Engraved Navy
 

Some will love it some will hate it, it is what it is and my position is clear as I own it. Always wanted an engraved luger and this one is it. There is a story behind it of a WW2 U-Boat connection, an early luger presented to a U-Boat Captain. I have no proof of this however it came with 2 early U-Boat books (in German) and an album with an officers Family photo's. The inlay on the chamber is of a U-Boat. I did not buy it for an investment and have it because of what it is. I have gotten to the point where I don't trust what I hear and until there's proof of the story take it with a grain of salt. The grips are mismatched and not for this pistol.

Engraved 2
 

MoreEngraved Pics

Captain Hans Erwin Reith surrendered U-190 to the Canadian Navy at wars end

Is that Captain Reiths "dog tag"? I would not kick that Luger out of my safe!

WOW! Great presentation!

I would have ZERO problems owning that Navy Luger. I am green with envy......Congrats!! :thumbup:

Jaw dropping craftsmanship. That pistol would be a centerpiece in virtually any collection. The only things I can think of that I would even bother entertaining taking over it would be a “GL” marked Luger or the original US Test .45 Luger.

OK, Lets not go crazy. But let us tell what we see...The matching magazine bottom is fake. A Nazi Eagle and matching numbers is an alarming tell..it tells me somebody gave some though to this but not enough. Anything like this is a big red pointed arrow to say..take a closer look.



The engraving..deluxe factory engraving, especially full coverage is extensive but elegant in it's coverage. What I see here is the overuse of stippling circles into dead spaces. Also crosshatching on places like the backstrap and side of the trigger ..WAY overkill.



The grips, the right grip looks Dutch. On a German presentation piece..one would certainly expect to see the grips that came with the pistol. AND on one such as this..perhaps some wood carving to boot?



The gold inlay. Typical of American inscribers, certainly not German. Too..look at the gold sub over the chamber. Could be a cigar. It just doesn't/isn't clear enough for German presentation IMO. Not compared to anything else the Germans used like the U-boat badge.



It's a neat gun and as the OP says it is what it is..but let's tell it like it is.

I agree that it is what it is, raw collectible value diminished due to modifications and stated mismatching parts, I just find it very aesthetically pleasing to look at regardless. Might just be a product of my youth and getting overly “wowed” at these things. After all, I am in the generation that largely thinks that “style” on a firearm is what generic color of the rainbow they decided to get their Glock in, or how many attachments they can throw onto their AR platform.

I don't see a Nazi eagle on the magazine bottom. I see a crown over m.

Gott In Himmel! You are correct! Looking at it from a weird angle I made a huge mistake! Mea culpa...Guess I'm losing it.

While certainly not factory, I think the engraving is rather well done. The gold inlays, on the other hand, look very crude and are certainly not contemporary to the engraving. In other words, I think the connection to Captain Reith and U-190 is just hogwash.
Norm

The OP is happy with his engraved luger; 'nuff said.

Could very well be hogwash as far as I know, no matter its still top shelf to me.

A close up of the dog tag which I know nothing about, is it a repo or a real one. Some pics of the rounds.

Later will send pics of the books and some photos from the album

Does anyone know what this pin represents

Would hogwash still get me a link to the navy list ?

This is only the second pimp gun Navy Luger I have seen. The first one I posted pics on Still's forum years ago it even had fake 1ST Torpedo Div unit marks.

Mom always told me, if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. I am not saying anything.
Ron

My guess, having seen comparable engraving on a number of sporting rifles, is it is postwar (WW2), done in Europe, probably Germany, at the request of a GI or some such. Entertaining to look at though. Wonder what the old girl looked like before they got started?

Hi Wayne,
Of course you deserve the Navy List, 1906 Navy #277 is still a Navy. Just send me a PM with your email address.
Norm

I agree, mine used to say something very similar, but after all this is forum where we talk about a common interest.
Well coming to that luger, in my humble opinion it' a fine pistol, but I've always been very suspicious in front of an engraved Luger.
Luger pistols were mainly used by non commissioned officers, then I can't find anymore that article by Klaus Leibnitz called "Collecting engraved Luger Pistols or caveat emptor!".

That is a nice Luger despite the naysaying. I would not be ashamed to own it at all, I would suspect most of the "Luger Elitist's" on this forum secretly would also.

Don't misunderstand me..It's a cool pistol. I am happy to see it here for any number of reasons. There are good points, discussion points too...these necessarily lead to who, why, what & where. The whole pkg is interesting..the box is a neat french fitted case. I would have bought it if it passed by my view..IF the price was right. Got some nice accoutremon...Thanks for showing it off Wayne !

It simply is what it is.
Beautiful piece, nicely presented.

I never believe any story.
Waste of time.
"Provenance" in most all cases is simply that.

I agree the story does not mean much without proof. I posted these pics because this is a Luger forum and should showcase all things Luger not just pristine all matching ones. Since this is a look and see what's new type thing it works when you learn new things and are able to see other pistols besides the ones in your own collection.
I know there are people who don't appreciate what's been done to this pistol, and that is your opinion and you are certainly entitled to it and I have no problem with that. There are many others who appreciate the art. I myself am not looking for acceptance or value so I remain objective. Simply put I am addicted to Lugers, I can't have them all so I find the ones I like and can afford at the time and it makes me happy.
I like taking pictures and what good is that if nobody sees them.? Like looking at pics too (so post some) quite a few people don't ever post anything for whatever reason. the more people that post opinions or pics the better and more interesting the forum becomes. There can not be good unless there is bad, how would you measure it.? The kicker is opinions vary widely with respect to both sides, it is food for thought and a wonderful thing wherever you stand...……….. Stay Sharp-Walk Easy

Here are some photos of an engraved Luger, not mine unfortunately, rather typical except that it's a Navy, which is rare. What bothers me about the OP's gun, apart from the crude inlays already mentioned, are those ill-fitting wooden grips. All the engraved guns I've ever seen have either ivory grips (real or faux) or elaborately carved wooden ones. I have two theories:
1/ This gun was originally fitted with genuine ivory grips which had to be removed because of the Federal prohibition.
2/ The original grips were carved with the initials of the original owner which didn't jibe with the Captain Reith narrative.
Norm

I know of a Pistol that was taken from that U boat!!.....It was a KM marked Low gripscrew HSC......it would be interesting if the History of this engraved Navy could be traced back!!.....Did it come from Canada?

Now thats what I'm talking about great pics thanks Norm.
I'm not sure if the pistol came through Canada at some point. I am attempting to contact someone who would know about this pistol if in fact it is what has been said. Along with this pistol came a couple of old books one about U-Boats and one that identifies with profiles of ships at the time. This pistol also sold at a Rock Island auction years ago for 3 times what I paid for it. That catalog is also with the pistol, along with a family/photo album of uniformed officers and relatives, and a couple medals.
The ideas mentioned about the grips makes sense to me..

Having a connection with a U-Boat implied or otherwise,
would that make it illegal to own in Germany.?

Even though it doesn't change my affection for this pistol one way or the other I would like to be able to say with some degree of certainty yeah or nay.
If you have any info about this pistol in Canada I would be very interested in hearing it. Thanks

One problem with military issue pistols is that the boss usually doesn't like his personnel pimping government property.

Which implicates that these pistols were decorated post WW1 at least and while no longer in military property.

These are the grips that are on the engraved 06 navy. I am pretty sure one at least is a Dutch grip and has the oval/GS for the school along with some other numbers and a ghost X.
The other has what looks like 3 X's with another mark over top. They both are stamped 77 as the pistol is ser 277.
Any thoughts on the markings would be much appreciated.

I cant't say if the I.D. tag is real or not, but the /45K means the owner was inducted in 1945 and was in the Küstendienst (coastal service). Not a U-Boot.

As for the pistol, I agree with Norm that the engraving is most likely post-WWII and that the embellishments to make the U-Boat connection came later.

Personally, it makes me sad because a plain vanilla P.04 277 would have been more valuable and collectible. The early (>400) 1906 contract P.04s had several characteristics that set them apart from the rest of the 1906 pistols and make them quite rare and desirable for a Navy collector like myself.

As for the engraving, well I enjoy looking at beautifully engraved commercial firearms, and appreciate the artistry. But I'm much less fond of it on a military pistol.

Thanks for your thoughts and info on the coastal service, that is another piece of the puzzle as this pistol came with a 25 year faithful service cross w/ribbon. as I understand it that was only awarded to civilians. There is also a 1940's book of picture and profiles of the worlds ships as would be used for identification purposes. This pistol may have been presented to someone who served in that coastal watch capacity through out the war. It gives me another avenue to explore.
I certainly understand your position on what's been done to a rare pistol however its irreversible and it still holds someplace in history. and being what it is should be respected enough to try and find its true place/story. I guess back in the day people weren't as concerned with purity and collectability as we are today. Besides it keeps me busy looking for answers, somebody should do it.
It always amuses me when I see the write ups on lugers for sale as they all seemed to have belonged to officers or have been taken from officers or other high ranking officials etc., you know the story. I will send some pics of the books at some point in case anyone can add anything to the hunt. Thanks again.

engraved grips
 

Altamont grips modified for the grip safety

To quote Star Trek's Spock, "fascinating!"

Proofed was pretty open about why he bought this gun. It is very nice looking. And probably about as honest as any engraved Luger.

Fake engraving or not, I would love to own it. I would shoot the pistol till it was too hot to hold. I doubt a GI paid for the engraving after the war. They had very little money and what they did have they spent on booze or whatever.

I like those grips on that Luger......perhaps because I own a pair of those grips also.