What are your concerns about "Ky" being Kyffhäuserhütte? Thanks
Some thoughts ..... As already stated I am not convinced Ky is Kyffhäuserhütte. And as previously stated KH and Ky are not letter codes. There are abbreviations for a company. Wolfgang gave a couple of good examples. There are many others. These abbreviations seem to have been used by many producers of sheet metal products (and other items). The abbreviations usually include parts of the firm name and often end with the location of the concern. They are also also usually in all capital letters. Some examples -
CFL - Carl Feldhaus Aluminium-und Metallwerke, Lüdenscheid
DMN - Deutsche Metallwerke AG, Neustadt
ET - Eisenhüttenwerke, Thale
HWP - Hermann Wuppermann, Pinneberg
JSD - J.Schmalzeder Erben, Dresden
RFI - Rudolf Fissler KG, Idar-Oberstein
SMM - Süddeutsche Metallwarenfabrik, Mussbach
There are scores, probably hundreds of other examples. Granted KH works fairly well but for the Kyffhäuserhütte portion of the name only. But what about the complete name Aktien-Maschinenfabrik Kyffhäuserhütte, Artern? Would not AMK or AKA or AMA or MKA or even AMKA be more in line with the other examples? The same might be argued for the Ky abbreviation. If two letters only, with emphasis on the Kyffhäuserhütte I would think KA for the name and location. Please understand that I am not suggesting that these abbreviations followed a strict set of enforced rules but there does seem to be a pattern which KH and Ky do not fit.
I also have concerns about the ayw code change. Kyffhäuserhütte was assigned the ayw code in late 1940. If Ky was Kyffhäuserhütte than wouldn't their code have changed to ayw on cans in 1940? Or at least the code would have been changed by 1941? But there are no ayw cans, only Ky1940 and Ky1941. We can examine a similar situation with Mundlos. Their ab code was also issued in 1940. And we find most of the items that year remain marked Mundlos 1940 with transition to the ab40 code late that year as ab40 cans and components (although rare) are documented. By 1941 Mundlos had fully converted to the ab code. If Kyffhäuserhütte was Ky they did not make the code change to ayw on their cans in either 1940 or 1941. I understand there can be a number of valid and logical reasons for not making the code change. This said, I am troubled by the fact that the code WAS changed for ALL of their components as ayw1941 chains, oilers, and HKW are all very well known. This creates a conclusion that if Ky was Kyffhäuserhütte than for whatever reasons they maintained the Ky code on their cans only while switching to the new ayw code for all of their other rg34 pieces.
In a previous post Mike indicates that it is important to not the difference and distinction between Ky and KY. I agree. Yet I find it quite interesting that the cans and HKW are always marked Ky while the chains and oilers are marked KY. Probably a different conversation for another day .....
Certainly an interesting thread here with good discussion.