Help with a rare Navy
 

Hello, and thank you for letting me join the forum. I have been working on a back burner project on identification for a rare Luger. My fathers friend, kindly let me see the gun. I have played down a few avenues with whom it could have belonged to but am hitting walls. My main guess is whom could have owned it from the initials on the gun. The grips are ivory and the gun has gold set in many areas. The emblem of the horse I think is a town emblem. I have a few avenues was trying to go down but hope someone has a better idea. Kind regards

Hi William,
Welcome to the forum! I can't help you with the origins of that Navy, but I would like to know the date stamped on the left frame rail and the serial number, with suffix if present, on the front of the frame.
Regards, Norm

William, the engraving appears to be American. The gold enhancements are also typically American.

My eyes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Looks like something done in US. Took a nice Navy and plain ruined it. That is one awful looking luger. If you don't own it I would keep it that way. Bill

Hello, I unfortunately only took a few pictures. I did not get the serial number. I don’t live close to my father’s friend, but I will ask if he can ask for a number. I focused on the initials and emblem on the handle as been trying to tie it to a person if possible. The history of the possible owner is where I was looking. I would assume it to have been a higher ranking officer that would have been presented with it.

I think, and suspect that it may well be the general opinion here, that that gun was not engraved for, or by, a German military officer or other German person of stature. But it was probably, instead, dolled up by a local gunsmith/engraver back here in the States for the local owner. And while that may have embellished the weapon for that local owner, it sort of killed it as a collectible Luger.
But good luck in your search and let us know if you determine for whom it was engraved.
That being said, if you can decipher those initials and also ID the symbolism of the horse with the war ax, you may get closer to the original owner. Also often noted engravers will sign their work somewhere and that may help your journey.
dju

William, The disc set into the grip looks poorly done for such a pistol. I suspect the grips may be something other than ivory, like bone? 2 Luger grips in actual elephant ivory would be something different to say the least. Horribly expensive and possibly illegal to own. Yes, if you can find out more about this pistol it would help with research and record keeping. Thanks for showing it!

I can make out the date, 1917.

Wow, thanks for the interesting ideas on the gun. The man whom owns the gun would never sell, and I don’t have that type of money for it anyway. He got the gun from a soldier he knew in WW2. His buddy found it in a safe in a bank in Germany. His friend passed away in the early 80s and before had wrote out and notarized that to go with the gun. The gun was supposed to have had two others in the safe as well. The grips are ivory. The amount of gold is surprising for me at least. I would think most would not do that to the gun unless it was period. I keep looking for that horse, as feel it is the key.

William, it's a long shot but...

https://www.google.com/search?client...TUmgRNMpWzklM:


Another sort of...

https://www.google.com/search?client...4Kb16Rfq5N2mM:

" I would think most would not do that to the gun unless it was period. "

Then you would be wrong, there are many "pimped" up lugers with gold accents on the market, there has been an Erfurt on the marked for months or years that is all over gold plated.

I once had a gold plated trigger and side plate, took about 5 minutes on the wire wheel to get rid of the "gold". ;)