Tapadh leat, Norman
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Yes, this was the thread; a treatise indeed !
You will notice the marks were not discussed; the seller didn't comment on them and i also didn't pay them much attention, as they looked too faded to investigate.
But when reviewing (once more) my collection files i realized that they ought to be some actual smith's personal marks and decided to raise the question in here, hoping that someone would help crack the riddle.