[ARC5] Can you read this serial number?

[WA5CAB at cs.com]

Les,

The alpha-numeric string is the USN Contract Number.

The prefix letters mean:

NXsa = Navy (N), Bureau of Supplies and Accounts (Supplies Branch) (Xs), on 
behalf of "Aviation" (a) 

(that's copied from a message from Mike H about five years ago.

The 5-digit number is the contract sequence number.  I don't know for 
certain but have always assumed that the numeric string started at "1" in the 
early part of the 20th Century and ran up without starting over at "1" into the 
1950's, when the system was changed.  And further, although with only 112 
unique recorded examples, I really don't have enough samples to say for sure, 
but I think that each prefix (NOs, NOBsr, etc.) had its own block of 
numbers.  NOs hit 90000 in 1940 (prior to WW-II, maybe into 1942, the contract 
date was often printed with the contract number on manuals and sometimes on 
nameplates).  The prefix "NOs" seems to have been retired in 1941.  Maybe they 
didn't want to go to 6 digits.

Robert Downs - Houston
wa5cab dot com (Web Store)
MVPA 9480

In a message dated 07/12/2017 23:02:16 PM Central Daylight Time, 
vk2bcu at operamail.com writes: 
> Hello all,
> 
> Further to the nameplate photo I posted a moment ago - I see
> "NXsa-32848" in the lower left corner.
> Can anyone tell me the significance of this number?
> How do I get more information about the commonly seen "NX" number?
> 
> 
> Thanks to all.
> 
>    73 de Les Smith
>    vk2bcu at operamail.com
> 
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