This example came to me recently. It shows a price of 16'10 so later in 1961. Manual is dated 361 so maybe we can say this black font variety WAS a stop-gap measure for 1961 to tide Meccano Ltd over until the new 1962 packaging came on stream...UPDATE:Sept 2015.....I have now seen another one of these boxes and it has its guarantee slip intact. It is dated Oct 1960. This puts it squarely in my block of possible dates for this variety to exist......mid 1960 to the end of 1961....