Tom,
What I can surmise from this situation is this--and if anyone has any other information, please share.
1) Today, 33 years after the LAST 113 rolled off the assembly line, as Doug Kim says, 99.99% of the soft tops on 113's have been replaced. There are few original, factory installed soft tops that have lasted this long.
2) In replacing a soft top, you can go to an aftermarket supplier, or to a Mercedes Benz dealer.
3) Regardless of whose or which factory the replacement soft top was made, ONLY the ones sold by an authorized Mercedes Benz dealer will have the small "three point star" embossed into the clear rear window. Our own Tom Sargeant has the .01% car with an original soft top--so we have proof and a photo as well!
4) In MBCA sanctioned Concours d'Elegance show events, a car will be deducted "something" (1 point? 1/2 point?) if the soft top does not have this star. They are deducting the point because the top is an aftermarket top not a Mercedes top. Yeah, as you point out, they might come from the same factory but that's beside the point in judging.
5) Doug Kim has pointed out that the very original soft tops as installed at the factory do NOT have this star!
6) I pointed out the proverbial "Catch-22". In competition, you might have a beautiful like new aftermarket top. Another 113 might have an older original top, or an older replacement top--but with the star. He will not get a point deducted because he has an original top or an original replacement top; the originality or appearance of originality is often worth more then the condition. Did I mention the new "Die-Hard" battery cleverly disguised with an old Varta "Tar-Top"? As I said, or appearance of originality...
N.B. In Starfest 2004, I knowingly went in with my aftermarket top. However, the judges jokingly were going to (they didn't) deduct points because my top did NOT have any glue on the inside rails! Apparently mine was installed very neatly and the installer removed the excess glue! They didn't even do this at the factory, and it was stated that mine was the only 113 they'd seen without glue on the inside rails!
Welcome to the crazy world of Concours d'Elegance judging!
Michael Salemi
1969 280SL
Signal Red w/Black Leather
Restored