Could the 1st initial be a "V". Valentin was Christopher Funk's uncle:
Copyright - "Christoph Funk Gewehrfabrik, Suhl, was founded in 1835. But many years before there were Funk-gunmakers in Suhl, among them A. Funk established around the year 1820 and a company that was active about 1845 and between 1858 and 1870 named Valentin Funk & Söhne. Valentin (1775-1850) was the uncle to Christoph (b. 1809). In 1849 Christoph Funk was a "Stadtverordneter-Stellvertreter" and from 1866 to 1873 "Schützenhauptmann von Suhl". Around year 1900 there was another company named J. August Funk Nachfolger. It cannot be documented, that this is the same family; but gunmaking-traditions in the Suhler-area went from generation to generation, where companies and minor shops descended from father to son." from
http://www.bryndumlund.dk/index.php?id=3 .
Kind Regards,
Raimey
rse
