[Mauser720]

GregWAZ -

In regard to your question: "Curious (since I am learning), should all numbers be identical - meaning the body and barrel extension have 896 and the rest is 96? Is that normal? Any known reason?"

If I understand your question, the answer is that when the Luger came off the assembly line, all of its serially numbered parts did match in this way. There were a lot of hand fitting operations involved in the manufacturing of a Luger. And by serially numbering certain parts, all the original parts could be kept with the same Luger when it was cleaned and/or being worked on, etc.

Usually the last two digits of the serial number would be stamped on all the smaller parts that were numbers. So if the serial number of your Luger is "896" and you also have "96" stamped on all the other parts that were supposed to be numbered (please see Ed's list above), you have what is known as a "matching" Luger.

Certain parts can make a difference in whether the Luger reliably functions. So it made good sense to try to keep a gun assembled with all its original parts. Of course as these guns were used and as time went by, it became less and less likely that a Luger would survive with all its original parts.

So collectors look for Lugers which have all matching numbers. A single mismatched part greatly reduces the value of a Luger to a collector. And if you can find one that even has a matching magazine, then there is an additional premium for that too.

Hope this answers your question.