Call GE on the phone. I called GE's answer line to find out when a microwave I had purchased from Home Depot was made. I was amazed to find out that it was already 2 years old when I bought it. The GE customer service rep said that the box stores often have appliances in their warehouse for years. It didn't change the warranty but I returned it because I thought if something did go wrong I might have trouble getting parts.

>>>How to date an old GE 40' range

You politely ask it if it would like to go out with you.

Oh, that's not what you meant :-) As the previous poster said, calling GE might get you the answer but I'm just curious, what difference does it make if it's from the 50's or the 60's?

Pictures!

Check here. Scroll down the page for some pics.

I have a feeling it is not that old. I have a GE that came with the house with a similar model number starting with 'J'. I'm guessing mine is early '70s. The clock and knobs look about the same.

I will say I had to replace the bottom oven element a month or so ago. The local GE appliance place had to go into his microfiche drawer to look up the part. His computer did not go farther back than 1980. Fortunately, those elements haven't changed in decades.

weissman - you're really on the ball today!! Thanks for the chuckle.

That's what I was thinking too actually...

I've never dated a range before, but I hear they're really hot !!

And don't call it a 40" range. It's only 39 !

Joking (and really bad puns) aside, I'm pretty sure that range is from the mid- to late 1960s. That's when GE used those mega-pushbutton controls on their higher-end ranges and cooktops. I used to have a blender from the same era that had similar controls - why use a boring rotary knob when you can have 14 buttons and make it look really complex?

The "WH" at the end of the model number indicates white color. GE still uses that nomenclature - WH for white with black or chrome controls, WW for white with white controls.

I noticed on your blog that you had the 220V plug changed "to a newer one". Be careful - do NOT plug it into an outlet and/or circuit of either higher or lower amperage than the placard on the stove indicates, and be sure both the stove and outlet are properly grounded (modern American and Canadian 220V plugs have four prongs - two hot, one neutral, and one ground.) Be aware also that the plug and cord you found on the stove may not be original or correct.

I see there are two 120V outlets on the back panel. OMG that would never be allowed by modern electrical code - right behind a burner where the cord could easily touch it, burn up, and catch fire. The fact that those are *grounded* outlets by the way is one of the things that clues me into a likely 1960s vintage. Grounded outlets (which for 120V have three slots rather than two) were rare in 1952, since the things you'd likely plug into it, such as toasters and coffee makers, generally used ungrounded and unpolarized two-prong plugs back then.

I often see old advertisements and brochures for appliances (and everything else) sold on eBay; even if you can't find your exact model, searching on "1960s GE" or "1960s General Electric" or "'60s GE" etc. should turn up similar-looking ranges or cooktops - just find the ones that look most like yours and note the year. Actual old appliances also show up occasionally on eBay or Craigslist. And if you have a nearby library that has old issues or microfiche of magazines aimed at homemakers or home entertainers, they'll often have appliance adverts too. Finally, Google "old stoves" and you'll find lots of people and places that restore and sell old stoves that can help you identify yours.

Oh, and always give it a nice, sweet kiss goodnight....

Thanks everyone, your responses have been entertaining and very educational! :) Yes, that is my blog and those are pics of the range. I may have to call GE to get more info, I really appreciate everyone for their help.

I should have mentioned that hubby replaced the cord and plug. He didn't think that there was anything wrong with the original fiber-wrapped cord and plug, but he wanted some piece of mind by changing it.

I just noticed that I asked how to date a 40 foot vs. 40 inch range...LOL Dating a forty footer would be hard to get into a movie theater....snicker, snicker.

The 40' in the title wasn't your mistake. It's the Gardenweb software. To show " in the title you must use two apostrophes instead of one quote mark.

How old is this GE range?

Lisa Anderson,

The pictured range has a self-cleaning oven (witness: the door lock latch). GE introduced pyrolytic (high-heat) self-clean in 1963 so it's no older than that.

Serial numbers are coded for month and year of manufacture. You can enter the model and serial number at Appliance411's web site for decoding them. Manufacturers typically code the dates on a repeating syntax so the search may give a choice of dates some years apart. Yours would be 1960s, or maybe early 1970s. The color is shaded/edged coppertone. GE introduced shaded colors in 1966, discontinued them in 1976.

Applliance411.com - Date Code Search

That stove is from 1972; I have the same one and I remember when my parents bought it; i was about 12 years old.

Lisa do you have this oven still? I have the same one but there is no door seal and I was wondering what that is supposed to look like.