Fair point, Victrix.
I can now confirm that whatever the image may be -- numerals or a graphic -- it was not made by a stamp. Close inspection with a high-power loupe shows the edges are slightly undercut, which could only mean that they were incised rather than stamped.
Comparing the felddegen to other similar examples, it seems the blade on this example is more narrow across the ricasso (27.5 mm/1.1 inches) than most.
Could that be a clue as to its age? If a wider blade equates to an older weapon, perhaps this one is a later transitional piece?
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