"Bring back" vs. original
The fact that a gun was brought back by a veteran does not mean that it is a factory original piece. Yes, there was a post war "cottage industry" in Germany where skilled gunsmiths and metal workers catered to G.I.`s. Most of the plated Luger and P. 38 pistols were done in the immediate postwar era and brought back by veterans. The G.I. had a shiny pistol and the German gunsmith had some U.S. dollars (frowned upon) or some barter goods such as a carton of cigarettes. Many years ago, a longtime MAUSER employee wrote me of a gunsmith he knew who made dies to order and marked guns (mostly K98k`s and a few P. 38`s) with SS markings: runes, skull/bones, etc. for the occupation troops. He said the Americans were "crazy for SS stuff." A veteran bring back from W II--yes. Original--no. As always, BE CAREFUL.
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