Other mistake: When Ralph Mason walks into Walker's Drugstore and asks to purchase a tin of pipe tobacco, the tobacco tin that Ellie puts on the counter has black tape across the top covering its brand name, which is "Tuxedo."
Other mistake: Right before Aunt Bee wins the five dollar prize at Wally's station she talks about how she's never won anything, not even the church raffle, and right after she wins she excitedly waves the five dollar bill and says, "I've never won anything before in my life!" However, in season 6 episode "Aunt Bee on TV" the man from the IRS stated that Aunt Bee had won $4,850 worth of prizes on the game show, and even though she sold most of her prizes she kept two of them. So her statement makes no sense even for Aunt Bee.
Other mistake: Aunt Bee refers to losing the pickle contest 10 years in a row (which Clara corrects to 11, leading us to believe they have been in the same competition), but this is her 2nd year in Mayberry, having not seen Andy for years in her season 1 intro as the "new housekeeper", (or Opie - ever) in season 1.
The Barbershop Quartet - S7-E3
Other mistake: The end credits list actor Burt Mustin as playing a character named "Jud", but while Andy and the rest are waiting for Howard to show up for practice, Andy, Wally, and Aunt Bee all use Burt Mustin's real name "Burt" instead of his character's name, "Jud." Then during the rest of the episode Andy still calls him "Burt" a few more times. (00:02:00)
Other mistake: The end credits list actor Burt Mustin as playing a character named "Jud", but after Howard's introduction to everyone in The Lodge, when Andy and Howard are saying goodbye to all the members, Andy says, "See ya, Burt" to actor Burt Mustin. Then at the start of the voting scene even the subtitles read "Burt" instead of "Jud." (00:09:15 - 00:12:55)
Other mistake: While Andy and Helen are rearranging everything in the squad car's trunk to make it all fit, Helen picks up the large thermos and written on its bottom we see "Reggie personal." Reggie Smith was property master on set. (00:12:45)
Other mistake: During the scenes at Goober's filling station we can see a few brand names covered. For example, the "Chew Mail Pouch Tobacco" wall thermometer sign has its brand name "Mail Pouch" covered with black tape, and all the yellow "Pennzoil" cans have half the letters of their brand name painted yellow, so all the cans read "en zo."
Three Wishes for Opie - S5-E14
Other mistake: When Andy asks Floyd and Judd about who he's supposedly marrying it cuts to Helen walking down the street, and the grocery store has only one display window, when it should have two windows, and there's a brick wall adjacent to the window which shouldn't be there. (Shot at the soundstage not backlot).
Barney Runs for Sheriff - S5-E21
Other mistake: When Floyd tells Barney that he doesn't want to put Barney's campaign poster in the barbershop window because it spoils the decor, the reflection we see in the mirror behind Floyd is the church's front door and steps. This makes no sense at all because the reflection should be whatever is to the right of Floyd's, but the church is the opposite way - to the left, past the courthouse. The view in the mirror is a painted backdrop, but it's still quite wrong.
Other mistake: When Andy, Barney, and Opie switch Aunt Bee's kerosene tasting pickles with the store bought pickles during 'operation pickle switch', they put the store pickles in Aunt Bee's mason jars with silver lids and Aunt Bee's pickles in the store's jars with labels and white lids. Their plan is to give away the store jars with Bee's pickles inside, and we see Barney placing the last of the store jars into his bag, but when Barney stops the driver to give him his safe driving award, we see Barney giving away the mason jars with silver lids even though it's the store jars he should be getting rid of.
Other mistake: After Barney gets annoyed over Andy's lack of confidence in his ability to be a sheriff, Barney gets on the phone with Sarah and asks to be connected to the mayor of Greendale, then it cuts to an exterior shot and the parked car has plate number "DC 269," the same as other vehicles in some earlier episodes.
The Clubmen - S2-E10
Other mistake: After Andy turns down the offer to join the club the two men leave, and when it cuts to them driving away we see the license plate number is "DC 269," the same as some other vehicles in previous episodes.
Aunt Bee's Brief Encounter - S2-E9
Other mistake: Mr. Wheeler's license plate number is 'DC 269' which has been used in earlier episodes. Then at the end, when the locks-keys man pulls his truck into the driveway, it has plate number 'VT 772' another prop plate seen in "Barney on the Rebound" when the pretty woman drives into town.
Other mistake: Notice the license plate of Rogers' car is "DC 269," which is the same plate number as Andy's squad in a few season 1 episodes such as "Ellie Comes to Town" and "A Feud is a Feud."
Other mistake: At the beginning of the series, Hope Summers' character is called Bertha Edwards. Later in the series she is Clara Johnson; still later she is Clara Edwards.
Other mistake: Barney's cousin is coming to Mayberry but gets off the bus in a previous town and misses it. Barney and Andy go out to find him, leaving from Mayberry. They are driving down the road when they come upon his cousin. The cousin is walking in the same direction as Andy and Barney are going, which would have meant he was walking away from Mayberry when he should have been walking towards it.
Other mistake: Helen is sitting on the first base side, there is a play at the plate and Opie is called out at the plate. Near the end of the show, Helen has a picture she took of the play and it show Opie to be safe. The picture angle is taken almost directly from home plate and at a low angle. The backstop is also blocked half the way up. She would have had to be on the field behind home plate for such a picture. It's also very close up but the camera she is using doesn't have any zoom feature.
My Fair Ernest T. Bass - S4-E17
Other mistake: Barney says, "I brought the car to drive you over to Mrs. Wiley's," but later when Andy, Barney, Ernest T., and Ramona leave Mrs. Wiley's we see that they're at the house that's actually next door to Andy - though to hide this fact there's a station wagon in the driveway, and they've removed the trellis beside the door.
Other mistake: The safety goggles Barney wears is missing both of its lenses. While it's possible that Barney may wear the goggles just for the look, that possibility is negated when Barney states, "Every piece of equipment and wardrobe has a specific function: helmet - anti-crash; goggles - anti-foreign objects in eyes, that is gravel and/or bugs."
Other mistake: When Barney, Thelma Lou, Helen, and Andy are in the squad car talking about getting dinner, there's black tape on the chrome trim of the triangular vent window - presumably to prevent the camera/crew's reflections; and the vent window is shut in wide shots, but open in the closeup - also to prevent reflections.
Answer: Those "boxes" are valences that used to be very common, before air conditioning. They allow for windows to be open during rain storms. They permit air circulation, without letting the rain in.