Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Help identifying film punch tool

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Posted by Matt Soar (Member # 8365) on 10-29-2014, 02:28 PM:

Hi folks,
This is my very first post on Film-Tech; my apologies in advance if I've messed up at all.
I am a university-based researcher and artist with an ongoing project all about film leaders, called Lost Leaders. (I've already done an archival search on these forums, and read some amazing stories.)
I'm writing to ask if anyone knows what kind of punch tool was used to make the marks shown in the attached photo (and where I might buy an old one, assuming it's handheld). Could different letters be selected, or were these punches pre-made, like rubber address stamps?

FWIW, the example shown is from a print of Amanita Pestilens (Canada 1963), courtesy Library and Archives Canada. I'm guessing the marking itself is from a film censor, perhaps East German.
Many thanks for your time,
Matt

Posted by Christian Appelt (Member # 1067) on 10-31-2014, 05:30 PM:

Matt,

these marks are from German customs, indicating the print has been brought to Germany and left the country again.

HZA is short for "Hauptzollamt" which means main custom office.
ZA is short for "Zollamt" which means Local Customs center.

Df. could means Düsseldorf and FL could stand for "Flughafen" (airport), but this is speculation. Designations changed in 2008, so it is hard to find out what acronyms were used before.
Definitely not East Germany (GDR/DDR) because their customs were named AZKW (Amt für Zoll und Kontrolle des Warenverkehrs).

I have seen many 35mm prints with these custom punch marks, up to the 1990s you even could spot them in some TV airings of U.S. movies and home video tapes. I recall SOME LIKE IT HOT had them because I single-framed my VHS tape to decipher the marks. Most of the marks I have seen in the projection booth have been from Munich Airport custom offices.

Since the designation never changed for a given office, I assume these were fixed punch dies. However, there were two different types, one punching right through the film (with big letters like your print has it) and another with a smaller and more legible font which used embossing letters.