personalized name plate

[apines]

My sister-in-law's father had a '60 Landau from new which he sold shortly after he had kids. He kept the owner's manual and had a personalized name plate on it which he pried off when he sold it, probably about 1963 or so. I am now the custodian of both. It's the name plate that has me a little stumped. It's an engraved plate with the Thunderbird logo affixed to the left end. The size is intriguing -- it's 110.0mm x 22.0mm. That doesn't translate nicely into anything imperial which makes me think it was not made here (at least not made by Ford).

Was it something Ford offered? Maybe a dealer? Or maybe it was just some aftermarket thing you could buy. No one in the family knows and he's not around to ask any more. I was hoping someone had seen something like it and could shed some light. It's pretty neat, regardless.

[1963 T-Bird]

My sister-in-law's father had a '60 Landau from new which he sold shortly after he had kids. He kept the owner's manual and had a personalized name plate on it which he pried off when he sold it, probably about 1963 or so. I am now the custodian of both. It's the name plate that has me a little stumped. It's an engraved plate with the Thunderbird logo affixed to the left end. The size is intriguing -- it's 110.0mm x 22.0mm. That doesn't translate nicely into anything imperial which makes me think it was not made here (at least not made by Ford).

Was it something Ford offered? Maybe a dealer? Or maybe it was just some aftermarket thing you could buy. No one in the family knows and he's not around to ask any more. I was hoping someone had seen something like it and could shed some light. It's pretty neat, regardless.

First, let me state for the record, that I'm NOT an expert, but what I think you have there is a personalized nameplate that the dealer affixed to the console, usually near the radio or heater controls. Before the customer took delivery of his new Thunderbird, the dealer would engrave the owner's name on the plate to make it that much more "exclusive," or, (dare I say it?), more "Unique In All The World!" I've seen these before,...as a matter of fact there is a Patrician Green (Aqua) 1965 Coupe being sold on eBay as I speak that has the same plate on the console, just above the radio. As for the size,...the measurements are just a "little shy" of full inches, or half inches, which would make one assume that these plates must've come from a "foreign" country,...half-way around the globe,...OR maybe, (just maybe), a couple of miles down the road from Detroit, in Canada! Seems logical to me. Steve S.

[Dansbirds]

Back in the late 80s when I was in college I bought a 59 from a small ford dealer near by. Small enough where the owner of the dealership was my salesman, anyway they sold the car new in 59 bought it back in early 60s and he drove it sparingly till I bought it. I still have it and according to what he told me about it it was engraved and installed at delivery. I have seen other s as well. I have a few still from some 65 Special Landaus I’ve had. Those are the same size but added the number out of the 4500 of them made and used the bird design from 65, where your badge is the 58-60 bird design. I’ve also seen the Principality of Monaco owner badges.

[RAVEN]

Steve/ 1963 T Bird; You make us Canucks sound like a foreign country who have no idea of what imperial measure is!
CANADA did not use METRIC measure until the 1970's if my young memory is correct so the I.D. plate being of an odd size just does not cut it. It was our current P.M. 's father who introduced the SI system to Canada. I will NOT go down that road!!!
When the tag was made, for it to be other than in inch measure it would have to be made in "another" offshore country. LOL