What is this pistol worth...if anything?

[augustino]

pictures are excellent!

pictures are excellent! not sure why some aren't able to see them???

nice looking pistol. i just get a strange sort of feeling when i see stuff with the nazi signs and symbols on it. i guess the fact that my father, uncles, in fact most if not all males in my family that were of age at the time, fought against the nazis. in fact some never returned after the bulge, never found their remains.

so seeing the swastika or eagle with wings outstretched, just makes me feel strange.

 

[Alvinphatlady]

Thank you everyone for all the good research and information. I don't know what I want to do with the gun at this point. Part of me wants to keep it for posterity and part of me wants to see what I can get for it.

Oh well...decisions decisions.

 

[Owen Meany]

Alvinphatlady,

Nice Sauer. By the way, please do yourself and the gun a favor and do not "scrub it down" with a bronze brush or anything else.

 

[Dr.Rob]

Bronze won't take off the bluing, just the rust.

 

[Alvinphatlady]

Dr. Rob. I see that pistol on Simpson's went for $1,005 I'm surprised.
What is "bluing"?

 

[Alvinphatlady]

Can someone tell me what "bluing" is and why it's important to the value of a pistol?

 

[Telekinesis]

Bluing is the type of finish on the pistol. It is important to the value because it is a decent indicator of how much use and wear the pistol has seen and because better bluing makes for a prettier looking gun.

If that is just surface rust, you may be able to get it off with a little bit of gun oil on a rag and not have to worry about the bronze brush...

 

[Alvinphatlady]

Thanks for the info. It is just surface rust. I've had it under my mattress for a few months. It will probably come off with a rag. The gun seems to be in perfect condition. Nothing cracked or broken. Fires flawlessly. If I could get $1000 for it I would probably sell it....but I'm still in a quandry.

 

[Miterek]

You definitly have a Sauer 38h. The nice thing about these pistols is that the decocker lever, also cocks the gun into single action mode. I have a few myself, and there are different variations. Yours actually has markings and a safety, so it was probably made towards the beginning of the war. The eagle 37 is a Military issue mark. These Pistols are nice, but aren't that rare. I would really be suprised if you get $1000 for it. It is a nice example of a 38h though. BTW the H stands for Hammerless, and the 38 it the year the began making them..1938.
Matt