Ron,
As you know I have been working on a book chapter on SS Jaguar Tool-Kits for some years now, indeed pretty well finished the Tool Tray aspect, and indeed stopped current work on detailing all the Tool content, to provide this forum response.
But where I am at, is that over the SS Jaguar period 1936MY to 1940MY - and I use Alan Crouch’s style of Model Year identification which is best/most correct I have seen, SS-Jaguar Tool-Trays were initially black-painted plywood, then black-flocked and finally green-flocked - so actual three changes in finish.
But over this 1936MY to 1940MY period I identify some NINE different Tool-Trays, that I catalogue (for purposes of my book) as being Type A, B, C, D, E, F, F2, G and Type H, (with post war Mark IV being Type I and I2). This does include the more vertically oriented SS Jaguar Tool-Tray, but still eight versions of the boot-lid mounted Tool-Tray as fitted to Saloons and DHCs, (and of course SS100 having a Tool-Roll and Tool-Locker not included in the NINE count).
Getting exact demarcations is difficult, as the ‘authenticity’ standard of restored tool-trays generally is pretty horrible, so I usually discount anything restored as being reliable evidence, especially if restored much more than 10 years ago when pretty well anything goes attitude prevailed re authenticity, thus the Red velvet tool trays, the home-made tool inclusions/patterns, and the chrome-plated spanners etc., unless of course there are pre-restoration photos available.
But the black-flock to green-flock demarcation, I still can’t improve on an exact month demarcation, any better than I communicated to you directly before, albeit before publication I will totally review any new evidence I have, albeit nothing new yet re this demarcation.
Having said that, I do monitor any new SS Jaguar findings, in case they can add anything new or different to the overall jigsaw puzzle, thus I asked Rob directly about his 1938MY Saloon Tool-Kit, which he then also posted the picture on-line that initiated this current on-forum discussion. As I offered directly, his 1938MY tool-tray is not remotely similar to any of my now ‘catalogued’ nine versions of SS Jaguar Tool-Tray, and there is no evolving development from a 1937MY to 1938MY to 1939MY logic in it either. Maybe a one-off experimental/prototype, which I think totally unlikely, as there are just two many things ‘wrong’ with the inclusion and exclusion of tools (recesses), and the standard of workmanship does not appear to be up to SS Jaguars usual standard, so I have to think just yet another home-made effort, where owner either didn’t still have his original to copy, or maybe just wanted his own personal arrangement, whatever. But always a chance a second seemingly original example may one day surface - if and when that ever happens, maybe then it might be a possible to consider a Tenth version Tool Tray to add to my now current catalogued nine.
The included SS Jaguar tools - should have this finished as best I can, hopefully by end of this month - including the Jack, noting the speculation included in this discussion, without giving anything away prematurely.
Roger