Bakelite mag Question

[John D.]

Hi Peter,

I dunno â?? one thing Iâ??ve learned in learning about Lugers after all these years â?? is itâ??s difficult to deal in â??absolutesâ?�. Frank is correct â?? that itâ??s the wrong issued magazine(s) for that period â?? and on the other hand, Mr. Still shows exactly one like yours in his book, remarking that they were often field replacements. Iâ??m at the office â?? but will try to find the reference for you â?? (and a crass plug, if you donâ??t have a copy of Mr. Stillâ??s books â?? BUY a set! They are excellent! Mine sit on my nightstand). My point here is that every time I have stated that a variation doesnâ??t exist â?? invariably, I read, see or examine one that disproves my â??absoluteâ?�. To me, collecting Lugers is a journey into learning â?? as the variations, combination and permutations boggle my mind.

However, as for the date in your flap. Honestly â?? who knows???? A few questions and personal observations though (which may prove to be wrong â?? as I can only see the pictures, rather then the holster in person..)â?¦ It doesnâ??t appear to be a latter pen style, as there donâ??t appear to be traces of indenting the leather or the â??rubâ?� marks caused by a ball point pen (or that I can see?)? The ink, as it appears in the photos, and from the serifs of the characters, appears to be made from the nib of a fountain pen. Furthermore â?? to me, given the burnishing of the letters from the carrying of the Luger in the holster â?? didnâ??t smudge the characters, as a roller pen would do. So â?? it would look to me - like your holster was marked by the original owner, rather then the returning vet who was trying to imitate the German/European gothic script - given that the Luger appears to have actually "rubbed" characters off through carrying it in the holster and the gun "burnishing" the leather/writing from those high-spots.

About the actual date (7-11-44), again â?? WHO KNOWS?!?!!? Was that the date the flap was inscribed? Beats meâ?¦ For all I know â?? it was the date that the soldier was to visit his first brothel, or his motherâ??s birthday, or his wifeâ??s next birthday, or when he was anticipating going home., or â?? well, you get the idea.. The date I find interesting, but as a cursory interest, rather then proving/disproving the validity of the piece.

As for the mag stamps. If one is stamped to be a spurious attempt to inflate the RIG value, then why is only one mag stamped? As well â?? if that were the case, and as Frank notes â?? why would the *wrong* mags be used to begin with if this piece were inflated? So â?? I tend to believe that these are original to when this Luger was captured. Further, I also donâ??t believe that only KU mags were serialized â?? but believe others may well exist (see my first paragraph about â??absolutesâ?� )

For all that â?? I would like to know â??howâ?� these were stamped, and perhaps whyâ?¦?? Was it an armorer? The factory? I donâ??t know those either â?? but Iâ??m enjoying the conversation â?? and would like to know *how* they were marked without destroying the bakelite..???

Oh â?? and my last thought about Luger collecting??? My mind is like a parachute â?? it works best when it stays openâ?¦. And yep â?? I take some barbs as well for that philosophy, but thatâ??s OKâ?¦!!!!

Just my $0.000000002