What is L.A. 1. 23 ?

[Don M]

Ron,
You are probably right that it's a police mark but I seriously doubt that it's Landj�¤gerei. I have an article coming out in the May Auto Mag in which I've analyzed about 150 Landj�¤gerei marks and none of them have a number for the Inspectorate (the next level below the administrative district). The analysis also strongly suggests that the Landj�¤gerei did not mark any of their weapons until about 1929. By that time, it appears that many of the Prussian police had abandoned the complex marking format specified in the 1922 marking orders in favor of a simpler system of indicating only the Regierungsbezirk. The data indicate that the small-caliber weapon of choice in the Landj�¤gerei was the Mauser M1914, not the Ortgies. My article also lists three examples of Landj�¤gerei P.08 holsters with the unit mark stamped on them, including one from Aurich.

Finally, all the Landj�¤gerei unit marks I've examined consistently use 4-mm capital letters and 2-mm numerals. These numerals are much too large and the 23 is fancier than any I've seen.

I suspect that this is not a Prussian police mark and is one of those to be listed as "unidentified."