use this instead
=IF(A1<DATEVALUE("01-Jan-2004"), "True","False")

"Hugh@cat" wrote in message
...
I am trying to check a column of dates against a reference date to
determine
if the dates occurred before the reference date. I am using the following
logical expression:

IF(A1<"01-Jan-2004", "True","False")

column A contains dates like:

01-Feb-2004

The expression provides the correct answer for some dates and the
incorrect
answer for others. Anyone know the correct syntax for this expression?