P.08 #98
 

I picked up this 08 First Issue at Tulsa this past weekend. S#98 no suffix. all matching including mag. It was a really good show for me. I sold 4 Luger rigs and an early slotted Radam. I had a wad of cash, so I went hunting.

Nice find; about as early as one could find!

more pics...

Beautiful luger.

I have a question...

Do you think a low number/no-suffix is more valuable than a comparable Luger, same era, same condition, with ser # 1736f ???

Did you/would you, pay more just to get that low # 98 no-suffix??? :)

You can bet on it..........

No. The historical significance does not change with a high or low serial number. This is strictly a production number. Again this is a individual collectors thing. If you like low numbers fine. I would not pay a dime more for it. Very nice luger. Bill

Agree with you Bill, but an early item makes me go, oh, baby, baby :)

This is an outstanding specimen :)

Nice gun. No holdopen. Unaltered, with a nice regiment stamp on the gripstrap. And probably one of the earliest serial numbers you could find. Sure, I'd pay more for that pistol over a later one.

Very nice find, nice pistol

I agree with Bill. Same applies to my Savage .32 auto with ser # 1234. Just a number, denotes nothing.

But I'm not a collector. I just accumulate. :)

But I will keep in mind that my low-number 1900AE is worth more. :D

Now, if you could link the low number 98 to the machine gun company on the grip, that would be interesting. Maybe find a posed pic of the gun crew, and a letter assigning the gun to that crew, and make up a rig to go with it and a diorama showing all the stuff together, with a helmet and belt etc...That would be money... :thumbup:

It is one of the first 100 P.08s made! To some that's worth more... including me. I certainly paid a premium for it. I haven't seen are heard of a lower serial number P.08, but I'm sure they are out there.

Thanks for all the responses.

Reminds me of when William Mattar's Luger made an appearance on the forum... #4444 :cheers:

I have an orphan wood bottom mag w/#4444.

This must be the Luger I heard about that was at Tulsa after I left. Glad I get to see it as I thought I had missed it. You never know what pops up at Tulsa!

The Luger doesn't really belong to William Mattar. Mattar is an attorney here in WNY whose TV ad/jingo is "Hurt in a car? Call William Mattar. 716-444-4444".

Kind of a regional joke. For those of us with a peculiar sense of humor. :p Off topic, the local Target cell phone salesman uses Mattar's phone number to check that the new phone sale works - He calls 716-444-4444 and makes sure that Mattar's recording answers. :D

But there's dozens of #4444 Lugers. Maybe someone will see your post and contact you. :thumbup:

We have seen on egun.de the :
B.3.R.M.G.25 on FI sn183
/

Patrice,
Thanks for the photo. I'm sure they were together at DWM and on the battlefield.

super nice!
 

Hi Mike, I think you really scored tall with this one! Super early, super nice, and un-altered....Just that one pistol is a collection all by itself to me! I have found the early number in a variation is still important, especially as a bargaining chip when selling... Early numbers when taking the whole life of a specific design a little better. As in, the first 100 model 1900's would carry a little more weight, but not much! You really have a keeper there... best to you my friend, til...lat'r...GT....:cheers:

G.T.,
Thanks, it seems I'm growing fonder of it each day.
The German Army purchased over 1.5 million Lugers from 1909 to 1942. To be in the first 100, IS the reason I bought it. I wasn't really looking for a First Issue, but when I saw it, the condition, unaltered, matched mag... etc. I thought, when will I ever see another comparable to it?

A few more pics of the S#'s and acceptance stamps and one of the bore.