How do I date a Telecaster?

Hello Everyone.I've been Looking for a vintage Telecaster on ebay,& guitar shops,and I haven't been able to find much info on dating original Telecaster parts.I've heard there should be a stamp on the neck pocket,the heel of neck,under the pickguard, & on the pots...don't want to spend a deal of money on a lemon,even if it stays in tune. can anyone help me out...?

If I were to date a tele I would first buy it dinner...

Seriously though. You can learn alot from just reading those ebay ads. Even the fakes are good learning material. This board is an excellent source too. Do lots of searches yo''ll learn all kinds of stuff that way. It's best to not focus on one source I think, because most seem to focus on one specific aspect. You don't wanna be the guy who buys a fake 50's Tele just because somebody bought a pencil and learned where to write 12/5? T.G. .

good luck.

For vintage Tele and Fender info on the internet, this is the best place:

http://www.provide.net/~cfh/

Go to the Fender section and read everything! :) Actually, you can scan through it pretty fast - it's a wealth of information.

Have fun!

Dean