ス (su) Hallmarks On Rosettes: Inwards And Outwards?

[TracA]

My most recent acquisition, an Order of the Sacred Treasure 3rd Class with N hallmark, came with a rosette, and that rosette also has a hallmark: ス (su). I looked at it and looked at it, but something just did not look right. Then, it hit me: unlike the other seven rosettes that I have (for Treasures, Kites, and Suns) with the ス hallmark, this rosette has the ス in a different orientation from that of my seven other rosettes. 

Seven of my rosettes have what I call an inward facing ス, where the top of the character faces inward toward the rosette’s cylinder, like this:

 

 

The rosette that came with my N hallmarked 3rd Class Order of the Sacred Treasure, however, has  an outward facing ス, where the top of the character faces outward from the rosette’s cylinder, like this:

 

 

At Medals of Asia this hallmark is associated only with Red Cross medals as well as rosettes for such medals and rosettes for other orders/medals. The two pictures of Red Cross rosettes are of outward facing ス but the four pictures of rosettes for other orders/medals all have inward facing ス. See Medals of Asia: https://asiamedals.info/threads/marks-of-the-japanese-red-cross-society-medals.15270/.

 

If my small sample size of eight and the four pictures at Medals of Asia are any indication, then clearly outward facing ス are much less common on non-Red Cross rosettes than inward facing. Beyond that I cannot posit any other conclusions.

 

It would be interesting to know the stamping process for rosettes with this hallmark. Heck, it would be really interesting to know the meaning/manufacturer behind this hallmark.

 

All the best,

 

Tracy

[No one]

Dear TracA,

 

Interesting, but it could just be a human manipulation mistake.

 

As you mentioned, who is this prolific manufacturer?

 

I have only three rosettes with 'ス ' hallmark:

 

- Golden Kite :

 

 

- Pillars of State (Manchukuo):

 

 

- Red Cross:

 

 

Yours sincerely,

No one