Can you help me?
 

Hi,

I picked up this 1939 code 42 Luger a while back. I don't know a lot about them but I liked it so I bought it. If some of you don't mind, please give me any information about this pistol. I can tell you that the firing pin and other small parts in the gun have matching S/N. However the mags do not match. Also, there are no markings on the wood grips. Finally, the magazine release button has no markings either. I would also like any ideas any of you might have with respect to its value.

Thanks!

Mag. buttons should not be numbered, grips in 1939 are a "maybe".
If it's all matching except mags, original with no damage, functional, etc, I'd guess at around $1500 or a bit more.
What did you pay for it?
dju

Ok, I am into it for $1900.00. I am not too concerned, it seems that most collectible guns increase in value over time. I was more worried about the mag button and grips, I was afraid that it might not be numbers matching ( less the mags of course). Is there a list somewhere of parts that will be numbered, vs ones that are not? I had always heard that "everything" on a Luger had a S/N stamped on it. ( I even found it on the safety lever ), but apparently, not everything is numbered. Thanks for the info!

I would say $1500 for the gun plus the mags and holster if all original.

First of all congratulations for your rig.

For what I can see from the photos you posted it seems quite a nice Luger, the fact that you bought it in spite of the fact that you did not know much about this sort of gun shows that you are pretty lucky, in fact even experts sometimes end up with a lemon.

You know how the saying goes....sometimes it is better to be lucky than good :)

Isn't it supposed to have a fluted firing pin? Or did they come later>

Very nice rig, I think you did ok.

Thanks all....I appreciate the comments.

Firing pin should be fluted.
Bob

A couple of things to check.

These should have a firing pin with 3 groove flutes cut into the face of the pin. If your pin doesn't have these, it is likely a replacement from an earlier Luger.

The inside of the side plate should have a number that is one more than the first digit of your 3 digit serial number. I think I saw a "988" as your serial number in the photo, therefore the inside of the plate should have the number "10" stamped in it, and the number "88" stamped on the outside.

There should be a suffix letter on the front of the frame under the serial number. That is part of the full serial number of the Luger.

If all correct and matching, I agree with $1500-$1600 for the Luger value. The holster is $200-$250 and the magazines are $175-$200 each. If all is correct, you did fine on your purchase.