1917 DWM Luger

D

Deerhunter

New member
Ok folks I don't know much about German Lugers. I have the chance to purchase a 1917 DWM Luger. All the parts I can see match. The ones I don't know about are the firing pin and the grips. It comes with a leather holster that is stamped 1917 and 2 magazines. It is sitting at a gun shop on a 5 dday hold for me as I try ti determine the value. The bluing is original and it looks to be in really nice shape for a 103 year old gun.

Can anyone help me with what the value would be? I wish I had some pictures as I know condition is everything. I am just trying to get a price range here.

Thanks for any help
 
Simpson’s Ltd has standard barrel length 11917 DWM for 1800 and up. Sorry I’m not computer savvy Neto post a link.
 
My Luger has an unnumbered firing pin (striker, actually), but don't know if that's normal across all models.
Sounds like it could be an authentic "rig", but also possible that it was assembled at some later date, to take advantage of the additional value of complete rigs!
They're holding it while you mull their price? What are they asking?
 
USCS.....No worries. This one is a standard barrel length pistol. It is not the Artillery model

Rick...I don't know. I have been doing a lot of research trying to figure this thing out. I see places that say magazines even had serial numbers on them that matched the pistols. I didn't know that so I never looked at it. I also read the inside of the grips have serial numbers.

Yep this shop will do a free 5 day hold on a gun. If I decide to buy it I can put it on a 90 day layaway for no charge also. They are asking $1700 for it. They also have a 1918 (or they did yesterday) that they are also asking $1700 for.
 
Yes, mags numbered to the gun are a possibility, depending on the model.
FWIW, I googled "1917 DWM matching", and found an ad for a gun, with one matching mag, that sold earlier this year for $1250.
 
Rick

I can't seem to find it. I did the same google and a place came up and they have a bunch of Lugers but none that are 1917
 
From the Standard Catalog of Luger (2006)
your 1917 gun is a 1914 model (produced 1914-18) aprox. 90,000 made in 1917.

grips should be checkered walnut, Original magazines (2) have a tin plated body and wooden base. They were proof marked and serial numbered to the pistol.

Pistol should have a deep rust blue with ejector, mag catch, take down lever, safety and trigger straw colored.

2006 book value for a VG example was $750. The correct period holster with the gun adds several hundred dollars to the value, but I can't tell you how much.

Lugers live in price bubbles, and a $750 gun 15 years ago could be a $1200 or $1500 gun today, sorry I don't keep up on the current market. A $1250 gun with a $400 holster would get you close to where they are asking, so would a 1500 gun and 200 holster..so I'm afraid I can't help much with current value.

Check auction sites and Luger collector sites for more current information on value. And at the auction sites, look at what the guns SOLD for, not the asking prices.

Finding a Luger with the original #'d magazines is extremely rare. All matching except for magazines is more common, but still rare, which is why they cost more. Finding a good condition gun WITH a proper period holster (not a reproduction) is uncommon, so it adds value as well.

$1700 for a good condition WW I Luger with holster isn't drastically out of line, these days. $1200 would be better, of course, but it's a seller's market.

I bought a 1936 that looked new, but was reblued (and not all matching) about 15 years or so ago, for $750. At the time, had the finish been original and all matching (other than mags) it would have been $2200 , or so the dealer said...:rolleyes:

Good Luck, I hope you find the information you're looking for.
 
As I recall, Lugers were issued with two magazines numbered to the gun, one the designated spare with a plus sign after the number. I saw one advertised that had kept the matching spare only.
 
44 Amp thanks for all the info. I am going to call them tomorrow and see about the numbers on the magazines. I didn’t know at the time that the mags had serial numbers too. They both have the wooden bottoms.

I kind of feel like I would love to pay less obviously but at the end of the day think that they will get harder to find and more pricey. If it is not currently worth the $1700 it will be shortly.

Thanks all for the replies and info
 
All Lugers were not issued with numbered magazines. some variants were, some weren't, according to my references the 1917 was.

It is very rare to find a Luger with both numbered magazines still with it. AND, unless there is documentation showing a reasonably valid chain of custody from the maker to the present owner, there is always the possibility of a "foreced match"

The "matching" numbered parts of a Luger only have the last 2 digits of the serial number, PLUS Luger serial number block are repeating, within production years, and so you can have 0001 -9999, then 0001a-9999a 0001b-...and so on
and the small parts will generally not have the letter suffix

so, for example, if gun #1234 is missing the sideplate, and you have gun # 6934 missing some other parts as well, people have taken the sideplate "34" and used it to "complete" an "all matching" gun. Looking at the gun, all small part numbers match the last 2 of the serial #, but are NOT all original parts to that gun. This is what we call a "force match".

If you do it on your gun, its your business. If you do it and claim all parts are original, to raise the value of the gun you are selling, its called fraud.

Even experts can be fooled, sometimes.
An all original gun is all matching #s but an all matching # gun might not be all original.
 
44 AMP

thanks for the extra information. Yeah I saw all the numbers on the parts were just the last 2 of the serial number. It was 7*58 and all the parts had the 58 on them. I can see how someone could take parts from another year with the 58 on them to force match the parts. The parts (again I am no expert) look to be the same condition as far as bluing / patina. I know it is really a shot in the dark at this point if it is worth the $1700 or not.
 
Back in a bygone era of print advertising, there was a little ad in the Shotgun News for a matching service for Lugers. I think their main, maybe only line was side plates. They had an inventory and they had a directory for swaps.
 
I got some pictures. Turns out that only the right handgrip had a number on it that looked like the gun’s number. The left we couldn’t find a number on. Color / wear was a match to the right. Also only one magazine had a number on it but looked like it was scratched in the side. Couldn’t find where the serial numbers should be on the magazines. I know on the metal bottom ones it is on the bottom
 
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