Box Processing Dates
In April 2018, Post cereal collector Fred McKie posed a question about the card in the rightmost position on the 1961 Post Tens baseball trays. He noticed that some of those cards were stamped with three or four digit numbers. The numbers are many times upside down. Orlando Cepeda's Post Tens' card shows varying dates of 109 and 1090. Collector and former Post employee Bill Rothney was consulted and offered information that three of the digits likely show the Julian date the box was filled with product. Post Tens trays from the football promotion were checked for similar numbers and four digit numbers were also found as were numbers on the bottoms of boxes of both football and baseball promotions. Instead of being stamped in ink, the numbers on the boxes were punched into the cardboard. Terry Faulk, another retired Post employee and collector was contacted and revealed that the first digit in the four digit code stood for the last digit in the year meaning that the number 2 would represent a date sometime in 1962. Similarly 1 stood for 1961 and 3 for 1963. The last three digits of the code were indeed the Julian date which is simply the sequential day of the year starting with 001 for January 1 and ending with 365 for December 31. A Julian chart is shown below as well as a listing of known 1962 Post cereal football box processing date codes. The chart shows that boxes were being filled as early as June 29, 1962 and as late as October 10, 1962. Collectors with any box processing dates are highly encouraged to e-mail any additional codes that will be added to the chart. Thanks to Terry Faulk, Bill Rothney, Fred McKie, Ken Marks, Dave Worley, David Charles, Mike Skiles and Dan Mabey for contributing to the exploration of the processing code dates.
Post Cereal Football Box Processing Dates | |||
Product | Panel | Code | Date |
AB13 | 2222 | 8/10/1962 | |
AB8 | 115 | 2190 | 7/9/1962 |
AB8 | 124 | 2191 | 7/10/1962 |
BF16 | 134 | 2262 | 9/19/1962 |
GN11 | 18 | 2234 | 8/22/1962 |
GN11 | 74 | 2264 | 9/21/1962 |
GN16 | 130 | 2271 | 9/28/1962 |
GNF12 | 2224 | 8/12/1962 | |
GNF12 | 2243 | 8/31/1962 | |
GNF16 | 119 | 2180 | 6/29/1962 |
P10 | 10 | 2248 | 9/5/1962 |
P10 | 10 | 2257 | 9/14/1962 |
P10 | 119 | 2232 | 8/20/1962 |
P10 | 119 | 2281 | 10/8/1962 |
PT12T | 66 | 2235 | 8/23/1962 |
PT12T | 132 | 2283 | 10/10/1962 |
PT18 | 1 | 2269 | 9/26/1962 |
PT18 | 131 | 2288 | 10/15/1962 |
PT18 | 131 | 2193 | 7/12/1962 |
RB10 | 9 | 2220 | 8/8/1962 |
RB14 | 102 | 2213 | 8/1/1962 |
RB14 | 120 | 228x | 10/7-16/1962 |
RK10 | 16 | None | |
SC14 | 55 | 2281 | 10/8/1962 |
Julian Calendar Date Chart | ||||||||||||
Day/Month | January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December |
1 | 001 | 032 | 060 | 091 | 121 | 152 | 182 | 213 | 244 | 274 | 305 | 335 |
2 | 002 | 033 | 061 | 092 | 122 | 153 | 183 | 214 | 245 | 275 | 306 | 336 |
3 | 003 | 034 | 062 | 093 | 123 | 154 | 184 | 215 | 246 | 276 | 307 | 337 |
4 | 004 | 035 | 063 | 094 | 124 | 155 | 185 | 216 | 247 | 277 | 308 | 338 |
5 | 005 | 036 | 064 | 095 | 125 | 156 | 186 | 217 | 248 | 278 | 309 | 339 |
6 | 006 | 037 | 065 | 096 | 126 | 157 | 187 | 218 | 249 | 279 | 310 | 340 |
7 | 007 | 038 | 066 | 097 | 127 | 158 | 188 | 219 | 250 | 280 | 311 | 341 |
8 | 008 | 039 | 067 | 098 | 128 | 159 | 189 | 220 | 251 | 281 | 312 | 342 |
9 | 009 | 040 | 068 | 099 | 129 | 160 | 190 | 221 | 252 | 282 | 313 | 343 |
10 | 010 | 041 | 069 | 100 | 130 | 161 | 191 | 222 | 253 | 283 | 314 | 344 |
11 | 011 | 042 | 070 | 101 | 131 | 162 | 192 | 223 | 254 | 284 | 315 | 345 |
12 | 012 | 043 | 071 | 102 | 132 | 163 | 193 | 224 | 255 | 285 | 316 | 346 |
13 | 013 | 044 | 072 | 103 | 133 | 164 | 194 | 225 | 256 | 286 | 317 | 347 |
14 | 014 | 045 | 073 | 104 | 134 | 165 | 195 | 226 | 257 | 287 | 318 | 348 |
15 | 015 | 046 | 074 | 105 | 135 | 166 | 196 | 227 | 258 | 288 | 319 | 349 |
16 | 016 | 047 | 075 | 106 | 136 | 167 | 197 | 228 | 259 | 289 | 320 | 350 |
17 | 017 | 048 | 076 | 107 | 137 | 168 | 198 | 229 | 260 | 290 | 321 | 351 |
18 | 018 | 049 | 077 | 108 | 138 | 169 | 199 | 230 | 261 | 291 | 322 | 352 |
19 | 019 | 050 | 078 | 109 | 139 | 170 | 200 | 231 | 262 | 292 | 323 | 353 |
20 | 020 | 051 | 079 | 110 | 140 | 171 | 201 | 232 | 263 | 293 | 324 | 354 |
21 | 021 | 052 | 080 | 111 | 141 | 172 | 202 | 233 | 264 | 294 | 325 | 355 |
22 | 022 | 053 | 081 | 112 | 142 | 173 | 203 | 234 | 265 | 295 | 326 | 356 |
23 | 023 | 054 | 082 | 113 | 143 | 174 | 204 | 235 | 266 | 296 | 327 | 357 |
24 | 024 | 055 | 083 | 114 | 144 | 175 | 205 | 236 | 267 | 297 | 328 | 358 |
25 | 025 | 056 | 084 | 115 | 145 | 176 | 206 | 237 | 268 | 298 | 329 | 359 |
26 | 026 | 057 | 085 | 116 | 146 | 177 | 207 | 238 | 269 | 299 | 330 | 360 |
27 | 027 | 058 | 086 | 117 | 147 | 178 | 208 | 239 | 270 | 300 | 331 | 361 |
28 | 028 | 059 | 087 | 118 | 148 | 179 | 209 | 240 | 271 | 301 | 332 | 362 |
29 | 029 | 088 | 119 | 149 | 180 | 210 | 241 | 272 | 302 | 333 | 363 | |
30 | 030 | 089 | 120 | 150 | 181 | 211 | 242 | 273 | 303 | 334 | 364 | |
31 | 031 | 090 | 151 | 212 | 243 | 304 | 365 |