Mauser Banner Commercial serial numbers

[Mike B]

Greetings,
I have purchased the Luger you are referring to. I just unpacked it and to my surprise, the Luger is virtually new. ALL the numbers match including the grips. The mag is a proper fxo37 with an unmarked bottom. As stated, the serial number is 3286 with no suffix. The chamber is not marked. P08 is stamped on the left side. I just got off the phone with Don Hallock and asked what kind of Luger this is. He told me it was built by the French First Army after they took control of the Mauser factory at Oberndorf. They built approximately 3000 Lugers with parts that were then available. This Luger is crown u proofed on the left side of the receiver, the underside of the barrel and on the breach block. On page 600 of his book, he gives the serial number of the Lugers that were built. The last serial number of record in his book is 3033; this pistol is probably one the very last Lugers built by the French as the serial number 3286 extends his estimate by a few Lugers. I must say that I very happy I decided to buy this Luger; it is a very interesting addition to my collection.

Mike

BTW: The gentleman referred to in the preceding post is Gil Hoffman. As stated, he does seem a bit arrogant at times and does not do pictures. With that being said, I have purchased several Lugers from Gil over the past several years. He is kind and caring now that he knows me. As a matter of fact, he will come off his listed price quite a bit if pressed a bit.