serial number pronouncement
 

Hello. This is my first post and hopefully someone can help me out. I think this is a commercial luger around early 1920 production. How would the serial number with the "I" suffix below the numbers be pronounced. Is it 6461i or. i6461 or just 6461. Thanks in advance for any assistance.

In naming a Luger you tell what it is, the year stamp and the sn and suffix

Example I own Erfurt 1914, artillery 6441b in 9mm

You would have a DWM commercial, sn 6441i in 7.65mm

Most Lugers, not all were made in blocks of 10,000 so in the same yr you could have one 6441i but not two. -- except, during war there was Erfurt and DWM making same time.

Could more than one 6461i exist?

Yes. Several Lugers with s/n 6461i were made over the years. They were made in different years, or by different manufacturers. They will be in different configurations with different marking characteristics. You must know all the information to uniquely identify a Luger.

Your crown/N proofed Luger is most likely an alphabet commercial from the early 1920s (as you mentioned) my guess is 1922 or 1923 (mine is from the "m" block, and 1923-1924).

Marc

perhaps scores

DWM over the war years - many 'i's'
Erfurt over the war yrs - same
DWM after the war
Mauser during the war yrs - many

I thank you all for such a quick response. The information you provided was extremely helpful.