Younger collector in need of some help.
 

Hello all,

I am new to Lugers and there history I have been eager to purchase a luger but there prices are so high. I am about to pull the trigger and purchase a 1940 s/42 marked pistol all matching minus the magazine finish looks original with holster wear on the barrel. All numbers match but one thing those me off on the back side of the frame there are a set of numbers starting with I don't have a picture of that. The walnut grips have a nice fit and they also look original. The guy who works at a gun shop also my friend is holding it for me until I can find out more information. From the pictures I took and the information I have would you guys see this pistol being worth 1900$? All eagles and swatzikas are present no pean outs. The bore looks to be in good shape just needs a good cleaning, and I think she would shine right up.
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pics removed. I will repost when I take possesion of Pistol.

Welcome aboard!
I did not understand your concerns about the back of the frame. Can you clarify, as it may be very important to the value?
Overall at first glance it looks like a nice gun. Actually very nice.
Assuming that all numbers match except the magazine, and also assuming that there is no other damage or problems, the gun, as is without holster, is, to me, not worth $1900. I'd put the gun alone at about $1500. But at $1900 it will be a very long time before you feel like you are not under-water. On the other hand the finish is way above average.
Others may disagree, so let's see...
dju

I agree with David. A nice, original Mauser the shop is asking too much for. $1,500 would also be my top dollar, assuming that the other stamped number you did not present in no way detracts from value.

On the actual back strap of the pistol there were a set of numbers four to be exact. My friend told me these were purchase numbers? It's original to the pistol for sure maybe someone with a 1940 s/42 marked pistol can clarify.

With a pistol of this vintage my first thought would be a rack number for a location where it may have been in inventory.

I really want to pick this luger up. I'm going to see if can talk him down to 1500 my gut feeling even tells me that 1900 is a little high

Does the number on the back strap have an "N" above it?

Yes! I remember the N

Hi Ryan, If the number looks like the one in the picture, you should run, not walk, over to the gun shop and buy it! That Luger is a rare Navy variation and is worth about $1,000.00 more.
Regards, Norm

if you live near a cabelas store, you might look at their gun room. here is what they list on their web site at all of their store locations. many listings $ 1500 or less and if you live near one, you might be able to see them in-hand.

http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/searc...=luger&x=0&y=0

It's on hold for me. And the N with the numbers is spot on. So needless to say I think I will grab this.

Congratulations!
Once it is in hand send more photos.
dju

Just got off the phone putting a deposit down tomorrow. The search is over!

Ka Ching! Congratulations on something very special...

Marc

Congratulations! And welcome!

Sounds as if you have found a great buy, congradulations!

Might just be my computer, but the barrel appears to be a bit too shiny, and not matching the look of the rest of the pistol.

Its the bright lighting in the shop.

The owner of the last shop I worked at bought a 1940 /42 Navy Luger not long ago cheap. He sold it at Reno for $3500 as soon as he put it out on the table. This one is in better condition than his was.

Congratulations!

Nice one, welcome to the forum.

Pics of the back strap! With the N. I paid 1600 for it in the end not including tax. I can't take delivery until 11th of August do to some background check on the pistol it's self. That's a first for me you can walk in and out with a firearm as long as you have a valid CCW. Oh well it's paid for and locked in a safe with my name on it. :cheers:

Great score and a great investment!!

You should find plenty of threads about similar pistols in the Naval Luger section here.

That number N4425 is listed in Third Reich Lugers by Jan C. Still as 952c, but your number looks like 592c?
Congratulations on your find!

That is correct it reads 592. I wish the magazine matched, but at least I have a magazine for it.

Curious that a documented Luger should end up for sale at a local gun shop. These usually change hands privately.

Probably a typo mistake in the book.

Well the store I bought this from is a pawn shop/gun store I shop there a lot because they usually have nice antique weapons, but more importantly I enjoy shooting the breeze with my friend with the same interests who works there. The story goes a guy brought it in to sell they bought it, the next day I come in and ask my usual questions about having any enfields or 1903 bolt actions and of course Lugers. Happened to be my lucky day because they had this waiting for me. I've had a good run of luck as of late. Last month I picked up a 1944 k98 GI take home in mint condition. Blue is still original and like it was the day it was sent off the assembly line. But like most gi take homes my bolt does not match not a big deal to me.

Even more amazing was $1500 (or $1900?) containing the dealer's profit. So the previous owner voluntarily gave up quite amount of possible value. God knows, probably sold by spouse or son.... just a possibility.

It's a great find.

What amazes me, and I'm going to take a beating for this, is how nuts you guys go over than navy stamp. For heavens sake, most unit markings look like a monkey struck them, and they may have well been there for 95 seconds, not 95 years. You don't know.
My philosophy is to buy the gun, not the neat little markings.
Me thinks he got a fine Luger for the money.
dju

Special sign does create another dimension. I am surprised to see the Mauser 1934 Pocket with Eagle over M could go as high as $2000, but selling a regular nice 1934 at $700 was a very challenging mission. Paying extra dollars on it, buyer must look at the sign and feel fancy. If not, then lots of money can be saved.

David,
Luger collecting is all about variety and rarity. A single mark can place a pistol in a particular time, place and context, which is fascinating to collectors. While the condition of any pistol is the principal attraction, a rare mark is the icing on the cake and can make a simple purchase a serious bargain or investment.

I understand. Sort of. I just won't spend lots of money for markings that may, or may not, be genuine.
But take a step back here. We spend hours and hours agonizing over whether a gun has original finish, or may have possibly been properly and correctly refinished at some time in the last 100 years. We look for halos, blued toggle pins, re-stamped magazines, etc, etc, etc. We conjur up images of highly skilled craftsman "boosting" Lugers for an extra buck. (AKA, Death's Head.)
But come up with a gun with crude, X'ed out, crooked unit markings, and it's "Katie, bar the door while I break the cookie jar for my next Luger..."
I'm just sayin'...
dju

I appreciate your point of view and yes, perhaps less time and effort is spent on markings than on condition. In this case, however, we are focusing on a pistol that has been previously recorded and presumably, authenticated, as it was on Jan Still's list, (albeit with a transposed serial number).

I'm still bemused as to why it turned up at a gun/pawn shop.

N4425 is not listed in Costanzo's World of Lugers so it must have materialized at some point, somewhere within an approx. 12yr. window.

Of approx. 135,700 1940/42 Lugers produced, approx. 2000 of those were procured by the Kriegsmarine. Out of that 2000 how many have survived? Those "Monkey Stamped" marks are what tells a dedicated collector that this is one of the few that did survive.

When you take the time to study Unit marks in detail, it becomes fairly easy to distiguish fakes from original markings.

I appreciate your positions on the importance of history. And I do not mean to hijack the thread away from a very nice find.
Once again, congratulations on a very nice Luger.
dju

I don't considered the thread to be hijacked. Everyone's input and opinion is appreciated. Up until this post I didn't even know how rare an actual navy was. After all we all have the same common interest in the luger.

The entire concept of collecting is, strictly speaking, irrational. The thing that makes collectibles valuable is all in our heads. In a sense, we're ALL "buying the story, not the gun". There is no real reason why one arrangement of steel parts is worth more than any other, except that it might serve a purpose better--in this case, it's to deliver a projectile to a desired location. Bottom line, we're all nuts, and wasting our time and money. Gotta love it!

Well I just left the pawn shop! I finally have it. I will post more pics tonight