My mistake, the series and model stamp can be either in the gold ring or between the gold ring and the front of the objective bell.
I have never owned a genuine Leupold scope that didn't have the series and model stamped into the scope in one of those two places. The stamp is very shallow, not obvious to the touch and, particularly on the matte finished scopes, often difficult to see unless you have the scope and light source at a certain angle from your eyes.
Unfortunately that seems to be no longer true. I have three VX-1's and a VX-2, a Y, two AC's and a AD date codes, three are LR reticles (which I have never seen offered on the Chicom counterfeit scopes) and none of them are stamped with the model anywhere on the objective bell. Not on the gold ring, nor between the gold ring and the objective bell.
