Pair of black binoculars with leather strap (one end is broken and is loose). On right side is "Dienstglas 10x50 18464 blc +" imprinted in metal. Right eyepiece has a piece missing. Some of black paint is worn, exposing silvery metal. Over the centre axle is attached a leather tab with a cut slot, perhaps to attach to something with a large button. Found in museum office. When World War II began in September 1939, there was an air of invincibility in Germany, and in keeping with traditional practice, most Zeiss products and those of other manufacturers in Germany had proudly borne the makers trademark and city of origin of the product. However, by 1941 it became clear that the Allies would be able to identify factories and then bomb targets in Germany. So in February 1942 the German Armaments Ministry assigned three letter code marks to each of those companies engaged in fabricating military hardware. The codes identified the manufacturer and their facility location. Carl Zeiss Jena products employed code marks including "blc".