What is it?

[Johnny Peppers]

The five digit commercials were probably produced in the 1919/1920 time frame. Production of DWM Commercials was resumed around the 75,000 serial number range, and the horizontal C/U fits this time period. Early authors including Datig and Jones made the assumption that the five digit commercials were made from new parts and the letter suffix commercials were made from reworked military pistols. I have never seen an explaination of how they arrived at the 1923 date for these "new manufacture" pistols. Jan Still has a very interesting section of his "Weimar Lugers" devoted to the lastest information and thinking on this subject.

The largest part of the puzzle that is missing from the early authors thinking is that none of the DWM Commercials show up in the a thru h suffix range, but do show up in the i through s suffix range. Where did the military pistols in the a thru h suffix blocks go? The 1920 and 1921 dated DWM commercials show up in the ns, a, and b suffix blocks.

As the post war DWM Commercials approched the 100,000 serial number, it appears that DWM switched to the letter suffix military style numbering system rather than go to a six digit serial number. The letter suffix started in the i suffix block, right where it would have been had DWM started on day one on the Model 1900 using the number/letter serial numbering system on their commercial pistols.

One last thought on the theory that the 1920 Commercials were made from salvaged military pistols. Can you imagine the nightmare of trying to keep serial number records if the pistols used their old military serial numbers? Serial number records would have been a jumble of useless information.