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Merkur Top Plate Numbers?

Does anyone know the significance of the numbers on the underside of top plates of Merkur 3 piece razors? I have a 34C whose plate is marked with a "4" and a 38C marked with a "2". I don't see any obvious differences in them, but doubtless there are. Can anyone point me to a reference for what these Merkur numbers mean?
Steve
 
All of my slant razors are marked 3, some of them 4 on the bottom head piece.

For the top cap one is marked 9, but that is a really old model. The newer slants still with the plain top cap have a 2 on it, while the slants with the scallopped top cap are marked 1.
 

Luc

"To Wiki or Not To Wiki, That's The Question".
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Isn't a 34C a short rod and a 38C a long rod? I would guess that the same principle goes for slant caps.
 
Those parts are probably die-cast, or maybe just cast. Either way I suspect the number is part of the die or mold. In the event of a problem traced back to that process, the number would show which one needs to be fixed or replaced.

In theory it could also give you a range of manufacturing dates for a razor, but good luck getting the data from Merkur.
 
A few vintage Merkurs I own have 7, 7, 0, and 5 under their caps. My newer ones say 2, 3, and 3 on both the cap and base. I would just guess they're there for manufacturing purposes and that they had no real importance.
 
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After a response from Dovo on a related question, it seems the numbers must be some kind of QC scheme. The factory confirmed that the heads on the 34C and 38C are the same. So the different numbers must be QC/manuf. run related only. By the way, since Dovo confirms the teo heads are one and the same, the B&B shave wiki chart showing the blade gap between them differs (0,71 mm vs 0.64 mm) must be an error. Suspect it may have arisen from a combination of measuring error and small sample size ( e.g., 1?).
 
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