1916 DWM

[Ron Wood]

Dwight,
I am sure you are correct. I have heard the same account about inspector stamps. It may be documented but I have no reference to verify it. Perhaps some of our experts can provide a reference.

I do know that some stamps were "recycled" or reused as they are found on different era Lugers.

Were the individual stamps tied to a specific manufacturing/assembly inspection with a unique inspector assigned for the duration of production, or could two senior inspectors with the same initials but responsible for a different assembly inspection use the same stamp? If the appropriate reference can be identified, perhaps these questions have already been answered.

Mostly what I was trying to point out is that there is no way to "read" or trace the individual inspector's stamp. This question of what do the individual proof marks represent is a recurring one and to the best of my knowledge all that can be said definitively is that they are inspector's marks, with no identified one-to-one correspondence with a particular inspection process.

I probably should have been this long winded in my other post, but I took a short-cut and stated a "could have" hypothetical example that in retrospect was not the best choice. Fortunately, observant individuals such as yourself are quick to spot sloppy statements. Thank you.