Death Head

[Ron Wood]

Mark
The markings on your GEW 98 are great looking but not necessarily a good example to use for evaluating Lugers as there is a fair amount of difference, even discounting the SS runes. I have seen what some authorities consider genuine Death Head Lugers both with and without "a full set of teeth". As early as 1958 Fred Datig published in the revised edition of "The Luger Pistol" what is probably the first public illustration of a Death Head Luger and it doesn't have a tooth in its head. Could it be an early fake? Possibly, but that is a little early on to have that happening already. I have a Death Head that I purchased in 1970 for the price of a common Luger that has no teeth. It is not surprising that there may be more than one type of stamp that was used to produce these Lugers over a period of years. The fact that there is the possibility of a variance in marking is shown by your GEW 98 since there is clearly a difference between the two Death Heads on the same rifle.
The flip side of this, however, is that this variance is exactly what makes it a fruitful target for forgers and requires increased vigilance on the part of the buyer. Just look at the high occurrance of Death Head Lugers that George Anderson stated in his post. Quite frankly, I would be very hesitant to buy a Death Head Luger today.