Strange Tick Marks

So I know this is a gate Mark pan and it is almost impossible to know the manufacturer. My question right now is does anybody know what these strange tick marks are for? I very much enjoy these old gate Mark skillet. They're not as smooth as the Skillets made in the early nineteen-hundreds but I think the imperfections give them much more character.

https://imgur.com/a/5CF4s

No thoughts at all on what the tick marks around the handle and heat ring are or signify? Ill even settle for conspiracy theories......

Robert, that looks like a recast to me. Lots of sand shifting account for the bad pour. I can't comment on why the tick marks are there but that pan does not add up.

I have 50+ old gate marked skillets typically with larger pour spouts than what I am seeing here. Most of mine have some minor sand shift / defects but nothing like I am seeing with yours. They are usually lighter with thin walls, yours looks post automated and heavier than I would expect.