Tell me what I have in a 1918 Erfurt
 

At an estate auction, I bought this 1918 Erfurt with clip and they said original holster and tool. I gave $1400, but I don't know a thing about it. I want to know what you think of it and if I got a decent deal. I have a wall of military guns and thought this would fit in that very well.
thanks and hope the pictures help.

here are more pictures.

I can't read the clip number, but the rest is a nicely worn Erfurt P 08, with a good 1915 holster and a marked tool.

I'd say you did very well on the package.

Assuming that the toggle says "Erfurt" on it and the internals and grips match, I'd say you done OK. It shows lots of bluing loss, probably a result of over-aggressive cleaning, but all-in-all a nice looking old war horse for your wall.
Congratulations!
dju

I think this is pretty well on the money. But I think, due to the pitting (likely from improper storage in the holster), that someone scrubbed the barrel too much while cleaning it. So, it's either a minor collectible with a bit of a pit/finish issue (if otherwise matching) or a really nice matching shooter. I'd buy it as a starter Erfurt example, no problem. One of the rust blue guys could touch up that barrel and side plate, and Jerry Burney could chase down the missing stitches on that nice holster. It is brown, which is desirable, and a great part of the package.

No one has so far has mentioned this caveat: Be careful not to shoot it. If you do, you will be hooked!

thanks: the bluing Is worn off of only one side of the barrel so not sure if it is holster wear or what. I cant read the numbers very well on the clip either. But vaguely looks right. But I also cant find much of anything as far as numbers inside the grips.

I am not sure about numbers on the grips, but look in our FAQ that Marc enhanced for us.

The gun itself, the price is a bit high, unless thats a matching mag, than you didn't do bad.
Very nice looking holster, love the color. Is that a hole in the mag pouch? If no, then the holster itself is worth $250-$300 - if yes, than $150-$200
The loading tool is erfurt marked too, thats another $100

So, overall, you did good ! :)

Ed

There is no hole in the mag pouch and the stitching looks all good to me.. I am pretty sure the mag matches as it looks like the last 2 digits are 43.

It's not. Someone took sandpaper to the barrel to remove some minor rust/pitting, causing magnitudes more damage in the process. I just looked a an otherwise decent Webley revolver someone did the exact thing to.

Why does it matter what caused the loss of blue on the barrel?
It is gone.

It would matter to me if it was hard-earned battlefield wear vs. rust and negligence, or general stupidity. Battlefield wear and tear excites the imagination and lends itself to authenticity, carelessness and stupidity by non-combatants, not so much.
dju

Well, if one could know - I see your point; but my point is we can never know what caused it(unless one did it himself).:confused:

It's almost 100 years old.
One can sit around all night and make up stories.
It is what it is.
I have an opinion on battlefield excitement, but I'll keep it to myself.

I would like to hear it..lol

I think you did real well on the price for this old warhorse rig. I really like the markings on what appears to be a very nice WWI holster. Great leather. Nice photos also. Thanks for sharing.

Like the replies above, I don't think that you got hurt, financially, on your purchase. If that mag is matching, then you did more then o.k. in my view. It is an excellent example of a war trophy!! It will look great with your other weapons.

Sending another picture of the number on the clip. I am pretty sure I can see all four digits but I can make out the last two as 43 if not the last one at 3 so I am hoping that the clip goes with the gun and that is what the auctioneer made us believe.

I really appreciate all of you comments/

Still can't read it.
Post a picture of the mag from the side, showing the top - both sides including the button.

OK here you go..

what you can sometimes do, is take a really nice close up, at highest pixel, then CROP down to just the bottom. Then you can adjust the colors, etc.

We have seen the basic bottom, so cropping it all the way to about a 1/4 around the number on each side works fairly well...