The usual German practice was for each maker to start at 1, go to 9999, then to 1a - 9999a, 1b - 9999b and so on. And to start over with 1 at the beginning of each year. Since parts are not dated, and few have the suffix letter, number 9998 (b) would have been made before 1 (k). And, of course, Mauser Oberndorf (S/42) 1234b made in 1938 would be older than J.P. Sauer (ce) 1234c made in 1941.
Even the WaA number is not totally reliable in regard to the manufacturer, as it represents not a factory but a man, the head of the WaA inspection team, and they were transferred occasionally; also, parts inspected at one factory were sometimes sent to another factory where those parts were needed.
Jim
