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General TR British Heritage Certificate

Gliderman8

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I’m contemplating getting the Heritage Certificate for my TR6. Is there any real value (besides historical) to buying the certificate?
Does having it add value to the car?
Tell me why I should or shouldn’t get one. Thanks everyone.
 

NutmegCT

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Elliot - I got the certificate for my TR. I found it interesting, confirming much of the car's history, originality, etc. Also had a few surprises, but nothing material and I can't remember it anyway. Wish I'd kept a photo of it.

For centuries I've been a pack rat, so when I got a "classic" car, I always built up an inventory of original documents, manuals, restoration photos, magazine "reviews when new", etc.

I think having such a packet, including the Certificate, adds to the credibility of me as an owner who cares about the car, and helps show I'm not a "flipper".

Anyway, if the Certificates were available for MG TDs, I'd certainly order one for my current MG. As I'm the second owner, I've got the car's original trophy badges, event badges, manuals, tool kit, even the original Lucas and Lockheed replacement parts kits - as well as 1953 magazines with reviews.

Tom M.
 
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Gliderman8

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Thanks Tom. Currently the certificates are approx. $55 dollars and I’m trying to justify the cost.
When selling the car (which I’m not contemplating) will it add value?
 

NutmegCT

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Will it add value?

Yes - but probably not as much as it costs. A possible analogy: spending $20K on a kitchen remodeling, won't add $20K to the house value. But it will make the house more likely to be sold.

Funny back story. A member of our classic Mercedes-Benz club was unusually proud to tell us she had just got a "Zertifikat" from M-B showing the car's original configuration in 1956. Printed on some fake parchment, in a fake wooden frame, with "Art Deco" graphics, costing $150 plus shipping from Germany.

It had exactly the same info as on the old paper delivery document she already had - but she wanted to impress the next owner. It didn't impress other M-B owners, but it did impress the buyer.
 

Mickey Richaud

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If you know the history of the car and its originality, let the new owner buy it...
 

BillyB62

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I bought the certificate for my car. I was surprised that it originally was signal red with a black interior & white top & whitewalls and is now BRG with tan/tan. Also surprising to me was it was originally delivered to FL and I bought it in NH and live in CT. Lastly, according to Frank Conklin and his build chart, my car should’ve been built on Dec 8, 1959 but didn’t ship until the end of the month indicating it probably got pulled off the line for some sort of issue (according to Frank). I’m guessing they had to replace the engine because the gap between the commission number (TS63273L) and engine number (TS63257E) is inversed and too close from what I would’ve expected. The build date on the certificate says December 1959 (not recorded) so Frank’s theory makes sense to me.

Not sure it adds value, but I’ll never sell my car anyway. I think it’s cool to have that history confirmed in writing.
 
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Gliderman8

Gliderman8

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If you know the history of the car and its originality, let the new owner buy it...
My thoughts too Mickey. I am the third owner. The car was sold here by the then local dealer.
 

groupdeville

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The last certificate I bought surprised me by having the name of the ship aboard which my car was shipped to the USA, as well as the date. I was able to go online, look up the shipping company, and come up with a few photos of the ship itself. The certificate may not add to the value, but it helps fill out the history of the car, which is a cool thing, as others here have said.
 
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Not TR, but since somebody dropped MB into this.....I got one for my Jag....because 30+ years of gas station maintenance, really wanted to know.

Body colour. Interior type and colour (green suede?) factory Lucas Fograngers. But, I got two copies (well, one I paid for, one I asked about) both show different intial ship-to points.

I'd have to look...Auto and Cycle? Well known for export shipments. And Appleyard.

The certificate is with the documents (including import shipping documents Singapore to Seattle). If you have those, and your tax and spend government decides to tax you on vehicle weight.....mine was WAY high...they'd gone off the Tare Weight from the import documents (how they got that from 1983, I have no idea), which is no where close to actual.

Fortunately my local DMV office believed four publications presented to them stating weight for a 2.4 MK2.
 

Geo Hahn

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When I sold my TR3A on BaT the Heritage Certificate was an item featured in the listing. I can't say that it added value (it really shouldn't) but perhaps it added verisimilitude to the listing. Until that day it looks nice framed and hanging on the garage wall:

BnY8Pu4.jpg


It did confirm that it began life as a SoCal car (something I did not know until I saw the cert).

(Yeah, I just like to say 'verisimilitude').
 

Andrew Mace

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One thing I like about having the certificates is that they help to confirm "unusual" history of a car. It so happens that several of my cars were originally "Personal Export Delivery" cars. In most cases, it confirmed the reason behind some unusual details of said cars, such as home market specification lighting on a US-spec. car! Typically, the original Coventry UK number plate and, often, the name of the purchaser are specified as well.
 

pdplot

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Be careful. You may not like what you see. Your car may have been a different color with different interior. Your buyer won't be thrilled with that.
 
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Gliderman8

Gliderman8

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Be careful. You may not like what you see. Your car may have been a different color with different interior. Your buyer won't be thrilled with that.
Good point but the commission plate on the car shows the original color by way of a paint code. When I got the car it had a very bad blue paint job. The original color was white. It is now Damson Plum.
 

ckeithjordan

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According to Piggott’s “Original Triumph TR...” the EB number is the Standard-Triumph trimmed body number (and is relative to the Commission sequence number), the other is the Mulliner’s (Company) bare body number. The EB number should be body colored, the other other bare.
 

Geo Hahn

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...The EB number should be body colored, the other other bare.

I agree but...

According to Piggott’s “Original Triumph TR...” the EB number is the Standard-Triumph trimmed body number (and is relative to the Commission sequence number), the other is the Mulliner’s (Company) bare body number...

That seems to be the opposite of what I would expect. The EB number is the Mulliners number ('body in white' number if you will) hence it gets painted when the body is painted.

The other number is the STC number affixed after the body has been painted.

I don't doubt you are quoting Bill P - just saying I think he's got this wrong.

Edit - I read the passage in the Book of Piggott. He does qualify his statement with the words 'I have been told...', well, he was misinformed. He acknowledges that factory records only recorded the all-digit body number (as shown on my cert above) and says no record was kept of the 'EB' number -- which makes sense if it was the Mulliners number.
 
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ckeithjordan

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Geo, you're right about Piggott probably getting it backwards. Here's a quote from Frank A (angelfj1) that might help: "... Although final assembly of TR-2’s and 3’s took place at Canley, components were supplied by many companies all over England. Body shells were produced by Mulliners in nearby Birmingham. Mulliners attached a brass identification tag to the bulkhead just above the battery box. These tags were made of brass and were embossed, not stamped. The ID consisted of a prefix, EB, followed by a series of five numbers. After the bodies were completed by Mulliners, they were painted their correct body color (including this brass tag) and then were trucked to Canley. At Canley, the bodies progressed down the line and were mated with the rolling chassis. Another brass ID tag was installed at the factory during final assembly. This tag was placed just below the Mulliners tag. Since the body was already painted, this tag should be natural brass finish."

That sounds like a better explanation and corresponds with your take on it. I believe Frank did an article on these body tags, but I'm not sure where. Perhaps he can chime in.
 
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