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Bad Day Gets Better...
Wasted most of Saturday going to 4 different hardware stores to get the parts for a DIY project at home. Fed up after the 4th. stop and not finding all the parts, I happened to spot an "Antiques & Doll" shop. Needing a break, I thought; what the heck, let's see if they might have some old luger stuff...
Found a very nice 1941 military holster (which I think is real...). They only wanted $ 68.00 for it. Once I got it home, I removed the stuffing papers to find a real old luger tool (stamped E/655) at the bottom of the holster. I don't think the folks in the shop knew this was there. All of the stitching is 100% intact and all the stitching thread looks aged and under a 10x loupe, you can see the individual fibers that made up the thread. The material of the thread looks like linen or sisal...sort of like those big ropes that tied down boats at the dock... On the back is marked : 1. P-08 2. Dtu.41 3. Eagle/WaA 183 From my E. Bender book on page 207, the holster maker is indicated to be the G. J. Ensink & Co. The lift-out strap is intact and the holster smells like old shoes (not smelly old shoes, just an old leather smell...). I think I found a decent 1941 holster for my '41 Mauser "Black Widow". Let me know what you folks think of the photos and whether this holster is real or not : http://boards.rennlist.com/lfupload/41holster1.jpg http://boards.rennlist.com/lfupload/41holster2.jpg http://boards.rennlist.com/lfupload/41holster3.jpg http://boards.rennlist.com/lfupload/41holster4.jpg http://boards.rennlist.com/lfupload/41holster5.jpg http://boards.rennlist.com/lfupload/41holster7.jpg Regards, Pete... <img border="0" alt="[typing]" title="" src="graemlins/yltype.gif" /> |
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Pete,
Most of the holster body parts look real...but the tool pocket seems to be newer looking in the photo... The stitching doesn't seem to be consistent because the stitching on the back looks almost new and the stitching on the front looks about the same vintage as the holster... The strap and buckle look old, but I guess we better wait for Herr Burney's evaluation... He will probably want some more photos to make a determination. |
Pending Jerry's assessment, I think Pete has found a fairly minty '41 holster. The tool pocket looks almost like new because it has been protected. The "patina" on the tool pocket stud looks consistent with aging. IMHO there is no way the stitching on the back can be a different age than the stitching on the front. Once again, the difference in stitching appearance is most likely due to the degree of protection each has had. Overall, the holster is in excellent condition and I would be really surprised if it isn't original. If I'm right..Congrats Pete!
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To add to what Ron said, I have a pretty ugly holster I bought off of e-bay (cheap), the front is ugly, the back is actually in very nice shape, I am guessing it was laying back down and the front was exposed to weather, heat / cold etc., to a far harsher degree than the protected back.
ed |
Hello John,
The tool pouch stitching is identical to that of the remainder of the holster. Same material and same "age". The inside leather of the tool pouch does show some patina, so I think it has been on the holster from the beginning. But you are correct; it does seem like the pouch does not match the rest of the holster. I will take some high-rez photos this weekend and can e-mail them to anyone who wants to look at this holster in more detail. For $ 68.00 and the bonus of a "free" E/655 tool; I would have been happy if this was/is a repro holster... Regards, Pete... <img border="0" alt="[typing]" title="" src="graemlins/yltype.gif" /> |
Pete...
Rather than email, I would recommend that you post the High Resolution photos in the Member Gallery where there is no filesize limitation... and then post the links here... This saves the email bandwidth for those with dialup service (like I have at home <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" /> ) and those interested can just jump to the photos. |
Pete, you lucky son-of-a-b (er Gun)!! It looks to me like you fell into a crapper and came out smelling like a rose!!! Congratulations. For $68 you just about got the holster for free!!!
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Pete, Without a doubt this is a pre 45 period holster. From the photo's provided I can tell this is far from repro quality. Stitching is straight and correct in all the right places. The stitching looks heavy but I have found this on many 1940's holsters. It is linen from your discription. Linen is made from a plant fiber so I suspect this holster spent some time on it's back. Stitching will yellow with exposure to light. Congratulations on an enexpensive find...we should all be so lucky! Ron and John are on the mark here, the interior tool pouch, if not actually used is protected most of all and on minty holsters tend to look newer than other more exposed parts. Jerry Burney
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The master has spoken! Good Find Pete!
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6-7-03 : Added twenty (20) new higher resolution photos in a gallery in the Member Gallery...
6-8-03 : Added a last photo; a composite "rig" photo... Enjoy ! Regards, Pete... <img border="0" alt="[typing]" title="" src="graemlins/yltype.gif" /> |
Pete that is a great find. I realy enjoy finding things that way.
Russ <img border="0" alt="[cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" /> |
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