Dwight, it is my theory!! If you examine other Luger items, such as holsters, you will find that the DE was also changed to a SE in the 1937 time frame. So the question is, which is more important, the symbol or the number (or both).
My guess would be that each inspection team reported to head inspector that had a number associated with his authority.
A copy of German Ordnance Codes shows inspector 63 was at Mauser beginning in 1935 and left in 1940. Inspector 655 came on line in 1940 and left in 1941. Then, inspector 135 finished the Mauser Lugers, but stayed at Mauser until 1944.
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