[mrerick]

Hi Mike and welcome to the forum.

Because of the soft focus and lighting issues it is very hard to give you accurate evaluation of your 42 byf (Mauser made) Luger sn 4449l.

It looks like there might be finish issues on the rear metal of the handgrip area. If the finish is thin there and showing active rust (red oxide), it will impact the valuation.

This Luger was very well made, with excellent metallurgy.

It also looks like there is a small chip missing from the top right of the left side grip panel. That can be repaired.

If your magazine has a wood base, it's from a period prior to about 1933, after which mainly aluminum and bakelite bases were used.

I think that $1500 may be at the higher end of valuation of these problems are present.

With that said, you have a very nice Luger that is collectible and it should sell quickly within the collector market.

Avoid local gun stores and the auction sites unless you have experience with them. If you list it here, you should be able to quickly sell it. Just take normal precautions, and ensure it's transferred legally in both your state and where ever you sell it.

Note that you can deal with a holder of a Federal Firearms License anywhere in the USA, and ship it directly to them. This includes dealers (class 01 licenses) and collectors (class 03 Curio and Relic licenses).

Marc

Marc