[Joe Demko]

A co-worker recently found a P-38 that his father brought back from WWII stored in a closet. His dad passed away several years ago and never told him anything about the gun. Here's a description of the gun:
Finish is good with a little holster wear.
Frame and slide are both marked 2658 and what looks like a lower case "t".
Slide is marked P-38 and "cyq".
Frame and slide both have several of the little eagle thingies stamped on them.
The metal finishing isn't good cosmetically. Lots of tool marks. Late war gun?
Grips are brown plastic, bore is bright and shiny w/ sharp rifling.
The gun is in a flap holster made from brown leather. Holster has a pouch for a second magazine, which is there. Also a tiny pouch for some small item (extra firing pin?) which isn't there.

What can you tell me about it? What is its approximate worth in today's market?

[Jim Watson]

"cyq" marking on a P-38 says it was made at Spreewerke in 1943-1945.

No doubt roughly machined, not only late war production, Spreewerke was an expansion plant and never made guns as good as Walther and Mauser were turning out at the same time.

SN 2658t because serial numbers were never more than four digits, they changed letters every 10,000 guns. Does that mean Spreewerke had made 202,658 P-38s by then? I dunno, but total production was over a million from three plants.

The little eagle thingies are Waffenampt acceptance marks by the German ordnance department.

Dollar value of some hundreds, look for similar guns on the auction and sale sites.

[Joe Demko]

Thanks very much , Jim.