Holster worth having restored?
 

I picked up a Luger the other day, an all matching 1915 DWM and it came with this holster.

Is this holster worth having professionally restored?

It is marked on the back R. Ehrhardt Poessneck 1937 and it has the WaA186 proof mark.

Nathan, That's a question I encounter faily regularly. This holster is in better condition than many I work on. It has no major faults like a cutaway front or names scratched in it or pins stuck thru the top or a GI belt hanger on the back...I could go on. This is the kind of holster I look for when I go to buy parts holsters. All there and not molested. One photo that could tell much but is missing is a frontal shot with the top open.
This holster would be an eligible candidate to put right again. All the faults I have seen so far can be corrected. Once corrected you have a fine holster with good markings that will not need anything but good storage to last 100 years or who knows how long?
The Germans stopped making these ..never to be made the same again. They are a valuble historical artifact.
Is it worth it? That's an interesting question and deserving of an analysis. Right now I would easily pay $50 for one in this shape. Realistically it might bring more..say $100. I can't see the total of this holster but from what I can see I would guess you might need $100-150 in repairs to bring it back to 100%. So you would have $200-250 in it. Holsters on Ebay easily bring $250 and higher. Knowing that..you wouldn't lose any money by restoring it. You would gain in value what you spent . So you have preserved a piece of history and can enjoy it with your pistol for many years and when the time comes to sell..you have a holster that is worth what you have in it and God willing perhaps more depending on market values at the time of sale.
Hope this helps to answer your question..

Thanks for the info!

Here's another pic, I think this is what you requested.

Nathan, Yes..Thanks. No GI grafitti on the inside, no GI quick draw cut. Pull-up strap is there. Tool pouch looks OK. A decent holster, much better than most I get in my shop.

Thanks again, I appreciate the info.

I'll probably take you up on that restoration at some point in the near future.

I doubt I'll ever use this holster but I wouldn't mind having it restored because it is a fragment of history and should be preserved. I'm happy to own it.

I recommend that you don't keep the gun in the holster. Use bubble wrap or a wooden gun to maintain the shape that it still has. Place some folded paper or a piece of an old belt in the belt loops to make sure they don't harden flattened out. Use a reproduction or broken or "wooden" magazine to keep the shape of the magazine pocket. If this was my holster, I would definitely have Jerry restore it.

I've noticed this on many holsters from the war...Is there an easy way to remove the inked names etc on leather holsters??? Some kind of bleach maybe???

I would assume (since ball point pens didn't appear until after the end of the war) that the ink would be soaked into the leather...from a quill (?) pen (I forget what they were called...my seat in grade school had an inkwell but we all had ball points by 1956)...

My baseball mitt has my name branded into it...I was afraid someone would steal it and erase/bleach the inked name off... :p

Those were "fountain" pens, Rich!

I think the ink markings add history to the piece. Observe how excited archeologists get when someone's name appears etched in a stone!
Imagine finding a Roman sword with the legionnaire's name etched onto it!
I find it especially fascinating when the name, unit, date and place of capture and other details are known thanks to these markings.

Why restore a nice complete original condition holster? I take the 'restored' does not hurt a Luger holster's value as restoring a matching original Luger, unless it is in a very poor condition.

Yeah, that's them!!! :D I can remember filling them, but not writing with them...Big cumbersome metal thingies, always leaked, tore the paper more than they wrote with them...Strange; I can remember bringing newspapers to grade school to practice our writing with large crayons, but not with 'fountain' pens... :p

(A mind is a terrible thing to waste...)

I'm sure we all dunked a pigtail or two from the young lady sitting in front of us!

The young lady in front of me turned around and stabbed me with a graphite pencil...I still have the broken-off tip lodged under the skin of my palm..."Tina"; cute little raven-haired babe...I guess I got her attention... :p

Right on postino. Of all the things I ever lost I miss my mind the most.

It depends on 'how' it is restored.

Jerry uses the same kind of period stitching as used then (it doesn't glow under ultraviolet) and he stitches, through the original holes.

So he is repairing what can be repaired, if he doesn't its a coming apart holster and will stay that way, once repaired, its hard to tell its been repaired by many to most.

A 'restored' pistol requires you to buff out any bad markings, then reblue, rebluing is not just like painting of course; it requires removal of more metal to make the shine come out (contolled rust is forced upon it) and from what I understand it takes several coats or tries.

So, I personally look at a restore as different than a holster repair.

ed

PS: Jerry, you make this holster sound worse than it is, I think its a nice example, good markings, a bit soaked in grime and oil, but not scuffed to hell; and after you restitch it, not bad at all.... Of course you are seeing the work involved and what it takes it to be nicer, I see the externals :)

Lugerguy08--If you don't know, Jerry is most knowledgable in Luger holsters and repairs them the old fashioned way. I've seen Jerry's leather work and it is outstanding. If anyone can rejuvenate your holster, Jerry's your man.

Think of it this way...Your widow will get more money for it after you're gone...and by then, you won't miss it... ;)