Luger buying
 

As a watchmaker, I’ve picked up on some great authenticity tips for original correctly age blueing effects but direct lighting my early straw37 shows a still nicely blued original remaining barrel. Then taking a higher lumin small hand held flashlight 🔦 pointed away at a correct angle the root beer effect of ghosting of aging underlying rusting showing up after 80 years . A newly blued barrel would not “ Root Beer ghost like this . Also ( the slide on my AC41 shows it off well too)

Yes, the numbered parts on Commercial Lugers are less visibly numbered--tucked underneath, behind, and on the bottoms and backsides. Theoretically, everything would have been numbered as expected, but parts like the firing pin or grips weren't marked. Their mag bottoms should not be marked--yours looks correct.

Yes snap this up.. like yesterday!

About alphabet Lugers... During the transition period wherein DWM morphed into Mauser, post WW1 commercial Lugers were made with serial numbers consisting of a four number prefix and a one letter suffix. The letter suffixes on those Weimar commercial Lugers came to be known (informally) as the "alphabet series".

The one you are looking at appears to be 5395a. If so then the "a" pistols were allegedly made in 1920. There is a chart many people use to identify manufacturing dates for alphabet Lugers that I am unable to copy for you. Maybe someone here can provide that.

By contrast I have a Weimar alphabet Luger like the one you're looking at with a "r" suffix, indicating 1928 manufacture. They got to the "y" suffix in 1930, and after that DWM became Mauser, or so I deduce. I think I have all that correct but am happy to be corrected if anyone knows better.

I hope you bought it for $800 as that is a very good price.
-Bob

The chart I like is from Jan C Still's Weimar Lugers book, page 15.

Thanks - this was very helpful. I see the letter an the one above 'o', but....they called me last night and told me they had a mistake inventorying the gun, and it is not $800 but $1,800 (I had it on hold due to being so late the other day I was there).

Given the new $1,800 tag, I do not believe this is good deal anymore - looks like commercials in that condition go for $1,300-1,400 from my research on GB?

A more general question - what is the general premium on military over commercials from WW1 / post WW1 era (in alike condition)?

I always thought the military command 50-100% premium (more on the higher quality end, of course). Is this in the ballpark, of am I off? (I can be, again a newby in the Lugers, I have a good collection of S&W, Colts and High Standards but only 2 Lugers).

Cheers!
Slav

Thank you, Mac! The below chart is super helpful! I printed it out to have it handy in my Lugers folder!

That's the chart I was referring to. Thanks Mac for supplying it.

Nobody has mentioned what the pistol is chambered in. If it's .30 Luger, the ammo is fairly expensive and intermittently scarce unless you reload. This expense/inconvenience might justify the lower offer.

Yes, it is the 30 Luger (typical for the commercials as we know), and yes last time I paid $42 for a 50 round box to shoot the commercial Luger I already have. Definitely a negative factor, but given the price went up from 800 to 1,800 I doubt I will able to close that deal with them. I think they want to put it on GB, this is what I overheard while I was in the store - it was sitting on the desk of the guy who does their Gb postings and the manager I talked to just made the call to let me put it on hold under my name…they may have I realized $800 was too low, and just want to get more…(is my assumption). What would a fair price be for a commercial like that? I bought mine for $800 a year ago but in slightly worst condition - mostly mine is not all matching (the side plate)…

FWIW, my .30 caliber 1928 DWM looks to be in about the same condition as the one you were looking at. I bought it off GB last year and it was $1,078 after tax and shipping.

Yep, the recent comps of sold on GB indicated 1,200-1,300 for a commercial in alike condition. I doubt they can get $1,800 but who k nows…$800 would have indeed been a great price but I guess not this time…