Index: python/branches/release24-maint/Lib/tarfile.py
===================================================================
--- python/branches/release24-maint/Lib/tarfile.py	(revision 47051)
+++ python/branches/release24-maint/Lib/tarfile.py	(working copy)
@@ -688,11 +688,6 @@
             tarinfo.devmajor = tarinfo.devmajor = 0
         tarinfo.prefix = buf[345:500]
 
-        # Some old tar programs represent a directory as a regular
-        # file with a trailing slash.
-        if tarinfo.isreg() and tarinfo.name.endswith("/"):
-            tarinfo.type = DIRTYPE
-
         # The prefix field is used for filenames > 100 in
         # the POSIX standard.
         # name = prefix + '/' + name
@@ -1628,6 +1623,11 @@
         if tarinfo.type in self.TYPE_METH:
             return self.TYPE_METH[tarinfo.type](self, tarinfo)
 
+        # Some old tar programs represent a directory as a regular
+        # file with a trailing slash.
+        if tarinfo.isreg() and tarinfo.name.endswith("/"):
+            tarinfo.type = DIRTYPE
+
         tarinfo.offset_data = self.offset
         if tarinfo.isreg() or tarinfo.type not in SUPPORTED_TYPES:
             # Skip the following data blocks.