Value of a luger, no one aournd me seems to know

[farmMech]

The gun its self is mismatched, upper is one serial number lower another. One clip matches the lower serial number as well

Upper is: 1913 Erfurt serial 8123
lower is:2474 with and @ below it.
The gun is a good shooter but i dont think it is worth much being mis matched.

The Holster might be worth something though..?
its a Joseph Moll of Goch 1916 in fairly decent Shape.

In the end i just want a decent hand gun but i dont want to ruin anything that might have historical value. If the gun is worth $900 and the holster $200 then i will keep it all and enjoy the family story and not worry about ruining anything, but i just want to make sure.
Thanks for any input!
Darin
ps: is the rag in the holster normal its always been with the gun as far as i know but i have never seen any other pictures with one it in.
http://imgbox.com/uvaPcIxT
there is a link to the gallery. sorry wouldn't let me direct link the pics and the files were to large to upload

[alanint]

Hi Darin,

Welcome to the Forum! In this market, your gun is worth more in the $700 range, despite the one matching magazine. The gun is what we refer to as a shooter. As a mismatch, it has no real collector value. You also don't mention overall condition in terms we understand, other than the one photo you provide. Photos of all the pieces would go a long way towards a better valuation. Your magazines look to be in nice shape.

I will let the holster guys weigh in on the value of the holster, as I don't know whether the maker is rare. We would also need to see better photos of all angles, including the back, to evaluate condition.

[John Sabato]

I concur on Doug's evaluation of the gun. $700.00 would be a fair price. One of the holster collectors should be along soon with an estimate of the holster's value.

[sheepherder]

Darin -

You didn't put your location in your profile. Geography plays an important part in valuation, although members who live in areas where Lugers are prevalent often forget that. In Western New York, for instance, a mismatched ["shooter"] Luger in good mechanical shape and no rust or pitting [patina acceptable] would go for $850 -$900 easily, probably a hundred or two more at a show. Grips, IMO, don't really figure into the selling price of a 'shooter'. They'd have to be really worn out to be a factor. Holsters, extra magazines, cleaning rods, loading tools are really only of interest to a collector. The casual gun show buyer is only interested in the gun. In your case, with a mismatch/shooter, the complete 'rig' would interest a beginning collector as a 'placeholder' until he could get something better. You could probably part out the individual items and get more value collectively.

OTOH, if you're looking for an insurance value, I'd say $1500 - $1700 for the 'rig'.

Only my opinion, of course.

[farmMech]

that pic was the first in the series hand to scroll. sorry havent figured out he pics thing yet and thanks for the welcome.!
gallery link: http://imgbox.com/g/MZclFRHzV8

as for condition i cant say to be honest this is the first and only hand gun i have owed or shot for that matter.
The value is what i figured, which means i am keeping it. so that leads to more questions..

What do i need to knoow about firing it, keeping it clean, best ammo; ect
?? and if there is a thread for that please just give me the link and i will do some digging.

[Ron Wood]

The gun is in decent condition but the mis-match does put it in the shooter category. But wait, there's more! (My Billy Mays pitch!). The magazines look to be in outstanding condition so they are worth at least $!25+ each. The holster has the combination tool in the little pouch. If it is an original (and I suspect it is) that is another $75-$150 depending on condition and markings (determines how rare it is). The holster looks pretty good although the magazine pouch appears a little ragged at the top in the one photo. A better photo of that area would help in evaluating but at a minimum it is worth around $100 and probably more. So you have around $400 worth of accessories in addition to the gun that is worth an honest $700. Value-wise you aren't doing too bad!
Most folks recommend good old Winchester white box ammo that is fairly easy to obtain. Look in the FAQ section and you will find lots of info on disassembly/assembly and cleaning.
Good luck and enjoy your Luger.

[Lugerdoc]

Darin, Over the last 50 years, I've seen a few luger holsters that had a rag or newspaper stuffed into the toe. My best guess is to avoid the muzzle from punching thru the leather. TH

[farmMech]

Thanks a lot for all the help. When you look on line your find the retail sights asking absurd money for complete set ups. The value being $1100 just isnt worth selling. I will check out the facts for care and ect.

Thanks!!

[lugerholsterrepair]

Darin, I would guess 20% of the holsters that come into my shop have a rag stuffed into the toe. Maybe more. It is not uncommon. I agree with Tom.. to avoid the muzzle from punching through the leather AND I suspect to raise the pistol a little in the holster to make grasping easier. One other thing comes to mind..to prevent stress on the lifting strap. It's possible for a Luger to rest on the lifting strap..laying in it like a hammock. That puts a lot of stress on it and where the knot comes out.
Your holster is about average. No real damage..like Ron says..maybe a little rough, worn at the outside notch? Worth around $175-225 IMO. Your magazines look really great! They rarely survive that nice.

[mrerick]

Hi Darin,

Congratulations on your Luger. What is the family story that goes with it? Ed collects "bring back stories", and it's an interesting part of the history of these firearms.

This site has good reference material for maintaining your Luger. Start on our homepage or http://lugerforum.com/techinfo.html.

These were not designed for use with high power ammunition. Avoid anything marked "NATO" or "+P". It can't deal with the higher pressures. Use standard power FMJ 9mm Luger ammo.

These require a good grip and support during shooting to properly cycle.

Since the magazines are excellent and collectible consider getting a separate magazine for shooting. Perhaps a FXO extruded steel magazine or a MecGar.

Don't store your Luger inside the holster. Don't store magazines in the holster. Don't store the loading tool inside the holster.

Marc

[farmMech]

there inst much detail on the story at least not yet. My Grand father Served in the US army in WW1 and was stationed in France (There is a medal for France service). He died in the 50's long before i was born. My grandmother lived to over a 100! My dad nor her hardly talked about my Grandfather at all. Only thing i have heard about him was he and a few friends were the first to patented the pop up camping trailer.
Thanks for the link i sadly missed it and its right there on the left had middle of screen. its like playing solitaire and the person behind you tells you the moves that you dont see..

[Grantas]

Originally Posted by lugerholsterrepair

Your holster is about average. No real damage..like Ron says..maybe a little rough, worn at the outside notch? Worth around $175-225 IMO. Your magazines look really great! They rarely survive that nice.

Jerry, the back panel of this holster is two piece, isn't that indicative of a later date, i.e the 30's on? But the 1916 stamp looks nice and clear.

Regards
Grant

[lugerholsterrepair]

Grant..I am unfamiliar with 2 piece? Your holster will have a separate hinge attaching the top lid to the body and no stiffener on the back of the magazine pouch.
Luger Holster designs changed around 1926. The back panel became incorporated into a hinge and the back panel now included an additional panel to support the back side of the magazine pouch.

[Grantas]

Hi Jerry

I guess calling it two piece was lazy, what I was referring to, was that picture number 8, http://imgbox.com/KvLh7tOP shows the back of this holster has a horizontal line of stitching just below the belt loops which I associate with later holsters, not one dated 1916. This seems odd to me as I've not seen it on my Imperial period holsters.

Regards
Grant

[lugerholsterrepair]

Grant..OH! This stitching line holds the bottom of the interior liner panel to the back. It apparently was seen on some WW1 holsters and some do not have this stitching line. After 1926 I would say all had it but you can never say all when it comes to German Military artifacts. It has nothing to do with the year of manufacture however. The two items I previously mentioned were the 2 major changes made in 1926 but there were also a handful of others..minor ones.

[Grantas]

Thank you Jerry ... I live and learn.

Regards
Grant