.

Does your Sears have a letter stamped into the frame along with the serial number? If you have a Sears, please check the serial number stamped into the frame and see if a model letter is also stamped. I suppose it is possible that the Model Letters only appears on the brass plate. I would like to know for sure. I feel like I have seen a Sears with the letter also stamped into the frame.

So what do people think?

How to contact me...
John M. Daly
Phone:	(815) 695-9451
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