Yep, I think most of us are thoroughly enjoying this thread... Good questions Gustavo, my perspective on typography relevant to this discussion relates to three distinct categories.
The first is type-set lettering which would be applied to printed matter in books, documents and newspapers etc, that is to say that the letters are not each individually drawn, rather by a printing press. This is where font styles or typefaces are most relevant (Bodoni, Caslon, Times etc.)
The second is hand lettering which would be applied to any variety of items. This would usually be drafted lettering drawn with the aid of tools, set squares, compasses etc. This type of artwork may be found on documents, trademarks, artwork for banners, medals, etc. often combined with elements of graphic artwork.
The third is calligraphy which is the art of lettering by hand without drafting tools, usually with a broad nib pen, executed by a scribe, a professional penman. This is the style relevant to this particular debate. It should also be noted that font styles are not too relevant in hand lettering (Bodoni, Caslon, Times etc.) as although calligraphy sometimes resembles print fonts, calligraphy would NOT be classified in printer's font-styles, rather generally in categories like Gothic, English, Arabic, etc.
A scribe or lettering artist was qualified as such, and as his dedicated trade would usually create a fine, technically correct piece of lettering. The challenge that effected the quality of their work was more the required size and scale of their artwork, sometimes the difficult surfaces that they had to apply to. (imagine the difficulty in letting with a broad pen with masking ink into the fuller of a blade). While difficult, they usually still maintained the rules of typography and penmanship. The point FJS made earlier about a scribe mixing between a Roman font and German script on a single dedications would be regarded as highly uncharacteristic, I can't see any reason for it, is it impossible? probably not, it could have been at the discretion of the artist, who knows... Lettering style is most interesting and you can note very distinct styles just by looking at the SS blade motto. The style usually applied to Bokers for example are more "Germanic" than the style seen on late E-Packs and many M36s with the rounded characters which are more "English" in style, each scribe has his own preferences. Compounding the issue of workmanship of the scribe and his level of perfection, this will usually depend on the preferences, individual style and skill of the scribe. If you were employed as a scribe, you were pretty good at it, the deterioration in quality lies more at the hands of ammeter penmen.
The problem with many fake dedication blades is that they use mechanical fonts, very often Letraset which was very popular during the 60's right through to the 80's after which the Apple Mac and its graphic programmes eventually made Letraset dry transfer lettering obsolete. Many of the UK fake bayos and bogus inscriptions I've seen use Letraset "Fraktur Bold" and Letraset "Old English". The fact that the inscriptions are identical to the Letraset rub-down letting leaves almost NO probability that the letting could have occurred during the war period. Simply, if an inscription matches any contemporary mechanical font, there is very little chance of originality if applied to a blade. I own a K98 bayo with a hand-lettered inscription, beautifully applied, a real detailed work of art, and by all accounts it is a post-war addition unlike those typical Fraktur lettered pieces we often see on eBay. To me this demonstrates that there were highly skilled tradesmen post-war rolling out superb pieces of blade art. If they could do such a remarkable etch on a bayonet, imagine the financial reward of applying their skill to an exotic sword or dagger blade.
