Hi Rick,

I had a hunch I might find you here.
Congrats on this fine piece of history that is now in your hand.
Pictures of the chamber markings would be very helpful.

Russ

There are no chamber markings present on my Luger; only the DWM marking on the toggle. What is the significance of this?

Only that it was probably not originally intended for export to the USA.
dju

Is there a GERMANY stamp under the serial number on the frame?

--Dwight

Dwight,
There is no Germany stamp on the frame.

There are many Old Model commercials (no chamber stamp) with a GERMANY export mark. This is what indicates an export to the US, not the presence or absence of an American Eagle chamber stamp. This does indeed indicate that your gun was not origianlly a USA-marketed export. No accounting for how it ended up here.

--Dwight

Attached are some additional photos. This Luger may be going to auction in the near future. Potentially, I may post it in the classified section here.

Rick,
You have what appears to be a relatively nice 1900 Commercial Luger that was not marked for distribution to the American market and has a home made magazine base.
It would be a nice approach for you to determine an asking price with which you are comfortable and allow forum members a chance to acquire your Luger. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
Ron

Apologies on bringing a thread back from the dead....sale of this particular model 1900 did not go through years ago. I have attached some better photos of the commercial example.

You should be glad you still have that. Looks like a nice one.

Thanks! Yes, I am quite glad to still have this one.

UPDATE: I have decided to sell the early 1900 commercial DWM Luger that was not destined for export. Really would like to see it go to a collector that focuses on acquiring early models. The pistol can be viewed on Legacy Collectibles. Many excellent photos are provided. The asking price is quite reasonable considering condition and scarcity of the pistol. Overall condition is a solid 85% with all matching parts. The only nuiance is the magazine base.

You may want to ask Legacy to provide a closeup view of the left side of the pistol with the safety lever in the "up" position, as the area under that lever (on Old Model Lugers) is crucial for a potential buyer deciding whether the pistol has its original finish. Legacy should know that by now.