Bearman, I believe that you and I have already corresponded on this issue, notably regarding my 1957 PV444 which turned out to have last 4 digits of the engine block as the VIN in my California vehicle title. I've been a memeber of the Round Fender Register since around 1999.
Never-the-less, I have also heard the rumor to the effect of the VIN being on the radiator support. If this is true, then you are the first person who can definitely confirm this. Is this true for the early, pre-1959 cars, or for Duetts only? After all, it's a real chore to strip down the front of a Duett to the frame rails. Is the number on the upper, or lower side of the bracket?
To the Brickboard community; sorry to keep belaboring this, but to my mind, there can't be a more important issue than to be able to absolutely and legally identify your vehicle. Somewhere, somehow we're going to have to get an official, iron clad answer and chisel this in marble. (How's that for a mangled metaphor?) For most early PV owners, it's one of those questions which doesn't really matter, UNTIL IT REALLY MATTERS!! I recently blew a deal because I couldn't accurately provide the VIN to a car.
Does anyone have a connection to the Volvo museum, or to vehicle historians in Sweden?