The answer to this question is fairly simple. As I understand it, there were three original invoices: one that went on the window, one that stayed at the dealership (which was tossed years ago), and one that stayed in a filing cabinet in Dearborn. Ford was going to toss the filing cabinets and Lois Eminger (who worked there) knew that the invoices were important to the history of the car, so she asked for the cabinets. I don't know whether or not she paid anything for them (probably not) but she made a nice little business selling them to car owners. I have seen the price of these invoices climb from $15 to $55 since they became available. Inflation!
Unfortunately, sometimes the invoices were lost by the people who bought them, and once they were gone, they were gone. Luckily, at some point, Lois started making black and white photocopies of the invoices before they went out, and I have two such copies posted below for cars I own. One even had the address of who it was sent to. Amazingly. I googled that guy and called him after owning the car for over twenty years. He said he had lost the invoice but still had the original motor.
Unfortunately he wanted a fortune for the motor (which he had rebuilt), so I decided to pass on it. The other invoice is for my uber rare 1972 R code convertible. How I would love to have that invoice. I'd pay like $500 to anyone who has it, but I'm sure it is lost. At least I have the old black and white grainy copy of it. That photocopy may not even be available to people looking for their invoice. I don't know if Marti still sends or has them.
Marti made it clear to me in a phone conversation years ago that he would no longer disclose who an invoice was sent to. According to Marti, that practice has led to "bad blood" between people who hold the invoice and people who own the car. I believe the invoice belongs with the car and its owner. Apparently situations have occurred
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where certain people would want to sell the invoice for large sums of money to the car's new or rightful owner. And that brings up my next point.
There is at least one individual that
I know of who hoarded invoices years ago for bragging rights or to sell them at a profit to future owners. That individual (who will remain nameless) developed a friendship with Lois just so he could randomly call her and ask her for invoices on cars that he lied and said he had purchased, just so he could keep the invoices for himself and use them for personal gain. Luckily Marti now requires proof of ownership to purchase the invoice.
This individual only did these greedy and dishonest things for some of the rarest cars out there. We are talking about some of the highest optioned 1971 Mustangs ever made, and even Shelby Mustangs. A friend of mine bought one such car and came to find out that this individual had the invoice not because he had owned the car, but because he had asked Lois for the invoice. My friend had to "guilt" this individual into coughing up the invoice. And now that invoice resides with an owner who is well known and posts frequently to this site.
