Opinions and value estimate 1937 S/42

[Doubs]

Originally Posted by Deputywood

Please correct me if I missed something. I didn't see a suffix letter, so I would think this is a very early 1937 Mauser. If so, it should be rust blued and straw. My understanding is Mauser did not switch to hot salt blue and no straw parts until later into the year and serial number run.

Mauser did not continue the old system of beginning each year with blocks of 10,000 starting with 1 ~ 10,000 no suffix. Regardless of where they were in production, they continued into the new year without breaking sequence. Thus, for example, if 1939 ended with Luger serial number 1234a, the first Luger of 1940 would be serial number 1235a. That means that a no suffix serial number could have been made at any time throughout the year and not necessarily in January.

I don't have my Jan Still chart in front of me but the approximate date the subject Luger was made can be determined from it. It is, by all appearance, a second variation; i.e., all blued.