1938 Erfurt?

[Military Engineer]

Originally Posted by Vlim

Hi,

I would value a Vopo above a 'shooter grade parts gun' and 1100 would not be unreasonable to me.

Originally Posted by spangy

Here is what I think and the following opinion is what I would do and does not apply to anyone else so act accordingly.

I agree with Vlim ... a 'shooter grade parts gun' ... is a perfect description of this Vopo gun.
While many Luger aficionados find the 'Vopo' ugly its the history behind the gun that makes the Vopo collectable and important IMO.

There are distinct eras in German history marked by changes to the Luger's story.
Imperial Germany, the Weimar Republic, Nazi Germany and the East German Democratic Republic(Vopo era).

I think that $1100 dollars is not too high a price as I believe these guns will only increase in value.
I also believe that Luger's are better than money as money just sits there while a Luger gives you enjoyment every time you see or use it.

It is not as if you will have lost $xxxx dollars, the money is still there retrievable in an appreciating asset.

Appreciate all. So I took the plunge and bought it. Since I bought a second pistol (a Model 19 S&W), the Luger worked out to be about $1000. The date on the chamber is actually 1939, not 1938, so maybe that means something, maybe not as far as history and value.

The two mags have matching serials, although only one has the letter designator to match the pistol frame, ie "xxxx o (15th letter of the alphabet in cursive script)" on mag bottom. The other mag only has the matching 4 digit number. The numbers don't seem to be stamped by the same machine (the numbers are smaller on the matching mag then the other one) but one mag has the 2/1001 on the spine and the other (the one completely matching the gun) has "fxo" at the bottom of the mag body on the side.

Fired 4 x 2 rounds (checked it in 4 magazines including the originals) and it worked flawlessly. Other than the forward part of the toggle train and firing pin, the numberrs all appear to match, though sadly, I forgot to check the bottom of the barrel.

Thank you guys for all the advice. I just like to kbnow the history of little things like this when I buy them...mainly because it ads to the mystery of it all.

Mark