So I accidentally bid on, and subsequently bought, a box of headlight rings labelled as 46 Ford. From what I can find, 41-46 were the same with a groove all the way around and 47-48 are smooth and all are interchangeable. These have a groove and the box only has the quantity and a part number of "HLR 101". They are individually wrapped in brown paper and inside the box are 2 newspaper sections from The Florida Times-Union, Sunday, February11, 1951(that may be the coolest part). They are chromed steel and I assume reproduction. Am I correct assuming reproductions from 1951 would be more desirable than modern repops?
"Reproduction parts" is a term that doesn't apply to aftermarket replacement parts made in the same period as the car. In restorer terminology they're NORS, or "new old replacement stock". Values vary for many reasons, and many aftermarket parts were much higher or lower quality than NOS. In your case, the 60 + year old US made parts are much more desirable than the alternative.
OEM Ford headlight trim would be polished stainless steel, and the '46-early 47 trim would have two 'steps' or grooves. So these may not be exact duplicates of original, which was more common than you think in those days. Even back then the OEMs were protective of 'their' designs and would sometimes slap a copyright infringement suit on an aftermarket supplier who tried selling an exact copy. So if these aren't an exact reproduction, their value to a restorer is near zero... A rodder may not be as picky, so these will have some value.
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