? regarding value of a DWM 1916/1920 marked luger

[myarosh]

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and I apologize if I'm violating any forum rules or etiquette.

This is not for sale, and is not mine. Its an extended family member's who knows I'm into guns. He wants to know the value for two reasons; Insurance and to make sure he's fair when he puts it into his will.
I'm into Glocks and Sigs, not lugers, but was still willing to help. I searched the web and found this site and hope you can help.

This is a 1916/1920 dual date DWM luger. It appears to have all matching parts, and a single magazine.

Here is the BIG kicker - The thing had been gold plated. Every part except the magazine base and grips. (the wood parts)

The bore looks clean, and its been shot after being plated.

Can someone give me an idea of what the value is? And what it would have been had it not been plated.

I've field stripped it to get all the info I can; Part #'s taken from Numrich schematic. - Proof links below

#2 â?? Barrel - 5878 on Bottom, near frame mount. 8,82 smaller below it. Line linking barrel and frame.
Left side: "Proof 1", with another proof below, crown with part of a circle and the left side of a letter. Unreadable due to plating.
Right Side: Proof 2 , except itâ??s a N, not M.
#3 â?? Frame â?? 1920, 1916 on top.
Left side5878
Right side - Proof 3 , and Proof 2 , except itâ??s a N, not M.
Several marks on/around lug â?? Including N on the lug, U on the right, J and N on left, and partial letter near the line linking barrel and frame.
#5 â?? 78 on left side receiver axle.
# 7 â?? 78 on trigger bar.
#13 â?? Toggle link â??Rear â?? Crown, Part of a letter, maybe a B or D, with a partial circle under. 78 on rear.
D and F on left underside, 58 and N on right underside.
#14 â?? Toggle Axle â?? 0,05 or D,05 on right side.
#16 â?? DWM Script and 78 on top.
#17 â?? Breech bolt â?? 78 on inside.
#21 â?? Extractor â?? 78 on top, GELADEN on inside left.
#25 â?? Frame â?? 5878 on front near where frame meets.
R on left side covered by trigger plate, G near trigger, faint, Proff 2 , except itâ??s a N, not M.on right side above trigger.
S.L. Pol. 358? â??Xâ?�â?? out on front strap. S.P.L on front heel.
#26 â?? Hold open latch - 78
#33 â?? Locking bolt - 78
#35 â?? Trigger Plate/Side plage â?? 78 on outside, 58 and Y on inside.
#38 â?? Trigger â?? 78 on right side.
#41 â?? Safety Bar - 78 on right side.
#42 â?? Safety Catch â?? 78 on top.

Magazine â?? Number on wood unreadable due to lacquer.

Proof 1 - http://www.gunsworld.com/p08/p08_proof2_us.html #19, first one
Proof 2 - http://www.gunsworld.com/p08/p08_proof_us.html #10 middle

Proof 3 - http://www.gunsworld.com/p08/p08_proof2_us.html #15

I'll try to get a pic of it.

Any assistance is appreciated.

Mike

[Edward Tinker]

Mike, I don't even have to look at the your info , being plated, whether gold, silver or nickle will only appeal to some folks. Value on a plated gun is about $450 - $650, maybe more if someone is taken by the "gold" color.

Value, unplated from $650-$1100, maybe more if it had been in really, really nice shape (I sold one recently for $1500 that is really nice, have another one like it), usually police in really nice shape sell for around $1000-$1300.


It is a police gun, was originally army, then taken into police service (the S.P.L. is known to me, I have a SPD marked luger)


Ed

[myarosh]

At this point - 'tis a shooter I guess.
Oh well - Not my gun.

I've also recently seen a M1 carbine, paratrooper model that was chrome plated.

Why, Why, Why would people do these things to these guns?

Oh well, the ruthless hand of ignorance strikes again.

Mike

[GerColctor]

Mike

These pistols came home after WWII and the M-1 maybe after Korea. Chorm plating was a big deal in those years between 1946 into the early 70s, just look at the bumpers on the cars.

There were many relatively small machine/manufacturing shops that had plating rooms. All as the former GI needed was a "friend" in the plating room. Once plated with chrom or nickle the weapon looked "cool". Never saw one gold plated. Some where also plated in Europe.

If this Luger is actually plated with real gold then the pistol's owner should reverse the process and extract that valuable material to sell, all the price of gold is high. I doubt that it is covered in real gold, as that would have been expensive no matter when it was done.

You see these plated pistols for sale all of the time, usually with the "story" that they were captured from a high ranking SS officer or an Army general. Others are "reported" to have been carried by Captains of a U-Boats. Total "BS". The "stories" are attached to these plated guns in order to try to enhanse their selling price and there is always some fool buyer out there who will "purchase" the "bs story", not look at the item. Then they post on a forum like this and discover how they were taken by seller with the "story".

As Ed mentioned above, the plating cuts the price (value) by about 50%.

As you mentioned above; "Not my gun". At least you didn't get burned.
Joe

[Went Blakely]

Is there any chance or occasions where the original german owner of a luger pistol, has had them chromed or nickeled, back in the day, or was this against the book?

[GerColctor]

It was not allowed. Nobody would be permitted to chrome or nickle goverment property. Why would they do it?

This gun was originally issued to the Imperial military in 1916 and subsequently marked to the Weimar government 1920.

1920 is a Weimar government ownership mark, not a date. 1916 was the manufacture date of this pistol.

This question comes up all of the time.
Joe