Upside Down Made in Germany Stamp
 

I recently purchased a 1920 Commercial and the Made in Germany stamp is upside down. I did some research on the forums and I understand the stamp could be placed anywhere but I didn’t see any info on the stamp being upside.

My main question is has anyone seen this before and would this make my Plain Jane Commercial any more or less unique.

I’m guessing whoever did the stamping had a bad day or too much to drink :cheers: but if anyone else has a better explanation let me know.

Thanks in Advance

Attachment 17309

Poor work attitude??? :D

Never seen one upside down.
Bob

When the proof stamps go up,
Who cares how they come down,
That's not my department -
Says Inspector Braun!

Marc (paraphrasing Tom Leher...)

I've seen 'Germany' and 'Made in Germany' stamped upside down on several 20 DWM's and Alphabet commercials. Weird locations too... like on the frame ears near the safety marking.

It's like when a car is repainted and the lettering and scripts are replaced in the wrong position.

Since the marking was only required for the US market, it is quite probable that the markings were applied by the importer in the US itself and not in Germany.

That said, I must say that I frequently put my stamps upside down on shooting registers over here. It happens :)

Maybe it was stamped in Australlia. :)

I assumed that US customs required a country of origin stamp/label upon arrival at any US port. Was it OK to add the stamp after the fact?

I have this mental picture of crates of Lugers, Mausers, Walthers spread out on a warehouse floor...and an import drone ("who's on my poop list today?") sitting there with a BMFH (that's a kind of hammer) and a steel stamp...All day long...Stamp, toss, next...Stamp, toss, next...Stamp, toss, next...Watched by an equally bored BATFE drone (same type of list), and an armed guard or two... :roflmao:

Back when these were brought in it would most likely have been a customs or treasury agent and the goverment trusted you to apply the stamps without supervision!!

I have a 1920 commercial (95xxL serial#) that has the same upside down stamp in the same place. I had never seen one stamped like this before either, but doubted it was worth any more, or less, than any other 1920 commercial.

By law the country-of-origin stamps had to be applied before the gun entered this country.

--Dwight

Hi Dwight, correct, but there were special customs areas at the major ports where material could be stored, marked and prepped before being imported into the US officially. These customs areas would not qualify as 'US', so products could be stored and worked on without being subjected to import laws.

This is correct. They are known as Bonded Areas and are legally considered "neutral ground". Goods do not pay import duties either until they leave these areas and are patriated into the US.