1917 Artillery Luger potential value

Lugernut123 · 04-29-2012, 01:57 PM

Hello all, I am new here.

I have yet to have a chance to take pics of this gun, but i had a couple of questions regarding my lugers worth. It appears to have matching serial numbers "5296", however;

1. Where would I find the serial number on the magazine and butt stock?

2. The strap at the bottom of the holster that holds the butt stock on is broken, how much does this decrease the value of it? It is otherwise in pretty good condition.

3. This is kind of a strage one. On the front part of the grip on the metal, underneat the trigger guard, my great grandfather etched his Social security number on it for ID purposes. I am wondering how much this would decrease the value of the Luger? Its otherwise in very nice condition. (From what I can tell, I will post pics soon)

Thanks

ithacaartist · 04-29-2012, 03:25 PM

John,

First, welcome to the forum! And congrats on obtaining a 1917 Arty! Judging by your username, you already know the potential peril for changing one's life that collecting Lugers can be. Others will with more hardcore experience and expertise will likely chime in, here, e.g. Jerry (Lugerholsterrepair) in response to the part of your query about the leather, but I'll have a whack at getting you started.

1) The numbers on the mag would be stamped on the wooden (properly)bottom. If the ser. number is followed by a "+" sign, the military style of indicating that it was the spare. If it's followed by a number, that would be police style.
The butt stock's iron should have a serial, maybe partial, number, and some proofs if military.

2)This one's for Jerry

3)Always remember value is in proportion its condition as it first saw daylight out of the factory door. Obviously, other factors affect value, as well, but you can see where this is going. Your gun has been messed with/defaced at least by the social security number. Technically, it's part of the gun's history, literally; It's your choice to keep it as is in remembrance of your great grandad, or arrange for its removal and refinishing. But bottom line is that it's a shooter because of this issue, albeit an all-matching shooter, which is indeed nice to have. Very generally, you should be able to buy/sell a nice shooter like this around $1k. Lugers, like everything else, vary as to the meeting points of where each is happily bought and sold.

The forum, like science, is self-correcting. As I post my comments, they will be reviewed by many whom I hope I am worthy of calling my peers. The responses will fine tune your situation over time. And, as you've already perceived, we love photos, optimal resolution for posting, and the clearer, the better. Combine this with as beefy a description as you can muster and everyone interested will do his or her best to help you learn about your pistol. They will never equal checking out a Luger in-hand, but give us all you've got! Read the forum like a glutton.

Have fun with it!

DP

p.s. Oops, almost forgot... My brother did the same thing to his Colt Python in the 70's. I think it was stolen at some point, so, gee, I guess having the number on it didn't stop the thieves--and, some thieves then had his SS#!! Some probably still don't know any better...

Lugernut123 · 04-29-2012, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ithacaartist

John,
First, welcome to the forum! Judging by your username, you already know the potential peril for changing one's life that collecting Lugers can be. Others will with more hardcore experience and expertise will likely chime in, here, e.g. Jerry (Lugerholsterrepair) in response to the part of your query about the leather, but I'll have a whack at getting you started.

1) The numbers on the mag would be stamped on the wooden (properly)bottom. If the ser. number is followed by a "+" sign, the military style of indicating that it was the spare. If it's followed by a number, that would be police style, and not correct for an Arty.
The butt stock's iron should have a serial, maybe partial, number, and some proofs if military.

2)This one's for Jerry

3)Always remember value is in proportion its condition as it first saw daylight out of the factory door. Obviously, other factors affect value, as well, but you can see where this is going. Your gun has been messed with/defaced at least by the social security number. Technically, it's part of the gun's history, literally; It's your choice to keep it as is in remembrance of your great grandad, or arrange for its removal and refinishing. But bottom line is that it's a shooter because of this issue, albeit an all-matching shooter, which is indeed nice to have. Very generally, you should be able to buy/sell a nice shooter like this around $1k. Lugers, like everything else, vary as to the meeting points of where they are happily bought and sold.

The forum, like science, is self-correcting. As I post my comments, they will be reviewed by many whom I hope I am worthy of calling my peers. The responses will fine tune your situation over time. And, always, we love photos, optimal resolution for posting, and the clearer, the better. They will never equal checking out a Luger in-hand, but give us all you've got!

Have fun with it!

DP

Thanks for the reply.

I do intend to keep it as its been in my family for 3 generations now. However its nice to know the value. I will get some pics up as soon as possible.

I assume the ~$1K would be for the gun itself, not including the holster + butt stock?

Thanks again.

ithacaartist · 04-29-2012, 04:03 PM

Me again... Great Googly-Moogly, I forgot that it's complete rig! Wowser, if this all matches, that's great. And I 'll admit my est. was way low for an Arty, now that I think about it a bit more. Ed Tinker once wrote, maybe a year ago, that he thought any Arty shooter would be $1k minimum, so add some hundreds if matching, and at least another thou for the holster/stock combo, if original. And I may well be corrected soon by others who have a better feeling for the current pulse of your rig.

Do you have the double mag pouch? And I'm pretty sure they were issued with a total of three mags, so you'd be looking for a "+' and a "++" for the two spares that initially inhabited the pouch when the rig was new.

Lugernut123 · 04-29-2012, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ithacaartist

Me again... Great Googly-Moogly, I forgot that it's complete rig! Wowser, if this all matches, that's great. And I 'll admit my est. was way low for an Arty, now that I think about it a bit more. Ed Tinker once wrote, maybe a year ago, that he thought any Arty shooter would be $1k minimum, so add some hundreds if matching, and at least another thou for the holster/stock combo, if original. And I may well be corrected soon by others who have a better feeling for the current pulse of your rig.

Do you have the double mag pouch? And I'm pretty sure they were issued with a total of three mags, so you'd be looking for a "+' and a "++" for the two spares that initially inhabited the pouch when the rig was new.

Unfortunately i only have one mag. But I also have the cleaning rod, and the magazine "stopper" or whatever you want to call it.

ithacaartist · 04-29-2012, 07:14 PM

I think you are referring to the takedown tool, a cruciform shaped steel member with a hole in it, a screwdriver bit on one end and a right angle bend on the other. It aids in loading the mags by slipping the hole over the follower button on the mag and pulling down on the right angle portion to compress the mag's spring as the mag is loaded. The screwdriver end is intended to be used on the grip screws and in the slot on the end of the firing pin spring guide, to remove the guide and subsequently the spring and FP.

Sounds like only a few items to go if you want to have a complete rig--the double mag pouch and a couple of period wood bottom mags for display. For shooting, MecGar mags are generally recommended. Mags for collectibles numbered to their guns are painfully rare, and add quite a bit to the value of a rig; it's not a deal breaker to have mismatched mag(s), but a big plus if it's there. Guns with three matching mags don't appear very often, to say the least!

04-29-2012, 01:57 PM	#1
Lugernut123 User Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 15 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	1917 Artillery Luger potential value Hello all, I am new here. I have yet to have a chance to take pics of this gun, but i had a couple of questions regarding my lugers worth. It appears to have matching serial numbers "5296", however; 1. Where would I find the serial number on the magazine and butt stock? 2. The strap at the bottom of the holster that holds the butt stock on is broken, how much does this decrease the value of it? It is otherwise in pretty good condition. 3. This is kind of a strage one. On the front part of the grip on the metal, underneat the trigger guard, my great grandfather etched his Social security number on it for ID purposes. I am wondering how much this would decrease the value of the Luger? Its otherwise in very nice condition. (From what I can tell, I will post pics soon) Thanks

04-29-2012, 03:25 PM	#2
ithacaartist Twice a Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Atop the highest hill in Schuyler County NY Posts: 3,368 Thanks: 7,432 Thanked 2,611 Times in 1,378 Posts	John, First, welcome to the forum! And congrats on obtaining a 1917 Arty! Judging by your username, you already know the potential peril for changing one's life that collecting Lugers can be. Others will with more hardcore experience and expertise will likely chime in, here, e.g. Jerry (Lugerholsterrepair) in response to the part of your query about the leather, but I'll have a whack at getting you started. 1) The numbers on the mag would be stamped on the wooden (properly)bottom. If the ser. number is followed by a "+" sign, the military style of indicating that it was the spare. If it's followed by a number, that would be police style. The butt stock's iron should have a serial, maybe partial, number, and some proofs if military. 2)This one's for Jerry 3)Always remember value is in proportion its condition as it first saw daylight out of the factory door. Obviously, other factors affect value, as well, but you can see where this is going. Your gun has been messed with/defaced at least by the social security number. Technically, it's part of the gun's history, literally; It's your choice to keep it as is in remembrance of your great grandad, or arrange for its removal and refinishing. But bottom line is that it's a shooter because of this issue, albeit an all-matching shooter, which is indeed nice to have. Very generally, you should be able to buy/sell a nice shooter like this around $1k. Lugers, like everything else, vary as to the meeting points of where each is happily bought and sold. The forum, like science, is self-correcting. As I post my comments, they will be reviewed by many whom I hope I am worthy of calling my peers. The responses will fine tune your situation over time. And, as you've already perceived, we love photos, optimal resolution for posting, and the clearer, the better. Combine this with as beefy a description as you can muster and everyone interested will do his or her best to help you learn about your pistol. They will never equal checking out a Luger in-hand, but give us all you've got! Read the forum like a glutton. Have fun with it! DP p.s. Oops, almost forgot... My brother did the same thing to his Colt Python in the 70's. I think it was stolen at some point, so, gee, I guess having the number on it didn't stop the thieves--and, some thieves then had his SS#!! Some probably still don't know any better...

04-29-2012, 04:03 PM	#4
ithacaartist Twice a Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Atop the highest hill in Schuyler County NY Posts: 3,368 Thanks: 7,432 Thanked 2,611 Times in 1,378 Posts	Me again... Great Googly-Moogly, I forgot that it's complete rig! Wowser, if this all matches, that's great. And I 'll admit my est. was way low for an Arty, now that I think about it a bit more. Ed Tinker once wrote, maybe a year ago, that he thought any Arty shooter would be $1k minimum, so add some hundreds if matching, and at least another thou for the holster/stock combo, if original. And I may well be corrected soon by others who have a better feeling for the current pulse of your rig. Do you have the double mag pouch? And I'm pretty sure they were issued with a total of three mags, so you'd be looking for a "+' and a "++" for the two spares that initially inhabited the pouch when the rig was new.

04-29-2012, 07:14 PM	#6
ithacaartist Twice a Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Atop the highest hill in Schuyler County NY Posts: 3,368 Thanks: 7,432 Thanked 2,611 Times in 1,378 Posts	I think you are referring to the takedown tool, a cruciform shaped steel member with a hole in it, a screwdriver bit on one end and a right angle bend on the other. It aids in loading the mags by slipping the hole over the follower button on the mag and pulling down on the right angle portion to compress the mag's spring as the mag is loaded. The screwdriver end is intended to be used on the grip screws and in the slot on the end of the firing pin spring guide, to remove the guide and subsequently the spring and FP. Sounds like only a few items to go if you want to have a complete rig--the double mag pouch and a couple of period wood bottom mags for display. For shooting, MecGar mags are generally recommended. Mags for collectibles numbered to their guns are painfully rare, and add quite a bit to the value of a rig; it's not a deal breaker to have mismatched mag(s), but a big plus if it's there. Guns with three matching mags don't appear very often, to say the least!