A Paul Mauser photo can tell us many things…

mauro · 01-27-2019, 05:06 AM

Quite long time ago, when discussing with Jon Speed the Paul Mauser prototype target rifle, Jon passed to me a copy of this great photo he has in original.

Of course, initially the interest was focalised by Paul and his experimental rifle…

However, a more detailed analysis tell us many things….

First of all this is the only picture, I have seen with Paul and some of his children (Paul had 12 children); this photo was taken in front of the Oberndorf shooting club with the others members of the club.

With great pleasure of people interested in the Mauser Turkish rifle, you can see on the left Major Mahmoud Fethi that we encounter in many activities related to the rifle testing of the Ottoman Committee in Oberndorf.

One key person is missing in this photo, it is the Paul Mauser wife Maria Magdalena Spiegelhalter (1843-1908) and this is a pity because this photo was taken for the 25th year of marriage (Silver Wedding) on the 6th of June 1892. From the Paul Mauser diaries, we learn that Paul had a very good relationship with his wife.

If you look attentively, you can notice that Paul himself and the others members of the shooting club wear a medal. In those days, it was quite normal to offer medals for special occasions. We know, for example, the medal offered by the Turkish Committee to Paul and others personalities, in Oberndorf, for the 18th years of the reign of the Sultan Abdul Hamid II; the medal offered to Paul in 1908 for his 70th birthday and so on…

Now the last discover, on the right you see one of the medals, in the Paul Mauser Archive, worn by Paul and the people in the photo, offered by/to the shooting club members to celebrate the Paul and Maria Silver Wedding.

It is a very nice medal and on the front, you see the interlaced letters PM, not for Paul Mauser but for Paul and Maria!

Wondering what else this picture will unveil in the future...

George Anderson · 01-27-2019, 10:19 AM

Great stuff Mauro. Thanks.

Sergio Natali · 01-27-2019, 11:11 AM

Thanks Mauro, your posts are always interesting and I always find something to learn.

01-27-2019, 05:06 AM	#1
mauro FIREARM HISTORIAN AND AUT Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Belgium Posts: 1,535 Thanks: 106 Thanked 349 Times in 129 Posts	A Paul Mauser photo can tell us many things… Quite long time ago, when discussing with Jon Speed the Paul Mauser prototype target rifle, Jon passed to me a copy of this great photo he has in original. Of course, initially the interest was focalised by Paul and his experimental rifle… However, a more detailed analysis tell us many things…. First of all this is the only picture, I have seen with Paul and some of his children (Paul had 12 children); this photo was taken in front of the Oberndorf shooting club with the others members of the club. With great pleasure of people interested in the Mauser Turkish rifle, you can see on the left Major Mahmoud Fethi that we encounter in many activities related to the rifle testing of the Ottoman Committee in Oberndorf. One key person is missing in this photo, it is the Paul Mauser wife Maria Magdalena Spiegelhalter (1843-1908) and this is a pity because this photo was taken for the 25th year of marriage (Silver Wedding) on the 6th of June 1892. From the Paul Mauser diaries, we learn that Paul had a very good relationship with his wife. If you look attentively, you can notice that Paul himself and the others members of the shooting club wear a medal. In those days, it was quite normal to offer medals for special occasions. We know, for example, the medal offered by the Turkish Committee to Paul and others personalities, in Oberndorf, for the 18th years of the reign of the Sultan Abdul Hamid II; the medal offered to Paul in 1908 for his 70th birthday and so on… Now the last discover, on the right you see one of the medals, in the Paul Mauser Archive, worn by Paul and the people in the photo, offered by/to the shooting club members to celebrate the Paul and Maria Silver Wedding. It is a very nice medal and on the front, you see the interlaced letters PM, not for Paul Mauser but for Paul and Maria! Wondering what else this picture will unveil in the future... Attached Thumbnails __________________ Mauro Baudino - www.lugerlp08.com www.paul-mauser-archive.com Mauser Company and Firearm Historian - Mauser Parabellum Certification Service.

01-27-2019, 11:11 AM	#3
Sergio Natali User Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Somewhere in Northern Italy Posts: 2,646 Thanks: 1,082 Thanked 1,783 Times in 1,007 Posts	Thanks Mauro, your posts are always interesting and I always find something to learn. __________________ "Originality can't be restored and should be at the top of any collector's priority list.

01-27-2019, 10:19 AM	#2
George Anderson Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: VA Posts: 3,592 Thanks: 1,772 Thanked 2,527 Times in 786 Posts	Great stuff Mauro. Thanks.