Help with recent Commercial Luger
 

I recently acquired a DMW commercial .30 pistol. I was wondering if someone might tell me the serial number letter suffix this is as I have trouble distinguishing the font on those letters?
Can anyone give me the approximate year this gun might have been produced? It's all matching in pretty nice condition, it's approx. monetary value would be appreciated as well as I am considering putting it up for sale. many thanks!

Bogy

Welcome to the forum.

The suffix letter is a p and a reasonable guess at the year of production would be 1925 or 1926.

If all matching and in excellent condition with an excellent bore, I'd estimate $1200, give or take.

Thanks for your input! Is there a thread here on how to determine dates of commercial Lugers, I looked but may have missed it. The value you mentioned is pretty much what I had figured from my last copy of BB Gun Values. All my other Lugers were WW II vintage and I was a bit lost on the Commercial guns. I've never fired a .30 before, I'll have to see how it compares with the wartime 9mms I have.

Bogy

I agree with Doubs on the suffix ... they can be such a pain to sort. :crying: ... Here is a little quick reference I use.

https://i.imgur.com/kQ8519T.jpg

The alphabet commercials began in mid-1921 with the i suffix letter. Some believe that they began with 2001i while others think they began with 1i. They continued into 1930 when production was moved to the Mauser factory and the suffix letter reached u or into a few v block pistols.

It's more complicated than that because it was a time of turmoil in Germany and the alphabet commercial Lugers include the Finn contract, kits without barrels sent to Switzerland and other anomalies. Therefore, placing an exact year of production is difficult or not possible and it comes down to a best guess based on the suffix letter. Each suffix letter should represent a block of 10,000 pistols with the possible exception of the letters i and v. The suffix i began in mid-1921 and the Finn contract began in 1923 but was spread out over many suffix letters starting with k and reaching q by 1928. Then suffix letters r - t were delivered between 1928 and 1930. Based on that, yours could have been made as late as 1927. But, whether 1925, 1926 or 1927, yours was made in the mid-1920's. The biggest problem is that production wasn't linear across the years.

The alphabet commercials are very high-quality pistols that are underappreciated. I think you will be happy with the 30 cal. It is fast, and hollow-point loads are very effective.

Nice succint write up Doubs.

Really appreciate the info, very helpful, thanks Doubs! Great to be back on this board after many years absence.

Mike, I have a nice red velvet lined, oak display box made to fit the Commercials with your barrel length. Drop me a PM if interested.

One of my '06 AEs arrived in it, but I changed to a 6" barrel which no longer fits the box.

PM me on the display box with a photo and I'll take a look see.