Mystery hallmark Identified?

[Eric Stahlhut]

Remember all of the old threads concerning the hallmark that consisted solely of an incused square?

This maker made superior EKs and badges and so far, no one has been able to positively identify the maker. Take a look at the back of this 1939 EK1. It is marked L59 and has an incused square.

Could the maker of all of those fine Imperial items actually be' Alois Rettenmaier, Schwäbisch-Gmünd, Parlerstraße 27' ?!?

[Tom Y]

Sounds like a winner. They were founded shortly before the Great War and are still in business in Gmünd making high quality awards, cups, chains, etc. From research I've done it seems that more than one company got their big start making EK's. Unfortunately, none of them seem to want to talk about it.

[Eric Stahlhut]

For comparison

here is a 1914 screwback. The mark looks pretty much the same, no?

[Lorenzo Brown]

Mmmmm...I don't think so. Many Freidrich Orth "FO" Kriegsmarine badges also have little incused squares or circles on them in addition to the maker mark. I think they might be some sort of quality control stamps.

[Eric Stahlhut]

OK!

Let's take it from that assumption, Lorenzo. Why would different companies use a generalized sort of quality control stamp (particularly on otherwise unmarked items) and why is it that this is not common knowledge amongst us collectors?

I have seen other curious marks on these 1939 EK1's, BTW. Circles, squares,
three dots forming a pyramid, etc. etc...

[Lorenzo Brown]

“Why would different companies use a generalized sort of quality control stamp”.

I think that different companies could use the same QC marks. A QC stamp is an internal device that can take any generic form…a square, a circle, a “check mark”, or simply a number penciled on to the envelope or issue box. Any number of makers could use the same types of QC marks, or they could use different marks of their own choosing.

I have seen circles and squares stamped into other marked badges, so I would think that were used for QC or other purposes rather than as “maker” identifiers.