Not having a good basis for how these would have been stamp labled, is it possible that the name badging was roll stamped on these? Might explain the missing L.

How clean cut is the lettering on the steel? Could it have been a refinish job that was sanded to remove pitting that sacrificially sanded off the L? Just trying to see more of the picture as to why the L was missing. Dollars to doughnuts says it wasn't intentional, but whether it's "rare and valuable" vs just a "rare screw up" is open-ended at this point. Not all mis-prints are worth anything just for the simple fact they are misprinted.