Aquired in my uncles Will

[bryce61]

My uncle recently passed away, leaving his estate to my bro, sis and myself. He was a WW2 veteran and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. After the war, he returned with three German handguns which he placed in a closet and that's where they've been for 70 years or so. I wanted to know if any of these are considered "highly" collectable or just common war relics. Here they are.....

Walther P 38 w/ holster Sn's match on all parts. Marked AC above 43 (year) Serial number in the low 7000's with an H series.

Browning Hi Power w/holster. Markings seem to indicate 1943, but im not sure. Nazi symbols are where they should be. Don't know much more about this gun.


DUO 25cal. no leather. This is a CZ company but was taken over by Germany during the war. Has all markings as being made during the occupation.

All are in decent shape with no pitting and only slight surface rust on the DUO.
Any info would be helpful and appreciated. Thanks

Bryce

 

[jrdolall]

I can't tell you about your guns but I inherited a Japanese Type 26 revolver that was in a closet from 1947 until 2012. It is valued at about $1500 according to an appraiser in MO. In the top of a closet in GA for 65 years in a leather holster and no rust or pitting of any kind.

 

[Taroman]

Sad that another of the greatest generation has passed.
All these bringbacks are collectable.
Provenance adds even more.
If you can find the war trophy documentation on them.

 

[Deaf Smith]

Sad that another of the greatest generation has passed.
All these bringbacks are collectable.
Provenance adds even more.
If you can find the war trophy documentation on them.

I agree.Keep the guns and keep them in the family.

I have a 1941 stamped Beretta 1934 .380 with 'Royal Army' stamps and NO import marks.

Yes an Italian military pistol from WW2.

No doubt a WW2 bring back. Pity I don't know who the GI was nor the history of the pistol.

It was obviously well used (but well taken care of.)

Deaf

 

[DPris]

Top two are collector pieces, more so with accompanying holsters.

Value impossible to assign, condition matters.
Denis

 

[oldbear]

bryce, sorry to hear about your Uncles passing. Now congrats on the handguns. All I can offer is some VERY general guide lines.
1- assure all of these are unloaded.
2- clean the exterior of all of these.
3- wipe down with a silicon cloth.
4- store in a cool, dry, and safe location.
4- (a) there are several companies that make silicon treated storage bags, that work very well.
5- Not To Be a Wise guy here, but in this case Google is your friend, and will be an excellent resource.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Dave P]

Are they legal to own up there? Any registration issues??

 

[DPris]

And- don't store them in those holsters.
Denis

 

[jrdolall]

And- don't store them in those holsters.
Denis

I see this a lot and have never had a holster affect my guns. The Japanese revolver was in a holster for 65 years and is perfect. My Colt Trooper from the 60's has been in a leather holster every day since then and I have a Makarov that is in an original holster and has been for many years. None of these have any problems being stored in leather holsters. The Trooper has some holster wear. Until I got these guns they were not stored in a safe at all.

 

[DPris]

Up to you.
It can vary with humidity and leather type & tanning.
There are many who have seen finishes corrode quite noticeably from longterm storage in leather.

I don't risk it.
Denis

 

[Sunray]

My condolences on your loss.
Collector stuff is daft as if you ever wanted to sell one, you'd have to find a buyer who wants it. Neither of your's is particularly rare or valuable($500 plus depending on condition on the auction sites), but still have a following.
There's an old High Road post about Nazi BHP's with some good info.
http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-584584.html

 

[DPris]

In very good shape, with matching numbers & good-condition correct holster, I see the Hi-Powers going higher on Gunbroker.

A competent appraisal would be beneficial.
Denis

 

[bainter1212]

In very good shape, with matching numbers & good-condition correct holster, I see the Hi-Powers going higher on Gunbroker.

A competent appraisal would be beneficial.
Denis

Agreed.

If the Hi-Power is in excellent shape, with all the right eagles in place and a correct holster, collectors will pay good money.
Condition is key. There are still plenty of Nazi Hi-Powers around, most of them beat up.

 

[Normandy]

Nazi marked P38 with holster, if it's in 90% condition, can bring $800-900 retail.
The Browning Hi-Power with Nazi markings, in similar condition, about the same price.
The other pistol, I don't have a clue.

If I were you, I would try to get the Browning.

 

[paintballdude902]

I see this a lot and have never had a holster affect my guns. The Japanese revolver was in a holster for 65 years and is perfect. My Colt Trooper from the 60's has been in a leather holster every day since then and I have a Makarov that is in an original holster and has been for many years. None of these have any problems being stored in leather holsters. The Trooper has some holster wear. Until I got these guns they were not stored in a safe at all.

i have. in decent dry conditions i doubt you will have a problem. in the south near the coast its a bad idea. or if you have a closet that is also attached to a bathroom (high humidity) you will have rust. i moved my guns from my master closet to the spare bedroom because of the shower and poor ventilation.

before you say it, long term plan is a safe and dehumidifier. short term plan is to continue with trigger locks on the stored guns (got a young'in now) and continue to focus on saving money so we have a comfortable cushion before any large purchases. (other than the new duck gun i want but that going to paid with funds by getting rid of a few guns that im not a fan of.

 

[4v50 Gary]

If your aunt can find them, get the papers showing that he was authorized to bring them back as trophies of war. They stay with it. Get any pictures you can of him in uniform (and perhaps a few when he was older). These stay with the guns. If you can't get papers, get your aunt to sign and notarize a letter attesting that the guns (serial #s included) were trophies brought back by your uncle. You're establishing the provenance which makes it more valuable to your family. It puts a story behind those guns.

 

[short barrel]

I would keep them regardless of value. A war veteran left them to you. He thought a lot of you. I think he'd want you to keep them just like he did.

Sorry you lost him, and sorry another WWII vet is gone.

 

[jmace57]

I think Normandy is close. IMHO, the P-38 would be worth a little less, and the BHP a bit more. But, you never know. They are highly collectible.

 

[KenW.]

Don't you dare part with them. They are part of a legacy. I have my granddad's P-35. It'll be my son's one day.

 

[Gordon]

I'd put the P38 at 900 and the HP at $1100 around here, and they would sell for that in a month or less. Also there is no provision in NJ for possesion of inheritence I think. I would delete this post.

 

[bryce61]

I was told that. I looked for paperwork, but my uncle became somewhat of a hoarder in his older years and finding a specific piece of paper would have been futile.

 

[jrdolall]

i have. in decent dry conditions i doubt you will have a problem. in the south near the coast its a bad idea

The Japanese gun was in a closet in Georgia from 1947 until 2012. Now it is in my safe.
The Colt was a Mississippi LEO's gun that spent most of the time in a drawer in Alabama.
I don't doubt that holsters can cause problems but, in these instances, mine have stayed perfect.
I would get an appraisal for insurance purposes and then hold onto the guns. They are irreplaceable as heirlooms. You can probably get a good idea of their value by sending good pictures to an antique gun dealer. If you need the cash then you can probably sell them here on THR, to me

 

[Deaf Smith]

The tanning acids used by some holster makers is what can cause problems.

So as a rule I keep my guns out of the holsters when not in use.

Deaf

 

[JT-AR-MG42]

Sounds like some very nice handguns.
Capture/possession documents add to the value, but the two bringback 9mms with holsters
would sell quickly at good value should you and your family decide to move them.

Good advice not to store the oiled handguns in the leather.
Rust can form on the gun and the oil can definitely stain/weaken and discolor
both the leather and especially the unbleached thread used for the stitching.

Some of the rarer makers of the holsters - P.38 more so than the Hi-Power - can lead to almost double the value over the more common makers,
so it is best to keep from oiling them if possible.

Values.
Without seeing them, it is tough to put a price for either sale or insurance.
Hi-Power is most likely a fixed rear sight/wood grip pistol
with either no letter suffix or an italic 'a' suffix based on a 1943 holster date.
Waffenampts- inspection markings on it should be numbered 140 under a German 'stick eagle' clutching a swastika.

Look for that same '140' marking on the P.38 behind the serial number on the frame.
That serial number is in the top end range (IIRC) of '43 Walthers that used the FN produced frames,
and they were inspected and marked with FN's assigned inspection code of '140', as opposed to the '359' of Walthers in-house inspectors.

The FN frame 1943 Walthers do bring a higher value over a standard 1943.

Good luck with your family decisions,
JT

 

[cpt-t]

bryce61: That is amazeing, My Uncle left me a P-38 and Holster. And a DUO 25cal with no leather holster also. Both the DUO and P-38 are in very good condiction except the P-38`s serial numbers don`t all match. I have shot these two pistols alot ever since I was a kid. And the P-38 is really a good shooter. And the DUO 25cal you are right about it being a CZ, but it really shoots extremley well for the type of pistol it is. And it looks almost new. I am always on the look out for a box of 25cal shells for the little DUO 25cal. I find full boxes of 25cal ammo quite often at Estate Sales. I shoot both of these two Old Guns quite a bit. I agree with the other guys on here, I think we should keep Guns like these in the familly. But IMHO You need to shoot Your Uncle`s pistol`s, I think You will be susprised at the quality level of the pistol`s You have and just how well they function and how very well they will shoot. Plus Your Uncle will get a kick out of You enjoying His Treasures.
ken