Some of the 1st Issue Altered Lugers had the original safety marking faced off quite neatly and the gun was refinished at the time of the alteration, so that you really have to look close to see that the marking has been removed. However, original safety markings were all upper case "GESICHERT", whereas the altered markings are upper and lower case "Gesichert"! That is how you can quickly spot a 1st Issue Altered from a 2nd Issue. The practice of using upper and lower case for the altered markings is also found on some of the few 1903/04 Navy examples that had been modified.
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If it's made after 1918...it's a reproduction
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