1914 CHAMBER DATED DWM ARTILLERY

[bill m]

Mike,

Books are only a reference to use, and they are only as good as the information given. No one knows everything. Without reference books we would all be lost as to what we have and what goes where, but as stated before, over time numbers are lost, recorded incorrect, and new information comes to light. What is interesting in this thread to me, is the fact that one will take the word of a book written anywhere from 10 to 50 years ago, and not trust there own experience or judgement. If the gun is real and original, then that is the deciding factor, whether it is in a book or not. I had a 41/42 that did not have a P.08 on the left frame panel, and I brought it to the attention of a few collectors. At first it was thought that this was a fake, but then, after some research, it was found that the early ones below about 3500 N did not have a P.08 on the frame. This was not in any book, and this variation is highly looked for now. You have to use your own judgement, and especially on the serial number issue, a number 1000 off can be a transition gun, but 10,000 off is way out of the range.