opinions on an AE on Gunbroker

[paradox998]

Any opinions on the 1900 AE on Gunbroker. The auction number is 82936583. The piece looks almost too good in terms of blue and strawing. Any opinions on whether it was been rebluded? Also did not see any halo on barrel serial numbers.

[Ron Wood]

A nice looking quite early American Eagle. It almost certainly is a restoration, or at a minimum a "touch up". The grips may not be original to the gun and definitely have been re-checkered...they are ill fitting (too much frame showing around the grips) and there are run-together lines on the checkering. For the most part, the blueing looks pretty good, but some of the parts that should be fire blued look rust blued. These early guns generally do not exhibit a halo around the barrel serial number...something to do with the metallurgy and the fact that the number is stamped on the barrel flange rather than further out on the straight section. However, in this case, I would say that the lack of a halo is the result of restoration rather than metallurgy.

The early American Eagle Lugers from around serial number 2021 (a hundred numbers lower than this one) to around 2199 have the distinctive "Swiss cross" barrel proof as this one does. It is only 15 numbers away from an example that I own, so I have a pretty good basis for comparison.

Your observation that it is "too good" is valid in my opinion.

[Dwight Gruber]

Pictures 1, 2: The grip plates do not extend all the way to the edges of the grip frames.

Picture 3: The front sight is not fire blued.

Picture 4: The front toggle pin is not fire blued. The recesses of the checking in the takedown lever are polished bright and freshly strawed into their recesses.

Picture 5. The checking in the thumb safety lever is polished bright and strawed to its depth. The safety indication is polished beyond its routed edge. The grip cutout for the thumb safety lever is offset from the lever itself.

Picture 13: The DWM inscription apprears slightly "weak".

Picture 22: The GERMANY stamp has no halo. (Barrel serial numbers on these guns do not usually display halo.)


These features indicate to me that this gun has been refinished and the grips are not original and not DWM-made. There are other features, suggested by the photographs, which would require hands-on examination to confirm.

That said, this is a rather nice restoration, and a very early gun (sn 2121). If it goes for a moderate price it will be a good deal.

--Dwight

Ron beat me to it.

[LugerVern]

I need to ask another beginners question.
I am still trying to learn about AEâ??s and just about every time I study another example something confuses me.

Is the take down lever suppose to be serialized on the right side? I thought there were only two variations, now I see three?

Thanks

Vern

[Pete Ebbink]

Straw sure has a 1-dimensional look to its finish as well.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...?Item=82936583

[Dwight Gruber]

Vern,

Your question is answered in some detail here http://forum.lugerforum.com/showthre...threadid=17658

--Dwight

[Ron Wood]

Vern,

Yes, there are three variations in takedown lever numbering. If you go to the "Research Archive" section and read Dwight Gruber's excellent essay on Commercial Lugers, he does a wonderful job of discussing various physical variations. The following is an extract or the portion on takedown lever numbering:

"Takedown lever numbers

One of the common â??understandingsâ?� about Model 1900 Lugers is that the takedown lever serial number was located on the right-round end until sometime after the U.S. Test Eagle series, at which time it moved to the bottom edge. From the examples reporting this characteristic, this is not the case at all. The serial number is indeed found on the end for the first approximately 3,000 guns, after which it is found on the bottom edge.

Sometime around sn 6000 the takedown number returns to the right end. Between sn 7094 and sn 7108 the number migrates to the left face of the takedown lever. Between sn 7775 and sn 7857 the number returns to the bottom edge. From sn 8348 to at least sn 8678 the number returns to the right end, with at least one reported on the bottom. From sn 8977the number returns to the bottom edge, where it remains for the next 28 years of DWM Commercial production."

[Ha! Dwight beat me to the draw on this one! ]

[cirelaw]

Wow, I love a good autopcy!!

[LugerVern]

Thanks Ron & Dwight!

I don't know why I had the wrong information stuck in my head, and I have read Dwight's essay several times. Well at least I knew enough to ask.

I better read it a few more times! I am so embarrassed!

Vern

[Edward Tinker]

Vern, don't be embarrased, I ask Dwight and Ron the same questions, again and again... they patiently tell me again and again


Ed

[paradox998]

Hat's off to the experts. I am always amazed at the depth on knowledge freely given on this forum. I know I learn a great deal from reading the posts here. Special thanks to Ron, Dwight, and Pete for their time.

[c3006]

I had allready asked this seller if the grips had been recheckerd before getting to this thread, No answer yet. I to feel it looks to good to be true but you never know. clint

[paradox998]

I asked the seller several days ago (before starting this thread) if the piece had been reblued. He never answered. Sometimes silence speaks volumes.