$25 Estate Sale Pickup

[landgraftj]

I'll have to look again Hank but I think my wheels are plastic.

It could be the match of mine then (except for that fine patina of rust that develops from sitting outside 39 years. )

Looks identical to mine.

[Bman]

Looking at this grill and the one Hank posted, it looks like this one has wide turn tabs on the bowl.  Hanks has the smaller bowl tabs.  Taking Craig's research, I post the following.

 If your lid vent reads Bar-B-Que-Kettle and a patent number still single small rounded vent turn tabs, top and bottom, black plastic wheels and hubcaps with thin whitewalls with rubber treads or early plastic treads, then your grill would be determined to be from 1971-75. If the lid vent says WEBER in engraved font with an elongated b in weber, still small vent turn tab on lid, but now with wider dual turn tabs on the bowl vents and more familiar WEBER whitewall all plastic wheels it could be from or 1976-1977

So, here we have the Bar-B-Que Kettle with wider bowl turn tabs - a mix of the 71-75 description and the 76-77
Safe to assume this is an early production '76 (wide turn tabs) while still using leftover '75 parts (lid vent)

[Craig]

Terry, first and foremost, HOLY SH*T that's a beauty!! I love that citrus skin finish on it. I really do love the OLD black MBH's. Nice find!
 

To help determine this one's age, Bman hit on it and it seems we're finding out and learning more and more all the time.  These kettles, with the BBK small tabbed lid vent and large bowl tab vent combo has been compelling me to place this era in the 1975 model year (October 1974-September 1975) I have a 22 of the same style that I got from Brian.  The next style... That Brian, Marty and a couple others have, the super elusive engraved "WEBER" lid vents being 1976 models (late '75- late '76).  Assuming that Weber's fiscal/model year were the same back in the 1970s. I'd love to pick the Production Designers brain who worked for Weber back then.  It could account for the wheel variation as well since this same setup has been seen with the later wheel style.
 

Just for fun, I recently did a little snip action on my black 22's daisy vents and it's still period correct with the BBK lid vent. I am NOT suggesting you snip that gorgeous 18's daisy vents.     This cooker gets regular usage in the rotation and is my "go to" MBH. It's a faded to graphite grey finish.

[MacEggs]

That is a great pic, Craig! ^^^^^

Nice pick-up, Terry! I really like the citrus finish to the older kettles. 

[mike.stavlund]

I remember when Bman was just a sprout, asking n00b questions at WKC about how to shop estate sales... now he's shopping every single estate sale in the entire friggen' country. 

...they grow up so quick!