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Old 01-03-2009, 12:31 PM   #1
MCNJ
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Default Help with 1936 Holster ID

I had recently purchased this holster as an inexpensive companion to my luger....
It had old repairs to the flap stictching and a hanger. Upon close examination, I see that the normal belt stctches were there.....so some where along the line they were possibly removed and the leather to hold the hanger piece replaced or modified.
The holster is black, but you can see signs of brown under.
Overall it is in nice display condition.
Just on top/under the back leather for the hanger I can see a stamp
Heidleberg 1936 and what appears to be WILN Brand but it is hard to make out.
Does anyone have any ideas to ID this as original and if the hanger was ever used

Hopefully, the photos upload........lol

Thanks in advance Mike
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Old 01-03-2009, 01:03 PM   #2
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All,
I just found Wilh Brand Heidleberg in the WW1 makers post.......Could they have still been making holsters in 1936? And still have questions on the hanger set-up

Thanks
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Old 01-03-2009, 02:30 PM   #3
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I like the Norwegian holsters because of their history. The Norwegians are a pragmatic people and when the Germans left all their equipment behind they decided to put it to good use, rather than throw it away. Through the Marshall Aid Plan they received additional equipment from the USA, so their Army and later their Reserves were equipped using the most optimal combination in my opinion: US field gear and German guns.

So the loops of the holsters were cut away and a leather strap with a US belt hanger was rivited on. I display one of my holsters attached to a US-style web belt with carrying straps from Norwegian stock. You may want to contact Steinar Aalberg (member Morgan Kane). He still has a number of these NOS Norwegian belts and can probably get you one if you're interested.

The holsters themselves can be found in any going German configuration, I have Norwegian holsters dating from 1916 until 1940. Most are used quite well (up to the mid 1980s) but clean up nicely when you get the old build-up of shoepolish off them. I use a combination of general glass cleaner and alcohol to slowly loosen up the shoe polish layer and get to the original coating underneath. You have to be careful not to brush/wipe too strongly or it will damage the finish underneath, but by just doing a little at the time it's possible to restore the original lustre of the holster, even the threads will go back to their original light color. Then it's just a matter of some good shoe brush action to make them presentable again.

The example shown is a 1916 dated example, with a bekleidungsamt marking in the flap, modified by the Norwegians.
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Old 01-03-2009, 02:35 PM   #4
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ps: The company of Wilhelm Brandt in Heidelberg appears to have been specialized in leather driving belts originally. These belts were used to drive production machinery from a single power source, usually steam engine or water works driven in the early days, electrically driven later on.

The name is encountered on WW2 equipment and a company with the same name is still located in Heidelberg, so I guess it's safe to say that they were active during WW2 as well.
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Old 01-03-2009, 04:17 PM   #5
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Vlim.........Thanks.
That is the identical hanger! Was $60 reasonable for it? Or has that modification devalued it too much.

I thought it better than a repro!

Thanks Mike
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Old 01-03-2009, 04:25 PM   #6
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Mike,

You got it at a bargain price. The going rate is 70 - 150 Euros over here.
I purchased two holsters for 70 each at a recent show and they needed quite some TLC to clean up to an acceptable standard, there were nice holsters underneath the crud.

Some people choose to have them restored, but I believe that restoring them by adding loops and plugging the rivetholes makes them neither one nor the other. The Norwegian variation is a genuine, documented variation and has it's place in history, although many still curse them for ruining perfectly good German holsters
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