Blued Imperial Navy Magazines
 

When I first started collecting Lugers, back in the 1960's, Imperial Navy mags with blued tubes were regarded with deep suspicion. The thinking was that genuine Navy mags with damaged tubes had been fitted with replacement tubes from much later magazines. Who knows how many perfectly good blued tube Navy magazines were retro-fitted with "correct nickel plated tubes"?
It was only with the discovery, back in the 1990's, that 1917 Navy #4852 complete rig (gun, stock, 3 rust blued matching number magazines, tools, and all leather) had been recovered from U-157, a submarine captured by the British towards the end of the war, and had been on continuous display at a Norwegian museum. The rig was finally "deaccessioned" (sold off) at Hermann Historica Auctions in 2000.
Imperial Navy blued tubed mags are extremely rare, there are 5 with matching # guns (including the 3 with #4852), and 9 orphans. Needless to say I'm anxious to hear of any new sightings.
Norm

Blued Navy Mag
 

Here's mine.
One of the 9 orphan mags on Norme's list

Excellent rust blued Imperial Navy mag Mike, thanks for showing.
Norm

I see ,more than 30 years ago , two LP with matching mag blued tubes
I was young and without numeric camera , so no picture for that and we think about fake mags !!

Found last week this orphan Navy mag.

Regarts
Thorsten

Hi Thorsten,
Yours and my mag were probably on the same rack 105 years ago... only 29 #'s apart!