Help with this Luger
- Thread starter oldcolts
- Start date
I'm no expert, but it looks like hardly used and numbers match. For an expert opinion you might give the guys at Simpsons Collectibles a call, they specialize in Lugers.
http://www.simpsonltd.com/index.php?cPath=179&osCsid=a5327ded18b45ee253ebecc2a2a8b000
http://www.simpsonltd.com/index.php?cPath=179&osCsid=a5327ded18b45ee253ebecc2a2a8b000
Emerson Biggies
New member
Can't believe the magazine even matches. Fine looking machine. I'd guess $1500-$1800?
2ndsojourn
New member
You didn't say how much they're asking for it but it looks real nice. Numbers match, 1940, Waffenstamps, etc.
The gun appears to be in great condition, with matching numbers, including the magazine (which is very rare and adds to the value)
It appears to be a Mauser Banner, Police variant, but I couldn't see the proofmarks and acceptance stamps clearly enough to be sure. And in determining which specific variant, the markings are critical.
IF it is the model I suspect, the standard catalog of Luger (2003) lists a VG specimen at $2,250. Excellent @ $3000. I don't know what the going price would be today, sorry.
Very nice pistol, if you do get it, I would recommend not shooting it. Its in great shape, all matching including the mag, that makes it a "primo" collector's piece.
Shooting it will not harm the collector's value, in this case, as there are no, "unfired" Lugers from this era. However, I still would recommend against shooting it, because, a single broken part can turn a $3000 Luger into a $1500 Luger instantly. Or worse. Breakage of minor parts isn't common, but the guns are getting old, and stuff does happen. Even if it is a non ser# part, a replacement means the gun is no longer completely original, and its value drops, radically.
There are Luger forums, experts there should be able to do a better job identifying it, and giving you a current value. Good Luck!
I can tell you that while we have no idea of where the gun actually was carried, that Luger was not made for military use. Guns made under contract for military sale have an S/42 marking on the toggle. (a code, not a date)
It appears to be a Mauser Banner, Police variant, but I couldn't see the proofmarks and acceptance stamps clearly enough to be sure. And in determining which specific variant, the markings are critical.
IF it is the model I suspect, the standard catalog of Luger (2003) lists a VG specimen at $2,250. Excellent @ $3000. I don't know what the going price would be today, sorry.
Very nice pistol, if you do get it, I would recommend not shooting it. Its in great shape, all matching including the mag, that makes it a "primo" collector's piece.
Shooting it will not harm the collector's value, in this case, as there are no, "unfired" Lugers from this era. However, I still would recommend against shooting it, because, a single broken part can turn a $3000 Luger into a $1500 Luger instantly. Or worse. Breakage of minor parts isn't common, but the guns are getting old, and stuff does happen. Even if it is a non ser# part, a replacement means the gun is no longer completely original, and its value drops, radically.
There are Luger forums, experts there should be able to do a better job identifying it, and giving you a current value. Good Luck!
I can tell you that while we have no idea of where the gun actually was carried, that Luger was not made for military use. Guns made under contract for military sale have an S/42 marking on the toggle. (a code, not a date)
Looks very nice, and if its in great shape with all matching numbers it's a rarity. I wouldn't shoot it either (meaning I wouldn't be interested, Lugers are fun to shoot 
), but if you're a collector it's a nice piece. By the way it's popular to claim "refinish!", but it's nearly impossible to say from tiny jpegs, and it hardly matters except maybe to collectors, and therefore to the upper end of the price range. But it's worth what the seller can get for it, and to you it's worth what you are willing to pay for it.
), but if you're a collector it's a nice piece. By the way it's popular to claim "refinish!", but it's nearly impossible to say from tiny jpegs, and it hardly matters except maybe to collectors, and therefore to the upper end of the price range. But it's worth what the seller can get for it, and to you it's worth what you are willing to pay for it.I'm seeing nothing that suggests a refinish. Quite the opposite, but still hard to say. Whether a refinish matters depends what they are asking. $700, no. $1700, yes. This is why I discourage folks from buying Lugers from the Net unless they know exactly what they are doing. Nothing beats inspecting a Luger in person.
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The pictures are very poor, but there appear to be some oddities about that pistol. The numbers on the rear toggle are of the wrong size and the Mauser banner looks odd. Plus the Mauser marking doesn't jibe with the WaA 655 marking; the Banner was not used on military contract pistols (which in 1940 should have been code stamped "42"), and a commercial pistol would not have been stamped by a military inspector.
Again, I can't tell much more but that alone would cause me to ask questions and cast doubt on the gun. And when a substantial amount of money is involved, there should be no doubt, especially with a gun as commonly faked as a Luger.
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I had another look and see that, as RickB noted, the receiver appears to be a reddish color, different from the other parts; it is not impossible that the color is original, but to me it indicates a re-blue job.
Would it be possible for the OP to provide better pictures, or at least ones taken with better lighting?
Jim
Again, I can't tell much more but that alone would cause me to ask questions and cast doubt on the gun. And when a substantial amount of money is involved, there should be no doubt, especially with a gun as commonly faked as a Luger.
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I had another look and see that, as RickB noted, the receiver appears to be a reddish color, different from the other parts; it is not impossible that the color is original, but to me it indicates a re-blue job.
Would it be possible for the OP to provide better pictures, or at least ones taken with better lighting?
Jim
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BTW, maybe its just the lighting but I'm seeing what appear to be halos around some of the stamps which you will not see with a re-blue. The gun should be inspected in person. If they want $700 or $800 its fine, but for top dollar you need to be sure.
I would add that some of the top experts will admit to having been burned buying Lugers from the Net.
I would add that some of the top experts will admit to having been burned buying Lugers from the Net.
Wow Que, from your first comments, I was ready to make an offer but with your last, comment, I am getting cold feet. I hate to be screwed and I probably wouldn't know for sure even if I saw it in person. I am hoping for an answer that I can trust as to how it got to this country.
thanks.
thanks.
The bluing doesn't match well, the "Banner" is a real oddity, and some of the number styles don't match. To my eye it just looks too good and clean. With all these questions/concerns above, I would definitely not pay top dollar, especially on a 'no-touchy' internet sale. The seller might be insulted with an offer of $1000-1200, but without some rock-solid ability to return it, I would let it go.
There is no shortage of nice, collectible Lugers. Gunshows are full of them, and you can be choosy and shop around. Don't be pushed into buying one you're not comfortable with. Don't listen to what a dealer might say, Lugers are not rare or scarce. They don't seem to fit the supply/demand model well, but there are tons of really nice ones out there.
There is no shortage of nice, collectible Lugers. Gunshows are full of them, and you can be choosy and shop around. Don't be pushed into buying one you're not comfortable with. Don't listen to what a dealer might say, Lugers are not rare or scarce. They don't seem to fit the supply/demand model well, but there are tons of really nice ones out there.
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It behooves anyone who is into collecting Lugers to be darned sure he knows what he is looking at or he will spend a lot of money and get shooters. I guess I have a half dozen books on the Luger, including the three-volume set by Görtz and Sturgess. Plus I have seen, handled and repaired hundreds of Lugers of all vintages, including some pretty rare one (which I didn't own, unfortunately).
The first Luger I saw sold went for $10; my first cost me $35. One frustrating experience is reading or hearing some cockamamie theory from an "expert" about what some marking means or how the gun works when I know the guy is full of ... well, strudel.
Jim
The first Luger I saw sold went for $10; my first cost me $35. One frustrating experience is reading or hearing some cockamamie theory from an "expert" about what some marking means or how the gun works when I know the guy is full of ... well, strudel.
Jim
FilthyHarry
Moderator
How much?
How much?
H o w
Much?
How much?
H o w
Much?