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Intrepreting US Clothing Production Dates Through DA DSA DLA SPO Contract Numbers

Article about: I didn't know where to post this and please feel free to remove if posted before, i found this info elsewhere and thought it would be useful to post if ever the link died!... One of the most

  1. #1

    Default Interpreting US Clothing etc Production Dates Through DA DSA DLA SPO Contract Numbers

    I didn't know where to post this and please feel free to remove if posted before, i found this info elsewhere and thought it would be useful to post if ever the link died!...



    One of the most commonly seen features on United States Military Equipment and Clothing is a DA, DSA, DLA, or SPO Contract Number stamp. If you correctly read the stamp, you will know when your item was manufactured.

    The first was DA, which stands for Defense Agency. It ran from 1953 to 1961. It was superceeded by the DSA, which stands for Defense Supply Agency. It was used from 1962 to 1977. After that, the DLA, the Defense Logistics Agency took over from 1978 to 1993. From 1994 to the present, the SPO - System Program Offices have been in charge of procurements.

    If your item has a Manufacture's Stamp only - it was made prior to the beginning of the Korean War. A knowledge of when the particular item was used will narrow down the time frame. A date stamp may, or may not be present.

    DA stamped items range from the Korean War to very early Vietnam War. Look for a two digit number, typically near the end of the code (it will range from 53 to 61) for the exact year of manufacture of your item.

    DSA stamped items introduced a systematic dating process:

    1962 thru 1964 - Prefix of DSA-1, Suffix of E6Y (Y=Year)
    1965 - Prefix of DSA-1, No Dating Suffix
    1966 - Prefix of DSA-100, No Dating Suffix
    1967 thru 1977 Prefix of DSA-100, Dating Suffix of YYM (YY=Year, M=Month)
    After the DSA Prefix, and before the Dating Suffix (if applicable), there may appear additional numeric or alphanymeric code(s). These codes have nothing to do with date of manufacture, but relate either the Defense contract, or a Manufacture's code.

    The DLA continued the last DSA dating system, substituting DLA for DSA; for example: DLA-100-805 would indicatre an item made in May of 1980.

    The SPO stamp has the year of manufacture as the first two number code following the initial 6 character alphanumeric code; ie: XYZ23A-05-xxxx would indicate an item made in 2005.
    Last edited by Gunny Hartmann; 09-24-2013 at 04:45 PM.

  2. #2

    Default

    Very useful posting this information and should be of help to many collectors of US material from the periods these cover.

    Regards,

    Jerry

    Whatever its just an opinion.

  3. #3

    Default

    Contract Number Manufacturer Date Proximity

    USMC Project Number 5501 DC & TSC DIR. MFG. 4 February 1959
    USMC Project Number 5850 DC & TSC DIR. MFG. 10 December 1959
    P.O. No. 5002-62 1962
    DSA 1-811-C-62 1962
    DSA 1-1940-63-C 1963
    DSA 1-3839-64-C 1964
    DSA 1-4540-64-C 1964
    DSA 1-6600-65-C Late 1964 – 1965
    DSA 1-6680-65-C Late 1964 - 1965
    Contract No. 5432 1964*
    Contract No. 5626 1964*
    Contract No. 5654 1964*
    Contract No. 5656 1964*
    Contract No. 5858 1964*
    Contract No. 7005 Late 1964-Early 1965*
    Contract No. 7057 Late 1964-Early 1965*
    Contract No. 7219 Late 1964-Early 1965*
    Contract No. 7332 Late 1964-Early 1965*
    Contract No. 7882 (this could be a 1-7332 printing error, but the number exists) Late1964-Early 1965*
    Contract No. 8027 Late 1964-Early 1965*
    Contract No. 8056 (Twill & Cotton Patterns) Late 1964-Early 1965*
    Contract No. 8116 (Twill) Early 1965*
    Contract No. 8133 Early 1965*
    Contract No. 8189 (Twill) Early 1965*
    Contract No. 9005 (Twill & Cotton Patterns) Mid 1965*
    Contract No. 9085 Mid 1965*
    Contract No. 9196 Mid 1965*
    DSA 100-2157 Late 1965-Early 1966
    DSA 100-3937 (Twill & Cotton Patterns) Early 1966
    DSA 100-67-C-0713 (Twill) Capitol Fur 1967
    DSA 100-67-C-3697 1967
    DSA 100-68-C-2168 1968
    DSA 100-68-C-2188 1968
    DSA 100-69-C-0944 1969
    DSA 100-69-C-1921 1969
    DSA 100-69-F-U992 Mnpls Soc f/t Blind 1969
    DSA 100-70-C-0822 1970
    DSA 100-70-C-0823 1970
    DSA 100-70-F-V075 Mnpls Soc f/t Blind 1970
    DSA 100-73-F-U289 Mnpls Soc f/t Blind 1973
    DSA 100-74F-U060 (Real Train) Mnpls Soc f/t Blind 1974
    DSA 100-74-F-U524 Mnpls Soc f/t Blind 1974
    DSA 100-74-F-U919 Mnpls Soc f/t Blind 1974
    DSA 100-75-F-V289 Mnpls Soc f/t Blind 1975
    DSA 100-77-F-U393 Mnpls Soc f/t Blind 1977

    *Current discussion exists on the true date of these covers. Although the contract number dates these pieces to the mid 1960s, several of these models have the deep flap cuts suggesting they are of 1969 or slightly later production.

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