Interesting Chamber Engraving...
 

You know.....those guys take darn good photos.

yes, I am looking for a new digital camera, but MUST take good close ups.

Thoughts?

Ed, When I looked two years ago the Nikon's took the best digital closeups. I get good perfomance from mine and it is a "coolpix" version.

I cannot however get it to go out of focus in precise areas like the Phoenix arms folks. Also I think someone needs to explain to them the difference between relieved and unrelieved frames for their photos.

I believe this Luger is Tom Heller's personal carry weapon. And I believe Pete posts these links just to wake us up in the morning.

THanks Pete!

This is the personal sidearm of Adolf's little known twin brother, Tyrone. He moved to Paris and became a Can-Can dancer. ;)

Has anybody enquired on the price?

I Believe 531 is the highest serial number I have heard of still having an unrelieved frame.

Hi Heinz,

I just thought the engraving work was worth looking over...not sure if I buy the 100 year old story about when the engraving was done... ;)

Wonder if this one had the little Swiss cross on the side of the barrel...?

Regards,

Pete...:typing:

Pete,

I've looked at the photos pretty carefully and haven't seen a Swiss cross. It is adjacent to a group of serial# without them.

Ron,

I have recorded BUG-proofed Swiss Commercial #725 with an unrelieved frame.

--Dwight

Hi Dwight,

See your PM's about the photos...

Pete...

Pete, I appreciate the effort you put fforth in searching the WEB and keeping us posted.

The engraving is interesting but it has the look more of an English Jeweler's work than a German gun engraver. It is also interesting how Phoenix has a constant supply of these rarities. Not even Ralph Shattuck can keep up with them.

AND a sincere thanks to Pete, he is better than Google.

POR must mean "Piece of Rework"...:rolleyes:

But in defense of the seller, at least the word "Original" is not used when describing the gun's remaning % blue and straw...

Pete...:typing:

Pete & Ed, I wish that this beautiful recreation had been done for me or that I was capable of doing this kind of work. Had I been putting my initials on the chamber, I don't think that I would have added the "diamond thingee" to the right of the "T" shaft. This makes me question if the initial are actually "TH". I just wonder what shape this pistol was in before they decided to make it into a "presentation piece". TH

Another presentation piece (offered by PIA/WOL) with chamber engraving that looks like it was done by the same craftsperson :

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...?Item=34287522

(Photos taken off of Gun-Broker and not the copyrighted PIA site...but of course...I have those too...)

http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload/fantasy_1.jpg
http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload/fantasy_2.jpg
http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload/fantasy_3.jpg

The link which Pete provides at the beginning of this topic leads to a 'Presentation' Luger pistol which is very, very suspicious indeed. Allow me to point out the 'dead give-away'. How can a M1900 presentation Luger (from a commercial model) have the serial number on the right side of the take-down lever and magazine relaease button which is usually seen on military Lugers? I have never seen a M1900 Presentation Luger (with gold chamber markings/initials) with the serial numbers on the locations which I have mentioned.

Albert

hi Albert
may be it's take on the swiss contrat the unrelieved frame meat that no ?
an go to the commercial proof ?
you are suspicious
best regards
jean-marie

In my opinion this is in fact an M1900 and it is a presentation model but the two never took place at the same time. The price is listed just above the last photo as $12,500. I think I need to get a few of mine made into presentation models and unload them at PIA.
Pete, I don't think that the same engraver did both of them, note the champhering around the edges of the letters in the second one, the CR letters, that style is not evident in the M1900 photos.

Herb,

I think the other photo on the copy-protected web site of the "Tom Heller" or the otherwise named "Tommy Hitler" presentation M1900 (photo of the chamber shot from the side) does show the same type of chamfer...but maybe not as deep.

From the stylized engraving and the nicely done refinish...I would bet it was done by the same craftsman...but this is just a WAG...

Pete, you may be correct, there are some similarities in the 'line' presentations on both of them plus the use of the diamond style, what stuck out was the style of champhering, perhaps a difference in the cost of the work? The color of the inlay in pretty much the same.

These "presentation" pieces are certainly coming out of the wood work...

This is the one that surfaced at Reno and then the RIA auction about a year ago...same seller...

http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload...er_2_large.jpg

http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload...ts_luger_1.jpg

When the word 'craftsman' is mentioned, what does this all mean? The answer is simple - the pistol is wrong.

Jean-Marie, you will never see (in the right/correct world) a GENUINE M1900 Presentation Luger with serial number locations placed in the same way as an early military Luger. Your early M1900 Swiss Military Luger is correct, but it makes no sense that the DWM factory would take a military Luger and make it into a presentation. If you wish to know the configuration of a M1900 Presentation, it would be similar to the M1900 Commercial with a chamber engraving and the polishing would be slightly better. Lastly, the chamber engraving would not be as deep as shown in the pistols above.

To give you an example, I examined about 6-7 years ago in Germany a cased M1900 Presentation Luger which was offered to Prince Franz Josef before he became King of Austria, and this near mint Luger was correctly numbered in the commercial manner. Interestingly, the pistol did not have a 'GL' hallmark which I am sure many other collectors would want to see on a presentation Luger. In my opinion, a prince who ordered or received a Luger from DWM would not necessarily receive a Luger with a 'GL' hallmark. If presidents of foreign countries did not receive Lugers with the 'GL' hallmark, why should a prince?

Albert