Any Luger Collectors here?

[Kurac]

A customer of mine showed me his Luger today along with a flintlock he brought back from WWII

Luger Specifics

1937 Date stamp
Standard length barrel 4" or 5"
Serial# 5036 stamped on all major parts, all minor parts have just the 36 single included magazine has same serial number as gun

Mint Walnut grips

and the kicker

It looks like it is factory nickle plated, I wish I had my camera with me, he has been storing it for the last 60 years in the holster he got it in which is clearly marked P-38 on the back with a bunch of stampings including an eagle holding some kind of a wreath with a swastika in the center.

Any idea on value of the package, I think I might try to buy it from him.

 

[jdomin]

sorry to say never nickle plated.you might try the p 38 forum those guys really know their stuff http://forum.lugerforum.com/index.php?s=

 

[Trebor]

A lot of "war trophy" pistols were nickel plated in Germany right after the war. It could be done very cheaply then and was a popular thing to do to a trophy. Unfortunately, it does lower the value of the gun today.

 

[Kurac]

My customer says a German officer surrendered the piece and it was already nickel, maybe it was a civilian gun pressed into military service. My customer thinks maybe it was some kind of an award pistol, kind of how they gave out daggers. Of course he has no proof.

 

[Jim Watson]

Don't buy the story, buy the gun... or not.
Nickel plating is not a European style and the John Walter book does not even have a picture of a nickel plated Luger. Nice one in gold, though.

 

[Kurac]

Its always a good thing to ask before buying. I have the S&W thing down but anything else gets me a little uneasy

 

[Trebor]

The German officer could have had the gun nickeled before or during the war as well. I doubt it came that way from the factory, but the GI's story could be true that it was like that when he got it from the German. (Or, he could be remembering wrong. It does happen.)

 

[Bill73]

Here is a Luger, dated 1918, that was brought back from North Africa after WWII. The Major lived two blocks from us when I was growing up. He cut his .45 holster so the Luger would fit. It was made for the Prussian Police originally and I guess called into military service in WWII. It has the original two mags with the serial # stamped in the wood base, one marked #1 and the other #2. He and my older brother were shooting buddies and traded guns straight up one session. My brother didn't collect as I, so he gave it to me on a birthday a few years back. The Maj. re-upped in the AF and retired as a Lt. Col. He was a crusty fellow.

 

[Deles136]

I have a Luger and I have a P-38. Two different pistols, both made in Germany. Luger is wonderful design but the P-38 works much better in combat. The P-08 Luger was the official service pistol for the German army until about 1940 and then the P-38 took it's place.