Holster questions......

Hi,

The book by Jan Still IMPERIAL LUGERS discusses a 1916 order that all (luger) holsters be dyed black. There are many early holsters dyed black on front but not dyed on back. There are as many or more that were not dyed at all. There are also quite a few holsters dyed or shoe-polished black by bubba's here in the US to either pretty or sell a holster. The ink stamp that is on the inside top lid may be the army distribution center stamp. They typically look like "BAXIII" and I was informally told this indicates a Bavarian Army depot. The Germans were not a national army during WW1 but were separate armies from different German provinces such as Bavaria. I have seen only one holster that was depot stamped that did not start with a BA. You may also see unit ink stamps such as "JR16" or similar which indicates infantry regiment 16. The 5.3 on your holster back means something like 5th infantry regiment gun 3, or 5th company gun 3.


If your holster is stiff, dry and scuffed it may be unmessed with and that is rare.