Originally Posted by
Kilroy1988
It's funny you bring that up because I was having a related conversation yesterday with a very knowledgeable collector in England (he currently owns about twenty classic lightweights of the 30s-50s era and has probably gone through a hundred more. I just purchased a Claud Butler frame from him and asked about confirming the tubing by referencing the steer tube so I could pick up the right decal, and he actually said that A&P was often preferred JUST for the steer tube, while the rest of the fork could frequently be made from Reynolds. So checking for that little "531" stamp on the steerer isn't always the best way to confirm!
-Gregory
Yup, that is consistent with what I had been told.
For what it's worth, I have seen the "531" stamp on one fork steerer (on a 1982 Trek 720 fork). I have had many other forks in my hands, from the 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's.... that 'should' have 531 stamps, but I couldn't find them. Finding a 531 stamp (or another stamp) is conclusive, but not finding one is not.