Translucent Arkansas, right?

[SliceOfLife]

http://forsale.oldetoolshop.com/jan/sharpeningstone0101.jpg

So why is it stamped West Germany? Just to let the soviets know it was contraband in East Germany?

 

[mparker762]

http://forsale.oldetoolshop.com/jan/sharpeningstone0101.jpg

So why is it stamped West Germany? Just to let the soviets know it was contraband in East Germany?

Not sure if that stone is translucent arkansas, it could be a lower grade. As to the west germany marking there's no telling what the deal is. I've seen this sort of thing before with arkansas stones - I've got a translucent arkansas that I bought with my 1st-gen Wapienica razor that came with Polish markings on one side and an English-language label on the other, and supposedly dates to the '60's.

 

[SliceOfLife]

Pics are pretty much just what stone looks like. It's probably somewhere between hard and translucent. I can see about 3-4mm deep into it (see some more of those white specs below surface) and light penetrates maybe 8mm from my LED flashlight.