Trying to read stamping, Old Town

[irondragon79]

I'm trying to get a serial number off the old town I just found, unfortunately I can't find any stamping on the bow stem (appears to have been sanded), and the stern isn't much better. The only thing I can find that might be anything is shown in the picture below. I'm afraid this probably isn't enought (if anything) to be able to identify this canoe.

 

[Benson Gray]

I agree that a single digit isn't enough to even guess what the other four or five digits could have been. Your pictures at http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?13713 look like it might be an 18 foot long guide model from the 1920s or 1930s. It isn't likely to be serial number one.

Benson

 

[irondragon79]

That's what I was kinda figuring, and I knew it would be a long shot for a positive ID. But at least I still have a good canoe to restore and a ballpark on the age model. Thanks