1914 Erfurt Value? Experts please Advise?
 

I have a 1914 marked Erfurt Luger and the mag has what looks to be an aluminum base with the number matching the gun. All numbers on the gun match and I would conservatively rate the condition about 95% + or - the finish is all there and shows little wear to none at all. Just storage marks. I would like to establish a real market value for it since I intend to sell it and don't want to be THAT guy with the $5000 Luger for sale.

Any help with an honest analysis is greatly appreciated by this old soldier.

Best regards,

08noob

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Walter, welcome to the forum.

Close ups, clear ones are needed. Your grips look like East German ones. Is the aluminum base have a 1 or 2 on it? And 1001 on the side? That would be a East German base as erfurts were only issued in wood, same with grips.

Edward Thank you for the welcome.

The gun is super tight and has no rust with the finish looking like its got almost no wear anywhere at all. Handling marks are all I can find on it in the negative.

The mag has no marking other than the metal base stamped with the same serial that the gun has which is 6498. As I understand it that is a "low" number?

So what if the grips (brown plastic) and the one mag with the gun are after manufacture? How does that value the gun?

What is this gun worth on the market?

Thanks,

08noob

Looks to me as if the receiver was cut for the artillery sight and it has a sear safety. Was the sear safety in use at that time and it must have a new barrel.

While cut for an Artillery sight, (not unusual for an Erfurt), there is no evidence of a sear safety.
This pistol has all the earmarks of what collectors call a "Russian Capture", which was later issued to East German police or military forces. The finish looks nice because the pistol was "dip blued" by the Russians sometime after its capture. The finish, (showing some buffing), the East German takedown lever, the lack of strawing, the grips and the nicely number matched later magazine all bear this out. Are there any "X" like stamps on the gun, most likely near the serial number?
These pistols are gaining some collector interest, but most serious Luger collectors still consider these arsenal reworked pistols as "shooters".
Value is in the $700 range.

Closer pictures would be needed, anyway I would confirm the previous post, it is absolutely a nice gun, but I'm afraid is not really a "collectible".

Sergio

So if I asked say $850 and settled for $700 I'd be ok?

Yes, as long as you don't have more than that in it!

Thanks alanit & Luger.parrabellum for the information and assessments, I very much appreciate it. Best regards, Walt

No it has appreciated greatly since I aquired it almost twenty years ago, again my sincere thanks for all of the help nailing this down.

I believe the artillery cut on Erfurt's did not appear until late 1916 and continued in 1917 and 1918. Therefore a 1914 should not have one. Bill

This 1914 dated Erfurt P.08 is not one of the approximately 2000 from the original Erfurt contract. The original Erfurts had unrelieved sear bars, no cut in the receiver for the artillery sight, serial numbers in the NS, a or b suffix range, proofs on the grip screws and last but not least, two acceptance proofs on the wooden magazine bottom. It has been postulated that a number of 1914 dated "left over" receivers were later mated to 1917 or 1918 frames and issued either late in WW1 or even post war. This pictured specimen comes from the latter, more common and less collectible 1914 dated Erfurts. Of course, this gun has probable VoPo grips and non original magazine. This is certainly NOT "that $5000" luger and is probably worth in the shooter range or just about ($750-$1100).