I eMailed the guy, and he thinks the number is 6 RSE 1026, which would be a '48 2 ton COE made in May in Oakland (according to the cruncher).

I thought from the pic of the plate that it was 8SPE.. which is why the cruncher told me a '46

I just blew it up to get a better look.. that first character sure looks like a 6.

[img]http://www.geekoasis.com/turtle/coe.jpg[/img]

an idea is only stupid if you think about it rationally.