This product is an NOS Part.
NOS items are OEM parts from Ford that have been sitting on shelves or in warehouses for years. These are often great examples of the orignal parts, but they may have scratches or other shelf wear.
However be aware that some NOS parts are "service replacement" parts. "Service replacement" parts are not exact replacements of the parts that were installed at the factory, but are what Ford considered as "good enough" and were used at Ford dealerships after the original supply of parts was exhausted.
We often leave NOS product listings on our website after they sell for reference purposes.
Of the 100,085 Cougars produced in 1969 only 1,505 came ordered as "radio delete". In 1970 a higher percentage came this way with a total of 1858 out of 72,365 total production. The total amount of 1969 - 1970 Cougars that came radio delete would be 3363. It is assumed that the majority of cars built radio delete would be the less optioned standard or decor models which would feature a pebble grain finish, color coded to the interior color. Most of the radio delete plates were discarded at the dealership when the customer chose the desired radio combination. The next most common place the radio delete plate probably would be discarded would be the after market stereo store. This is the only known (to me) NOS XR7 delete plate in captivity and I have never seen the XR7 version installed in a Cougar although I have seen it listed on a Marti report. I have seen multiple 1969-1970 Cougars with the pebble finished delete plate in place. This is one RARE dude indeed!