1906 American Eagle 9mm

sdmark777 · 05-01-2018, 05:02 PM

I guess I will make it American Eagle day and offer up this 1906 American Eagle, 9mm, all matching, original finish, 93% blue, 50% straw, plain wood magazine bottom, nice bore, nice grips with just a couple of flat spots. Nice clean example of the rarer 9 mm version. I can't make out stamping inside rear of magazine well, see last pic. It might be "Prvt" but I am not sure. I know some think a P and/or Prvt stamp in the mag well were for private purchase by officers. Appreciate anyone who could say what other stamp this might be as I don't see the sense in it being a private purchase, since it is an AE for export?? It is probably some other stamp, I just can not make it out. Any help appreciated. Enjoy, Mark

sdmark777 · 05-01-2018, 05:03 PM

More pics, Total 13

Ron Wood · 05-01-2018, 05:58 PM

Mark
I like your taste in Lugers! I checked my '06 9mm American Eagle and there are no markings in the mag well. But, although it makes no sense for an American Eagle, the marks on your gun, to my eye, are indeed PRV! (Click each image to enlarge it)
Ron

sdmark777 · 05-01-2018, 08:26 PM

Thanks Ron. I like that 1900 AE of yours, looks like it is a nice one from what I could see (ref. other thread on 1900 AE). So lets say the stamp is Prv. If we believe the theory that this indicated private purchase by officers of lugers bought up by the German Military, what would that mean? A German officer running around with an American Eagle stamped Luger? Or what was intended as a private purchase reassigned to American export? I guess this leads to the question of who stamped Prv? DWM or the Military or???? Or the Prv stamp means nothing at all about private purchase and means something else all together?? Its all theory and conjecture I guess.

Ron Wood · 05-01-2018, 08:32 PM

Mark,
It is an enigma for sure. I have no theory/guess at this time. I have emailed a link to this post to a couple of folks I respect that have Prv marked Lugers to elicit their ideas. Stay tuned!
Ron

sdmark777 · 05-01-2018, 09:15 PM

OK. Looking forward to it. Thanks, Mark

DonVoigt · 05-01-2018, 11:16 PM

No reason a German officer could not buy an AE luger, is there? Perhaps an individual had a connection to the US, after all we were not at war until 1918?

Your AE is perhaps as difficult or maybe not so difficult to explain than my AE-Vopo!

sdmark777 · 05-02-2018, 02:05 AM

Interesting AE VOPO, I just read your post about it. Mark

Dwight Gruber · 05-02-2018, 08:50 AM

I agree with Ron about your very fine Lugers.

The PRV = Private-purchase is a most controversial topic. I must opine that it is speculative beyond the support of documentation, logic, and German orthography.

--Dwight

JTD · 05-02-2018, 09:47 AM

First off, nifty Luger!!! You don't see one of them every day!! The only thing I can say is that a private purchase is just that, and the owner may have very well bought an A.E. and it got marked. I am of the belief that the "Prv" or a "p" is a mark of private purchase, but cannot show hard documentation to back it up. I would have asked one of three people about this one, and two of them have posted already. I will just sit here and scratch my head while waiting for Geo to offer an opinion. The only thing I see wrong with that 06 A.E. is it is not mine!!! Thanks for the post, and Ron, thanks for the heads up, John

sdmark777 · 05-02-2018, 12:09 PM

Thanks guys. Appreciate the input about the Prv stamp. Mark

05-01-2018, 08:32 PM	#5
Ron Wood Moderator 2010 LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Santa Teresa New Mexico just outside of the West Texas town of El Paso Posts: 7,051 Thanks: 1,119 Thanked 5,286 Times in 1,728 Posts	Mark, It is an enigma for sure. I have no theory/guess at this time. I have emailed a link to this post to a couple of folks I respect that have Prv marked Lugers to elicit their ideas. Stay tuned! Ron __________________ If it's made after 1918...it's a reproduction

05-01-2018, 08:26 PM	#4
sdmark777 User Join Date: Apr 2018 Posts: 301 Thanks: 721 Thanked 705 Times in 186 Posts	Thanks Ron. I like that 1900 AE of yours, looks like it is a nice one from what I could see (ref. other thread on 1900 AE). So lets say the stamp is Prv. If we believe the theory that this indicated private purchase by officers of lugers bought up by the German Military, what would that mean? A German officer running around with an American Eagle stamped Luger? Or what was intended as a private purchase reassigned to American export? I guess this leads to the question of who stamped Prv? DWM or the Military or???? Or the Prv stamp means nothing at all about private purchase and means something else all together?? Its all theory and conjecture I guess.

05-01-2018, 09:15 PM	#6
sdmark777 User Join Date: Apr 2018 Posts: 301 Thanks: 721 Thanked 705 Times in 186 Posts	OK. Looking forward to it. Thanks, Mark

05-02-2018, 02:05 AM	#8
sdmark777 User Join Date: Apr 2018 Posts: 301 Thanks: 721 Thanked 705 Times in 186 Posts	Interesting AE VOPO, I just read your post about it. Mark

05-02-2018, 08:50 AM	#9
Dwight Gruber User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 3,908 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1,330 Times in 435 Posts	I agree with Ron about your very fine Lugers. The PRV = Private-purchase is a most controversial topic. I must opine that it is speculative beyond the support of documentation, logic, and German orthography. --Dwight

05-02-2018, 09:47 AM	#10
JTD User Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: PA Posts: 428 Thanks: 218 Thanked 410 Times in 151 Posts	First off, nifty Luger!!! You don't see one of them every day!! The only thing I can say is that a private purchase is just that, and the owner may have very well bought an A.E. and it got marked. I am of the belief that the "Prv" or a "p" is a mark of private purchase, but cannot show hard documentation to back it up. I would have asked one of three people about this one, and two of them have posted already. I will just sit here and scratch my head while waiting for Geo to offer an opinion. The only thing I see wrong with that 06 A.E. is it is not mine!!! Thanks for the post, and Ron, thanks for the heads up, John

05-02-2018, 12:09 PM	#11
sdmark777 User Join Date: Apr 2018 Posts: 301 Thanks: 721 Thanked 705 Times in 186 Posts	Thanks guys. Appreciate the input about the Prv stamp. Mark