Fraktur Characters & Fonts

sheepherder · 04-24-2009, 06:29 PM

My eyes are not the best, and fraktur letters are weird to begin with...But I did find a site with fraktur fonts, which I could load into my font library and print out to match up with any fraktur letters I find on Lugers or whatever...

...Except that there seem to be a *lot* of fraktur fonts...

http://www.morscher.com/3r/fonts/fraktur.htm

Which one of these fonts most closely resembles the Luger lettering???

Ron Wood · 04-25-2009, 12:35 AM

Actually, none of the Fraktur fonts are like Luger lettering. The serial number small letter font is much like English cursive. Fraktur is much more angular. The only Fraktur-like marking on a Luger that quickly comes to mind is the so-called "scriptic" S on the early K-date Mausers.

Don M · 04-25-2009, 10:54 AM

Ron, there are also the capital letters identifying individual inspectors in the Imperial-era "crown over ..." acceptance stamps. They look a lot like the ones labeled "Fraktur" in the link but I really haven't studied them.

Ron Wood · 04-25-2009, 11:38 AM

Don,
Of course you are correct. I was only thinking of numbering and didn't even think about proofs or acceptance marks. I shouldn't post past my bed time!

So, getting back to postino's question, it appears that none of the "true type fonts" avialable in his samples replicate the lettering found on Lugers. Those Fraktur fonts lack the small vertical lines that embellish the upper case letters. The inspector Crown/Letter characters more closely resemble "Blackletter" (sometimes called "Gothic") fonts which, ironically, are usually associated with "olde English".

tenbears · 04-25-2009, 02:43 PM

I incounter Fraktur fonts all the time with Imperial issued bayonets. Sometimes that is the only mark on the bayonet or trench knife.

sheepherder · 04-25-2009, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron Wood

The serial number small letter font is much like English cursive.

Thanks, Ron! That was what I was thinking of - having two commercials, inspectors marks never entered my mind...

"English Cursive" wasn't in my font library, so I went looking, and found that "Wrexham Light" font, in italics, closely resembles the "n" and "k" on my two commercial Lugers.

I'm going to print out a lowercase stream so I can compare it to gun show Lugers...or beer hall Lugers...

George Anderson · 04-25-2009, 05:52 PM

I'm not sure which letters the original question referred to, the acceptance stamps or serial number suffixes. In the case of the former the marks are Fraktur. I believe one would identify the serial number suffixes as Sutterlin (sp) script.

Ron Wood · 04-25-2009, 07:05 PM

George,
The Fraktur characters avalible in modern true type fonts for computers are simplifications of the original characters on Luger acceptance stamps. So, although you are correct, there isn't a Fraktur font equivalent to the Luger markings available (at least as far as I have been able to find). In the case of serial number suffixes, Sutterlin is not even close. For example, a Sutterlin "e" looks like "n".

Dwight Gruber · 04-26-2009, 05:10 AM

George,

SÃ?Â¼tterlin is a very distinctive and radical script. A couple letters show up as mysterious letter suffixes on some WWII magazines, but these are not the common lower-case suffix letters we usually see.

--Dwight

04-24-2009, 06:29 PM	#1
sheepherder Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: ...on the 'ol Erie Canal... Posts: 8,197 Thanks: 1,416 Thanked 4,462 Times in 2,336 Posts	Fraktur Characters & Fonts My eyes are not the best, and fraktur letters are weird to begin with...But I did find a site with fraktur fonts, which I could load into my font library and print out to match up with any fraktur letters I find on Lugers or whatever... ...Except that there seem to be a lot of fraktur fonts... http://www.morscher.com/3r/fonts/fraktur.htm Which one of these fonts most closely resembles the Luger lettering???

04-25-2009, 12:35 AM	#2
Ron Wood Moderator 2010 LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Santa Teresa New Mexico just outside of the West Texas town of El Paso Posts: 7,040 Thanks: 1,106 Thanked 5,257 Times in 1,724 Posts	Actually, none of the Fraktur fonts are like Luger lettering. The serial number small letter font is much like English cursive. Fraktur is much more angular. The only Fraktur-like marking on a Luger that quickly comes to mind is the so-called "scriptic" S on the early K-date Mausers. __________________ If it's made after 1918...it's a reproduction

04-25-2009, 10:54 AM	#3
Don M Patron LugerForum Patron Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 1,429 Thanks: 67 Thanked 292 Times in 191 Posts	Ron, there are also the capital letters identifying individual inspectors in the Imperial-era "crown over ..." acceptance stamps. They look a lot like the ones labeled "Fraktur" in the link but I really haven't studied them. __________________ Regards, Don donmaus1@aol.com Author of History Writ in Steel: German Police Markings 1900-1936 http://www.historywritinsteel.com

04-25-2009, 11:38 AM	#4
Ron Wood Moderator 2010 LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Santa Teresa New Mexico just outside of the West Texas town of El Paso Posts: 7,040 Thanks: 1,106 Thanked 5,257 Times in 1,724 Posts	Don, Of course you are correct. I was only thinking of numbering and didn't even think about proofs or acceptance marks. I shouldn't post past my bed time! So, getting back to postino's question, it appears that none of the "true type fonts" avialable in his samples replicate the lettering found on Lugers. Those Fraktur fonts lack the small vertical lines that embellish the upper case letters. The inspector Crown/Letter characters more closely resemble "Blackletter" (sometimes called "Gothic") fonts which, ironically, are usually associated with "olde English". __________________ If it's made after 1918...it's a reproduction Last edited by Ron Wood; 04-25-2009 at 12:24 PM.

04-25-2009, 07:05 PM	#8
Ron Wood Moderator 2010 LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Santa Teresa New Mexico just outside of the West Texas town of El Paso Posts: 7,040 Thanks: 1,106 Thanked 5,257 Times in 1,724 Posts	George, The Fraktur characters avalible in modern true type fonts for computers are simplifications of the original characters on Luger acceptance stamps. So, although you are correct, there isn't a Fraktur font equivalent to the Luger markings available (at least as far as I have been able to find). In the case of serial number suffixes, Sutterlin is not even close. For example, a Sutterlin "e" looks like "n". __________________ If it's made after 1918...it's a reproduction

04-25-2009, 02:43 PM	#5
tenbears User Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 370 Thanks: 3 Thanked 26 Times in 15 Posts	I incounter Fraktur fonts all the time with Imperial issued bayonets. Sometimes that is the only mark on the bayonet or trench knife.

04-25-2009, 05:52 PM	#7
George Anderson Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: VA Posts: 3,592 Thanks: 1,773 Thanked 2,531 Times in 788 Posts	I'm not sure which letters the original question referred to, the acceptance stamps or serial number suffixes. In the case of the former the marks are Fraktur. I believe one would identify the serial number suffixes as Sutterlin (sp) script.

04-26-2009, 05:10 AM	#9
Dwight Gruber User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 3,908 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1,330 Times in 435 Posts	George, SÃ?Â¼tterlin is a very distinctive and radical script. A couple letters show up as mysterious letter suffixes on some WWII magazines, but these are not the common lower-case suffix letters we usually see. --Dwight