The Made in Germany export mark can be useful in dating German manufactured goods, but because of the division of Germany after World War 2, it can create misleading conclusions if not evaluated properly.
The British demanded that German goods be marked with the phrase Made in Germany – capitalization may vary – in 1887 as a way to fight market gains from German exporters. The identification was intended to designate inferior goods, but ultimately the ploy had the opposite effect – essentially creating a quality brand for the Germans.
When American and allied nations and the Soviet Union split Germany after World War 2, changes in export marks were made which introduced US Zone Germany and then Made in West Germany. However, the mark Made in Germany or simply Germany never went away and can be found on West German exports.
The issue came to a head in a 1973 German court ruling stating that Made in Germany could indicate either West or East Germany, that it was not exclusively a West German mark. Subsequently, the tag Made in Western or West Germany became standard practice while East Germans used Made in GDR.
When German reunification began in 1990, Made in Germany once again became the standard designation for German export goods. Unfortunately, the East German standard of quality was much lower than that of the West, and it no longer indicated a uniform level of high quality.
Thus Made in Germany can be found on German goods from 1887 – 1973 and from 1990 to present. It is not true that Made in Germany ceased to be an export marking in 1945 or 1949 when Federal Republic of Germany was officially formed.