Wolfganggo,
you should be very proud of this treasure because you personally know something of its history. The 1915 dated artillery is one of those hard to find years for collectors because fewer of them were manufactured. The adjustable 'with screws' front and rear sights add just a little more maucho to the gun. Your artillery doesn't look like its been altered by rebluing or restrawing and that makes it more desirable to collectors.
So much for the over view of the gun, and now the details. There were only 15,000 1915 dated artilleries manufactured . This compares to 20,000 1916's and 90,000 1917's. Since the 1915 was produced early during the war, many were destroyed in combat. Others were lost by the returning allies who were told they would be punished if they were caught bringing captured guns back to their countries. So the soldiers simply threw them over the sides of the returning boats. Also, at one time, the Luger pistol was a very common gun and not considered to be something that is collectible to gun enthusists. As a result, many were destroyed by police departments because they were used in crimes or they were simply just abused by their owners. The list of reasons as to why these guns have disappeared is long. The list of people who are collecting them is also long and growing longer.
The Luger is sort of unique in that so many are dated or otherwise marked to indicate their period in history. I often surprise myself when I think of the simularities between Luger collecting and coin collecting. Both can be dated and both have their values determined on originality and condition. A quick look at your artillery seems to indicate to me that it is mostly all original. Please do not try to make it look more pretty by having someone improve its appearance. It looks just fine.
The adjustible screws on the front and rear sights on your pistol were on the earlier artillery Lugers. They were eliminated sometime during the 1917 production/contract year. As a collector and admirer of these pistols, I think that it adds a little something to the general appearance of the gun. But thats just my personal feelings.
The mismatched grips on you gun are possibly original for the period but simply mismatched for the gun. Since they are original, that does give them some value but do not really significantly diminish the over all value of the gun. Try not to get any oil on the wood while cleaning. This will cause the wood to darken and eventually rot. Be very careful when removing the grips. There is a place on the left hand side by the thumb safety that can break off very easy because the wood is very old and very dry. To collectors, this is known as the million dollar break. Some say it can be fixed, some say it can not be. But its best to not break it in the first place. When removing the left grip, I find it better to remove the magazine and gently push the grips out from magazine well with your finger.
I hope that this helps you. Keep your artillery well oiled and enjoy the shooting.
Big Norm
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