Date Codes For Vintage Whites Coinmaster

[Dino Roy]

Hi - I have  a mint Coinmaster 1 TRDX machine that I got at a yard sale. It has all of the components and fired right up with fresh batteries. I was just tying to find out when it is from exactly but can't seem to find it online. It has a Date of GG. It's a fun machine to use as it brings back old memories as a kid in the 1970's out finding stuff with a similar machine my buddy had. 

Thank you in advance for your time, Dino

[PimentoUK]

It would be interesting to see if anyone does know the 'secret'.

I have a Coinmaster 2 hipmount version, date code is HD. The few electronics part with any obvious date codes are an IC dated late 1978, and the loudspeaker appearing to be 1980. This is a Savo Scotland produced machine, so may not necessarily match a US-made one.

I would suggest looking for date codes on the inner workings. IC's ( if it has any ? ), the loudspeaker, electrolytic capacitors, the potentiometers.

[Dino Roy]

Hi - Thanks for your reply. I'll dig around a little on the inside and see if there's anywhere else that might give a clue. I was hoping there was a list somewhere out there but so far have come up empty. People list their date code when they sell them, but the dates the list just look like a guess/range. I also tried to find a date range for when the model was produced, but haven't been able to track that down either!

 

Cheers!

[Dino Roy]

Well, Whites still has the manual up online - but no dates anywhere in it...

 

cm_1_tr_dlx_instruction_manual.pdf

[PimentoUK]

Their catalogues are a guide to when a machine was introduced, though they no doubt would be manufactured for a number of years before being discontinued.

Here's a French website, with pics of your machine, catalogues:
whites detectors

whites catalogues

and Sven's site has many old catalogues too:
treasurelinx site

[Dino Roy]

Hi - Thank you!  These are fantastic!  The actual date codes still seem elusive, but I feel like I am honing in on a range. I saw the same question asked on other detector/treasure finding forums but no one knew the answer... Maybe there's an ex-Whites employee out there that know's the secret.

 

[Snake Eyes]

@Dino Roy

I noticed that the manual does have a date on it, revision of April 1974.

I could be wrong, but I thought the the double digit code was as follows, based on the old machines I have

GA -1971
GB - 1972
GC - 1973
etc
so in theory 

GG would be 1977

[PimentoUK]

I think it's more obscure than that, probably intentionally so.
If you look at that French website, and compare the Coinmaster1 TRDX, Coinmaster 2 TRDX and Coinmaster 3 TRDX, they have date codes of GL , K4 , R4 respectively.
They all appear to be similar in vintage, though - the same big box, big coil connector. I suspect they update the date code on a monthly or weekly basis, and probably miss out a few letters to obfuscate things.

Here's a Pinterest page showing a Coinmaster 1 TRDX listed on Etsy, it has a date code of L4:
pinterest CM-1TRDX

[Dino Roy]

Thanks Snake Eyes - That looks about right. If it does change 1 per year... I don't have any others and I couldn't find enough posted online to put the pieces together!