Help in identifying Luger pistol
 

Hi all.
This is my first post; actually, I've created profile just to ask this question ...
So the story is ... Via a donation our local museum recently came to possession of a Luger pistol. With help of intenet and literature I've been so far succesful in identifying various weapons in our collection. However retracing the story of this Luger pistol is too much for me; so I'm turning to members of this forum for help or advice.

- Serial no.: 7178 (numbers 78 repeat on all esential parts of the weapon.
- Below the barel is a suffix to serial no.: 7178 v.
- The pistol is marked on the top with year 1938.
- At toggle joint there is a Mauser logo.
- Proof mark (left): as listed here: http://www.lugerforum.com/lugermarkings/proof-4.html; no. 42; but the upper symbol looks more like a crown.
- On the right side, at the beggining of the barrel there is a german eagle with letter K on it's right.

I could post some photos later if requested.

Hope you'll be able to help me identify this really beautiful piece of history.

Take care and thank you in advance :)

Welcome to the forum!
This is known as a "Mauser Banner" pistol and might have seen police service. Photos would help determine if sear and magazine safeties are present, which would confirm police service.

Hi.
Thanx for the info.
If all works well, photos should be attached to this post.

Definetely Police use. Sear safety present. No magazine safety but I think that in 1938 they had already been discontinued.

I missed the "Eagle K" in your description above, which would have assured police issue. This is a scarce proof and collectors would be very interested in your pistol.

Here is a recent sale of a similar pistol, although don't get too excited over the sale price of this pristine example.

http://www.rockislandauction.com/vie...id/57/lid/3516


I leave it to members specializing in police pistols to give you a ballpark value.

Thank you all for the info.
The pistol is not mine, though, but museums; I am nontheless happy to work with such items as this pistol ...
And yes; a rough valuation would sure be appreciated :)
Also: what does K stand for? Is it just a mark that the pistol was in police use, or does it mean something?

Assuming you're looking for a retail value for this Luger, take a look at what Simpson Ltd has on sale right now:

http://www.simpsonltd.com/index.php?...be1ea8dff165e5

Prices range from just under $4000 to $7000.

None of those is the more rare E/K marked Luger from 1938 (This is an inspection / acceptance mark. The "K" identifies the specific inspector). These marks are specific to police usage. The inspectors for military Lugers were numbered and from a different agency.

Does the magazine have a matching number? That would contribute to a higher valuation.

Marc

Thank you :)
Unfortunatly I'm away from work for the weekend, so I'll check the magazine for serial on monday. Kind of ecsaped me to to inspect it more closly; but it sure wasn't really striking out.

Finally checked ...
The magazine has the same serial.
It's marked

7178
v
+


Does anybody know what does the + sign mean?

Yes, that is the symbol for the spare magazine. The primary magazine has all the same markings, without the "+".

Hm, interesting ... Really appreciate your help :)

Another question: Isn't C/c/U a commercial proof mark?
I've found a thread called 'Basic Properties of Lugers in Mauser 'V' Series' on Gunboards.com that mentiones this (paragraph no. 25), but I feel like I'm mising something.

Yes, these last Mauser banners were produced ostensibly for the civilian market, but were diverted to Police service by the Nazi regime.