Friends:

I am pretty familiar both with German and English proofmarks.
The crowns are definitely not English.

Ich glaube, dass der Gnädiger Herr ein Fehler gemacht hat.

Crown over U is "Untersuchüngsstempel" , literally "examination stamp" or "inquiry stamp ", more comfortably rendered into English - final proof mark.

Crown over S , with "S" likely denoting "Schrot", or "shot", in English, it is the mark applied to smoothbore barrels.

Crown over W , "Würgebohrung" or choke- bored, is the mark applied top choked barrels.

Wirnsberger says "Crown over U" ceased with the proof law of 1939. Apparently, so did the other marks. The Federal Eagle began being used in 1952.

Next theory?

Regards

GKT

Last edited by Greg Tag; 02/05/07 10:56 PM.
Texas Declaration of Independence 1836 -The Indictment against the dictatorship, Para.16:"It has demanded us to deliver up our arms, which are essential to our defence, the rightful property of freemen, and formidable only to tyrannical governments."