If Willibald Barthelmes was the master craftsman that filed up the frame, he would have been an old cuss in 1905/1906/1907. If I am not mistaken, Carl Walther(1860 - 1915) served a stint at Willibald Barthelmes's shop beginning in 1873 and Carl Walther should have been a master in 1883/1884 and it may have been in the year 1886 when he hung out his own shingle. Ah, Willibald Barthelmes could have lived to a ripe old age and been the "go to" master craftsman when a very select few file strokes were needed. It seems odd that Sauer would source Zella Saint Blasii so I will check other possibilities. Willibald Barthelmes may have had a son named Willibald, Jr. There's a lowercase script "g" on the lower rib as well as what looks to be a "M" on the left tube near the lower rib. I still hold that Max Metzner is connected to the "M" or "MM" initials on the Sauer doubles and if, if Willibald Barthelmes filed up the frame that would solidify the connection as post WWI Max Metzner acquired ownership of Emil Barthelmes, which began in 1854 in Zella Saint Blasii. Just purely by the numbers, Emil Barthelmes may have been born in 1830. There's some odd winged fowl or a scratch on the right tube on the lower rib ahead of the flats. Interesting find all the way around.
Kind Regards,
Raimey
rse
