Fernando, excellent explanation and analysis on the superscript! While I had been observing only the visual characteristics of these abbreviated letters/acronyms, your linguistic examination gives essential dimension to estimating their probable origin.
This has brought me to an exciting idea.....could this be a French artillery sidearm which found its way into Mexican hands in the early 19th c. (pre Alamo, 1836)??
The Mexican army had received considerable artillery pieces in the early 19th century from France...……..does it not seem reasonable that perhaps some artillery sidearms might have also been included?
The presence of Spanish inscribed unit numbers (and they do indeed resemble these from those I have seen) on a French weapon is thus plausibly explained in this context if my idea is correct.
VERY good acquisition! and fascinating possibility thanks to Fernando's observations.
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