Jim,
So what you are looking at is an Erfurt which was "commercialized" after the war (chamber date ground away; Crown/N stamp over the serial number in the proper place for a commercial proof) and then converted to police use (addition of a sear safety).
That being the case, some additional questions come to mind.
What is the overall finish of the gun like? Does there appear to be much wear? How strong is the straw on the strawed parts? Are the interior surfaces of the pistol blued or white?
We presume at this point (police gun) that it is 9mm. What marks appear on the barrel--bottom, left, right? Is there a witness mark on the barrel as well ason the frame?
Does the gun have any unit marks stamped on the grip strap?
Do the grips match the gun? Look inside, they should have Erfurt inspector stamps and the gun's serial#.
Could you describe the magazine--nickled, blued, extruded steel? Any marks on it? What is the magazine base made of, wood? aluminum? plastic? and what marks are on it, if any?
There's no good answer for your price question yet, but the answers to these questions will help a lot in determining it. There seems to be some regionality in "street prices" for Lugers, do you know what Lugers in Florida are selling for, in general, in the condition of the one you are looking at? I'm not talking about online or auction sales, but rather, gun show, dealer, or private party sales. There are some other members of this Forum who are Floridians, they may be able to weigh in with some information.
To my mind, this Luger is sounding more and more interesting all the time...
--Dwight
|