I was at the Sharonville OH gunshow today and saw what was either the sneakiest 84yr old ever or a very rare firearm. Guy strolled up to the table and has an old leather holster. He pulls out a beautiful nickel plated german luger. He goes on to tell the story of taking it from a german officer that he killed in 1944 and has had it since, never shot it. It is nearly flawless with checkered wood grips and a very nice leather holster. All original german markings including swastika and no import or other markings. After that I witness a couple of people offer him anywhere from $400 to $700 for the piece. He didn't have any idea of the value and his logic was that he's 84 and could use the money more than the old gun. Gladly he turned down all offers and I caught up with him later. I told him to seek out a reputable collector or expert to get a decent value. I gave my advice that until he learns it's value from someone not trying to buy it, not to sell it for any amount of money.
Gunshow luger
- Thread starter pmbiker
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stans
Member
A beautiful nickel plated WW II Nazi marked Luger? Probably not the original finish. I don't think any Luger produced in Germany came with anything other than a blued finish.
The Luger was in all likelyhood brought back by the man who was offering it for sale.
As for the claim that was the way he found it,,,,errrr I doubt it.
Remember that most Servicemen of the time came home on ships, with their gear and personal effects stuffed into less than optimum condition bottom holds.
Many of the bringback guns were rusted from this and subsequent negligent treatment after the G.I.s got them home.
In the 1950s and 1960s there was a near cottage industry of gunsmiths who refinished these bring back weapons.
Many of the guns were pitted from rust and nickleplateing helped hide the now less than perfect surface metal.
Who knew at the time that these guns would in some cases be worth many thousands of dollars?
Today there is a near cottage industry of gunsmiths who spend their time restoring these old guns to their original type conditions.
$400-$700 would be about right for the gun in its present condition.
The holster, spare magazine, loading tool and bring back papers could be worth many hundred dollars more though.
As for the claim that was the way he found it,,,,errrr I doubt it.
Remember that most Servicemen of the time came home on ships, with their gear and personal effects stuffed into less than optimum condition bottom holds.
Many of the bringback guns were rusted from this and subsequent negligent treatment after the G.I.s got them home.
In the 1950s and 1960s there was a near cottage industry of gunsmiths who refinished these bring back weapons.
Many of the guns were pitted from rust and nickleplateing helped hide the now less than perfect surface metal.
Who knew at the time that these guns would in some cases be worth many thousands of dollars?
Today there is a near cottage industry of gunsmiths who spend their time restoring these old guns to their original type conditions.
$400-$700 would be about right for the gun in its present condition.
The holster, spare magazine, loading tool and bring back papers could be worth many hundred dollars more though.
The Luger was a favorite "bring back" gun. After the war, they sold for all of $15, when the P.38 was bringing only $5 or $10. It is safe to say that NO German issue Luger was ever plated. Quite a few ex-GI's had theirs plated, though, and Franzite sold a whole lot of "ivory", "stag", and "pearl" grips.
Jim
Jim
Yeah, I guess that a German Officer at that time wouldn't have a gun customized, it wasn't until recently that anyone ever thought about customizing guns 
.
Hey, the guy is old, most likely a veteran (maybe, maybe not, he could be lying) and if so then he could have well gotten it in that condition like he said. Before you call a man a liar, prove it first.
Him just not taking the offers given to him for the gun says more to me then what others have posted. If he was wanting to rip someone off, he would have taken the $700 (or greatest offer) and high tailed it home with the cash.
Wayne
.Hey, the guy is old, most likely a veteran (maybe, maybe not, he could be lying) and if so then he could have well gotten it in that condition like he said. Before you call a man a liar, prove it first.
Him just not taking the offers given to him for the gun says more to me then what others have posted. If he was wanting to rip someone off, he would have taken the $700 (or greatest offer) and high tailed it home with the cash.
Wayne
alamo
Member
I don't think there has ever been a Luger bring back story that doesn't contain the words "...got it off a dead German officer". Surely one or two of them were picked up under other circumstances. A captured live German officer? At captured base or arms depot? Naw...
Lone_Gunman
Member
USP45usp,
Now how would anyone prove the story?
All we can really go on is that as far as anyone knows, no Luger with factory nickel plating was ever produced.
While it is true that a German officer might have had his gun customized, I wonder how much customization was going on commercially in Germany during WWII. Nickel would have been a scarce commodity and rationed.
What are the chances it was nickel plated in Germany, versus the chances it was nickel plated in the USA?
Even if it was custom nickel plated in Germany, this would still lessen its value now as a collectible.
My experience has been to take with a grain of salt any story that is told about an old gun by the seller. Chances are, it is all embellishment.
Now how would anyone prove the story?
All we can really go on is that as far as anyone knows, no Luger with factory nickel plating was ever produced.
While it is true that a German officer might have had his gun customized, I wonder how much customization was going on commercially in Germany during WWII. Nickel would have been a scarce commodity and rationed.
What are the chances it was nickel plated in Germany, versus the chances it was nickel plated in the USA?
Even if it was custom nickel plated in Germany, this would still lessen its value now as a collectible.
My experience has been to take with a grain of salt any story that is told about an old gun by the seller. Chances are, it is all embellishment.
I cannot speak of that particular person, but I can tell you one thing. The men who fought in WWII were undoubtedly heros (or at least many were), but I can state without equivocation that as a group they were the damnedest liars I ever knew. In 1945 and 1946, when they came home, I was a kid of 12-13, but even then I knew a fair amount about guns. And I heard all the stories about how "I took it off a German officer" (sometimes a Field Marshal, or Hermann Goering, or even Hitler himself). It seemed to me that the German Army lost because they had no privates, only generals and Field Marshals.
I heard all the fantastic stories, many of them from guys who had never been out of the states, or never anywhere near combat. I learned to "read a chest" (for some time, discharged vets wore their uniforms, since civvie clothing was in short supply) and could pretty well tell the guys who had "seen the elephant." But even genuine heros could rarely resist bragging and embroidering their stories.
The favorite story seemed to be the "they could use our ammo in their guns, but we couldn't use our ammo in their guns", or the exact reverse. Another was that the Luger was either (take your pick) "more powerful than the .45" or "a popgun compared to our .45." Et cetera.
Jim
I heard all the fantastic stories, many of them from guys who had never been out of the states, or never anywhere near combat. I learned to "read a chest" (for some time, discharged vets wore their uniforms, since civvie clothing was in short supply) and could pretty well tell the guys who had "seen the elephant." But even genuine heros could rarely resist bragging and embroidering their stories.
The favorite story seemed to be the "they could use our ammo in their guns, but we couldn't use our ammo in their guns", or the exact reverse. Another was that the Luger was either (take your pick) "more powerful than the .45" or "a popgun compared to our .45." Et cetera.
Jim
unspellable
Member
Nickle plated Lugers
I have never heard of an authentic case of a Luger being nickle or chrome plated anywhere prior to the end of WWII. Many GI's in Germany after the war picked up Lugers and had them nickle plated while still in Germany. There was a small industry for this.
It was mostly non-coms who were packing Lugers during the war. It was a second line issue in WWII as the P38 was the primary issue. Officers tended to carry smaller pistols for dress rather than the service sized pistol for real work. They had some freedom as they were expected to buy their own side arm. Not that no officer ever carried a Luger. In WWI a non-com on being promoted to the commisioned ranks was allowed to buy his Luger.
Besides, it can't be Goering's. I have his pistol at home in my desk drawer.
I have never heard of an authentic case of a Luger being nickle or chrome plated anywhere prior to the end of WWII. Many GI's in Germany after the war picked up Lugers and had them nickle plated while still in Germany. There was a small industry for this.
It was mostly non-coms who were packing Lugers during the war. It was a second line issue in WWII as the P38 was the primary issue. Officers tended to carry smaller pistols for dress rather than the service sized pistol for real work. They had some freedom as they were expected to buy their own side arm. Not that no officer ever carried a Luger. In WWI a non-com on being promoted to the commisioned ranks was allowed to buy his Luger.
Besides, it can't be Goering's. I have his pistol at home in my desk drawer.
straightShot
Member
Jim Keenan:
They weren't all liars. Heck, my dad was in the Pacific and never talked about it. But then, again, he did say that the Japs didn't want to be there any more than he did.
When he was in and out of it on his deathbed, I finally asked a question or two. I asked him what he carried, and he said that he was issued an M1 carbine, but it wasn't a very good gun, so he carried a Thompson instead. He said that it had knockdown power.
I wish that I would have asked him about the New Guinea, the Battle of Biak, etc., but I never did. We never even sent away for his medals until he was gone. He just never talked about any of it.
I'm not sure about the custom chopsticks that I have, or where they came from. I do know that the Jap rifles that he sent home were assembled after they blew up a Jap munitions dump, he saw Joey Bishop perform, and the Japs came on ambush at night, but that's it...
They weren't all liars. Heck, my dad was in the Pacific and never talked about it. But then, again, he did say that the Japs didn't want to be there any more than he did.
When he was in and out of it on his deathbed, I finally asked a question or two. I asked him what he carried, and he said that he was issued an M1 carbine, but it wasn't a very good gun, so he carried a Thompson instead. He said that it had knockdown power.
I wish that I would have asked him about the New Guinea, the Battle of Biak, etc., but I never did. We never even sent away for his medals until he was gone. He just never talked about any of it.
I'm not sure about the custom chopsticks that I have, or where they came from. I do know that the Jap rifles that he sent home were assembled after they blew up a Jap munitions dump, he saw Joey Bishop perform, and the Japs came on ambush at night, but that's it...
Hemi Magnum
Member.
- Joined
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Even if the story is true, why would an 84 yr old Veteran want to sell his war trophy from 1944?
One of the true signs of accepting your imminent mortality is the conscious decision to part with items that are of value to you. The stuff that doesn't matter you don't care who gets. This is also a rational act of control in that you determine where your items go while you still retain the capacity to make the decision to part with them. This getting old ain't no deal. Good to hear from you, Unspellable.
rk
rk
JMLV
Member
I happen to own one of those nickle Lugers and the story i got from the fellows on
the Luger forum is this: after the war in the 50's and 60's lugers were very common ans cheap almost a glut on the market. many dealers in order to try something new had them nickle plated to effect sales. they did this to p38s as well. All they basicly did was ruin a lot of excellent collectables. My Luger is a 1941 nazi proofed with all matching numbers and an origional magazine.
the gun cost me $350 about 5 years ago it did come with an origional holster which I sold for $75 by itsself. The gun makes an excellent shooter and I love it with no plans to sell it. But it is in no way origional there were no nickle lugers issued in germany at least according to the knowledgable collectors on the Luger firum.
Jim L
the Luger forum is this: after the war in the 50's and 60's lugers were very common ans cheap almost a glut on the market. many dealers in order to try something new had them nickle plated to effect sales. they did this to p38s as well. All they basicly did was ruin a lot of excellent collectables. My Luger is a 1941 nazi proofed with all matching numbers and an origional magazine.
the gun cost me $350 about 5 years ago it did come with an origional holster which I sold for $75 by itsself. The gun makes an excellent shooter and I love it with no plans to sell it. But it is in no way origional there were no nickle lugers issued in germany at least according to the knowledgable collectors on the Luger firum.
Jim L
The Luger was never fully replaced in frontline German service (kind of like the MG34 machine gun) and many saw frontline service right up till the end of the war.
Senior officers preferred the PP, PPK etc generally.
Both the Luger and P38 were issued right up till the end, though they stopped making the Luger midwar, there were several million around, so most were still in combat right up till the end.
Senior officers preferred the PP, PPK etc generally.
Both the Luger and P38 were issued right up till the end, though they stopped making the Luger midwar, there were several million around, so most were still in combat right up till the end.
Joe Demko
Member
I have a P-38 in my possession that the returning vet said he "liberated" from an arms factory they captured/occupied. Apparently lots of guys in his unit did the same. It is marked Spreewerke. Since I got the story second hand from his son, the old fella being deceased, I can't ask any questions to verify whether they actually captured the Spreewerke factory or perhaps a depot or armory of some kind, instead. IAC, here is at least one pistol that wasn't taken off a dead anything.
I could believe the capture story but it has been refinished. No German P08s were nickeled. At least two presentation Lugers were silver plated (one was flawed and another was made to replace it) that I know about, maybe more, but no nickeled Lugers. Very common fashion in 1950s and 1960s to nickel the old war trophies. Too bad.
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