Why are there so many kalimbas dated 1966 available on ebay?

Why are there so many kalimbas dated 1966 available on ebay?

If you go on eBay to buy a kalimba, you may very well see a Hugh Tracey advertised as “Original 1966 Kalimba” – as though it was a vintage 1966 Mustang or something. Were there really so many Hugh Tracey kalimbas made in 1966? Well, Creative Playthings in Princeton NJ did order 10,000 Treble Kalimbas, but the vast majority of the kalimbas that are claimed to be from 1966 are not nearly so old. If you buy a Hugh Tracey kalimba today, it will come with the insert shown above on the right, with a little “Copyright 1966” at the bottom. Most of the kalimbas sold on eBay as “1966” were made in the last 20-30 years, and have that same insert. On the other hand, there are some kalimbas from the 1960s that sell on eBay – look for the five screw heads on the back, vintage font on the label, the white box, and be wary of anything with a URL on it.