Owner's Literature

[Lenn Nelsen]

I've an original owner's manual for my '62 in the original envelope. It still has the blue card you were supposed to tear out and send in to get the free owner's kit.

Question #1: Does this manual have any extra value?
Question #2: Has anyone seen where someplace that has the stuff (patch, lapel pin and card) that was supposed to have been sent when the card was torn out and sent in to GM?

Thanks,

Lenn

[Dave S.]

Re: Owner's Literature

Lenn,
The presence of the card will add value to the manual as many NCRS/Bloomington people prefer the presence of the card. The pin, patch, owners card etc. were sent to the original owner with the owners kit along with their first free issue of Corvette News after Chevrolet Motor Division recieved the mail in card. The pin and patch were also sold seperately back in the 50's and 60's by the original suppliers to Chevrolet in the aftermarket. I believe the pins were sold by The Gordon Miller Company. From memory I believe pins stopped with the 1966 owners kits and patches stopped with the 1967 Owners Kits. Complete Owners Kits are rare but the various pieces like the pin and patch are seen for sale through various places.

[Geoff C.]

Re: Owner's Literature

Sir,

I cannot provide advice on the value of these item. Suffice to say there is a buyer for everything. I have the ID card and patch, but not the pin from my 1963. Actually I have 2 patches, each with finite differences, however there is no TIMJG for this stuff. You can see the ID card and patches here.

http://www.docrebuild.com/dr-r-web/currentevents-36a.html

[Dave S.]

Re: Owner's Literature

Geoffrey,
That letter with the embossed bowtie was the letter sent along with the owners kit. Tha owners kit also had the first free issue of corvette news tucked in. The particular letter you have is signed by E.M. Estes. The letters were all the same from 58 up but the signature changed depending on the year. The 68 owners kit letter is signed by Mr. Estes and the 70 owners kit letter is signed by none other than John Delorean so Delorean must have taken over in either 69 or 70.

[mike cobine]

Corvette News

PS As many of the older folk know, at one time you could also get a Corvette News subscription by merely sending a pencil rubbing from the VIN tag. At one time I was receiving several copies of that bi-monthly, as I several VIN's to trace.

I didn't even have to send a rubbing, just the serial number in a note requesting Corvette News.

Our Corvette club sent in names for everyone to get a subscription around '75 or '76 and I got two for quite some time until it must have been noticed.

And if they hadn't stopped it for all, it would have never stopped. I got some copies from a guy in '74 whose son bought a '66 new and then had it stolen a month later. He never bought another Corvette, and even moved, but Corvette News came faithfully to the father's house all those years. I think that was the downfall of the Corvette News system and why it all crashed around 1980 as they must have been sending out more CNs than there were Corvettes. I don't think there was any system in place to stop a subscription.

Mine were always late and never had the seal intact. I think everyone in my Post Office enjoyed them.

[Jim T.]

Re: Corvette News

I recieved two copies for having 68 and 70 Corvettes. Have several issues that are still in sealed envelopes as sent and still unopened.

[Reba Whittington]

Re: Corvette News

My experiences were similar. I received one Corvette in a divorce settlement in the early '70s. I requested my own subscription and began receiving my copies. At the time I had a PO box, and they were always opened and read before I got them also.

[Reba Whittington]

Re: Owner's Literature

I can't speak for Bloomington, but NCRS does not necessarily want to see the unmailed card in the manual. We only want to see evidence of it as that verifies it is a GM issue, not repro.

[Page C.]

Re: Owner's Literature

Have one of the "Congratulations" letters that came with a friends 1964. It was dated 4/17/1964 and signed by S.E.Knudsen
Page Campbell

[Dave S.]

Re: Owner's Literature

Page,
I looked further and have a letter dated November 6, 1963 signed by S. E. knudsen. I know the 67 and up letters were not dated but apparently some or all of the earlier letters are dated. The Knudsen letter of 63 is slightly different than the Estes and DeLorean letters of 67, 68 and 70.