SHoe Sizing..what does this mean?

Okay..i have a pair of shoes that say

8 1/2 2A

which i know is a 8 1/2 AA or narrow width.

However, it says 8 1/2 and then has 2A on the top of a little fraction line and 4A on the bottom. What does that mean? is the other one the heel or is the other one a european size??? I.e. it would be 8.5 4A in europe.

I have no clue? what would you all say?

I am an 8M but can get these on. It is a little tight in the right foot toe area....but then my feet are 1/4 or an 1/8 size different from eachother like most people

 

It should mean that the shoe is a combination last, meaning the heel is an AAAA width, and the ball is an AA width. That would be my understanding of it.

 

alright. that makes sense as I have another pair of 8.5 AA heels that i walk out if because the heel/strap is too wide on the foot that is just a hair shorter. i really do not wear an 8.5 AA, it would crush my feet in a loafer, but in shoes with open middles, like a D'Orsay style, i can wear a 8.5 AA just fine.

on the shoes in question, they are closed and the left foot is perfect but the right foot..it just feels like the ball of my foot is not lined up exactly with the curve as the shoe is just a hair too short for absolute perfection. (that part at the point where the high heel starts to curve up vs being flat on the floor). that probably makes no sense.

Thanks for the answer, I was truly clueless!