Greg,
I've noticed that the washer is consistently absent on the earliest Nuovo SR posts. The first type had the same finish all the way up the post and onto the cone shaped transition below the uppermost portion, which had a sandblasted look. On this version, the lettering was on the cone-shaped section. The next type was the most common, which has the polished finish on the main section of the post (which was also where the lettering appeared), a small lip at the transition, and the "sandblasted" finish on the cone-shaped and uppermost sections. The last version was full-polish, right to the top. In addition to the missing washer, the 1st type had pearly anodizing on the clamp pieces, and the head of the bolt was a bit taller. The distance across the flats (nominally 13 mm) also seems to be consistently undersized on the early posts. Anyway, the "missing" washer was apparently never there on the 1st gen. The consistency with which I've seen the missing washer on only that version makes it seem like more than a coincidence.
Tom Dalton Bethlehem, PA
__________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com