Info wanted on WWII era Stosel #1 in .25 cal., PIX ADDED

[J-Bar]

A friend has inherited a war trophy from WW II, liberated by his grandfather.

It is a palm-sized .25 caliber semi auto marked "Stosel No.1 Patent" on the left side of the slide. There are proof and/or inspection marks on the slide and frame immediately underneath the above marking. It was reportedly taken off a German officer in battle. The pistol is in good condition, with no rust or corrosion visible but little bluing. There are 5 rounds in the magazine that were there when it was captured in battle...the gun has not been fired since then.

Any information about the history of this gun and speculation on its value would be appreciated. The present owner says he is not interested in selling at this time but wants to get an idea of the value for insurance purposes.

Thanks for any info you can provide. A link to proof markings or inspection marks on German/Spanish guns for that time period would be a real bonus!

edit: Pix added. Looks like the proof marks on the slide, frame and barrel are Belgian smokeless proofs. .22 LR cartridge for comparison.

Thanks for the responses so far.

 

[MikeJackmin]

I did a google search on the phrase "Stosel 6.35" (6.35 being the European designation for .25acp). This result offers some price guidance:

http://books.google.com/books?id=WM...a=X&ei=qr_sUKfaFIfn0gG3poHQCA&ved=0CDoQ6AEwAQ

I have no personal opinion as to how realistic that price is.

 

[Jim K]

More info here:

http://unblinkingeye.com/Guns/Ruby/ruby.html

Scroll about half-way down.

Jim

 

[bannockburn]

I found two references to it in Janes Guns. One was under the name Stosel, showing it to be a pistol made by Retolaza in 6.35 and 7.65 caliber. The other listing is by the name Patent and only indicates that it was a pistol in 6.35 caliber and that it was made in Spain.

 

[Giterboosted]

Looks strikingly similar to my Astra firecat