Names engraved on Lugers

383 magnum · 05-26-2007, 08:32 PM

I've noticed several WW I Lugers on Internet sites that had a German name engraved on them. I've not seen that on Lugers from any other era. Was that common back then?

Edward Tinker · 05-26-2007, 08:50 PM

I have seen it on a couple of WW1 guns in pictures. I have also seen it on WW2 lugers, with US GI names. Most often (from my memory) on krieghoff and PX lugers post-war

It appears to me that many collectors do not look favorably on engraving such as this....

Ron Smith · 05-26-2007, 09:44 PM

Matt,

Officers were required to purchase their own side arms. They would often have their name and sometimes rank engraved on the grip strap to differentiate them from regimental weapons.

George Anderson can give you much better details on this practice than I can.

Ron

drbuster · 05-26-2007, 09:48 PM

I would sure like to see some photographs of such names engraved on WW1 era lugers. I don't think I've ever been fortunate to come across such engravings in my luger travels over the past 50 years.

the gunman · 05-26-2007, 10:19 PM

Don't beleive I've seen any either in 50 years of collecting.

Ron Smith · 05-26-2007, 10:31 PM

Here ya go. The age of the world wide web. This is one George is negotiating for now. I'll leave the rest to him. I recall another posted on Still's forum a couple of years ago.

Edward Tinker · 05-26-2007, 10:35 PM

Ron, not to doubt you, but the one posted on Jan's forum, is this one a year ago (or so). I have seen this brought up before, there was an interesting posting by Ted Green 3 or 4 years ago, for an armorer marking, and a couple of others.

http://luger.gunboards.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8493

I am unsure if 3 to 4 engravings equals "common"....

383 magnum · 05-26-2007, 10:43 PM

Ron, that is one of the two or three I have seen recently. It sounds like they are not that common after all. I just wonder what impact this has on value. The other one I have seen is an artillery model that has a woman's name engraved on it.

Ron Smith · 05-26-2007, 10:54 PM

Ed,

I didn't say they were common. I said "often" they would do this. Maybe I used the wrong word, but it is known to have been done.

Simply because someone has been collecting along time and hasn't seen it, doesn't mean that it wasn't done. It means they haven't seen one.

The esteemed Luger officianado Rhinehard Kornmeyer told Joop that pantograph machines weren't used in Germany until 1946, in a discussion they had about the Fieseler Guard Luger. So much for his expertise...

I am going on what I recall in the discussion about this practice in that posting. And by what I have learned from George Anderson.

Ron

LU1900 · 05-27-2007, 07:21 AM

.........

Ron Smith · 05-27-2007, 08:19 AM

Hi Pat,

That's nice, is it yours? Thanks for posting it... Reitende Battery Field Artillery Regtiment 12

Ron

LU1900 · 05-27-2007, 08:21 AM

.........

Ron Smith · 05-27-2007, 08:26 AM

That is approx. $2700. He must be an agent for Simpson Ltd. What would be a fair average price for it in France?

There ya go folks. 2 Engraved Lugers in 12 hours...

Ron

LU1900 · 05-27-2007, 08:31 AM

.........

George Anderson · 05-27-2007, 08:35 AM

I have two Lugers marked to individuals. One is an '08 first military with the name and rank of an Offizierstellvertretter on the back strap and the other is a 1914 commercial with, what I believe to be, an officer's name on the gripstrap. Photos of both these pistols were posted on Jan Still's forum quite some time ago.

Edward Tinker · 05-28-2007, 09:18 AM

interesting one

Ron Smith · 05-28-2007, 09:57 AM

Ed,

Where did you find it? Weapon Master would mean " The Head Armorer" or " In charge of the Armory", I would think?

1st Battalion or Company / 72nd Regiment ? The" / " most likely would indicate a Reichswehr mark.

Ron

Edward Tinker · 05-28-2007, 10:01 AM

it is another of Carl's lugers. I told him I want it

((he laughed at me))

I will start another thread on it, I took pictures of it from assorted angles

Ed

GerColctor · 05-28-2007, 10:36 PM

This may be a dumb question;

If these were German Government owned Lugers such as the above Erfurt, how did this "officer" Loblich or others obtain ownership? Was the military into selling pistols to officers or were the pistols they carried private purchased? If private purchased how did they get an government made Erfurt or a DWM with all the military acceptance stamps?

Maybe they just took an issued Luger home and kept it after the War.

Joe

George Anderson · 05-29-2007, 01:10 AM

German officers were obligated to buy their own equipage and weapons. They could purchase pistols from army sources. They could also buy their weapons from civilian sources.

05-26-2007, 08:32 PM	#1
383 magnum User Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 120 Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Names engraved on Lugers I've noticed several WW I Lugers on Internet sites that had a German name engraved on them. I've not seen that on Lugers from any other era. Was that common back then?

05-26-2007, 09:44 PM	#3
Ron Smith User Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Orygun Posts: 4,243 Thanks: 118 Thanked 245 Times in 150 Posts	Matt, Officers were required to purchase their own side arms. They would often have their name and sometimes rank engraved on the grip strap to differentiate them from regimental weapons. George Anderson can give you much better details on this practice than I can. Ron __________________ I Still Need DWM side plate #49... if anyone runs across a nice one. What ~Rudyard Kipling~ said...

05-26-2007, 10:31 PM	#6
Ron Smith User Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Orygun Posts: 4,243 Thanks: 118 Thanked 245 Times in 150 Posts	Here ya go. The age of the world wide web. This is one George is negotiating for now. I'll leave the rest to him. I recall another posted on Still's forum a couple of years ago. __________________ I Still Need DWM side plate #49... if anyone runs across a nice one. What ~Rudyard Kipling~ said...

05-26-2007, 10:54 PM	#9
Ron Smith User Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Orygun Posts: 4,243 Thanks: 118 Thanked 245 Times in 150 Posts	Ed, I didn't say they were common. I said "often" they would do this. Maybe I used the wrong word, but it is known to have been done. Simply because someone has been collecting along time and hasn't seen it, doesn't mean that it wasn't done. It means they haven't seen one. The esteemed Luger officianado Rhinehard Kornmeyer told Joop that pantograph machines weren't used in Germany until 1946, in a discussion they had about the Fieseler Guard Luger. So much for his expertise... I am going on what I recall in the discussion about this practice in that posting. And by what I have learned from George Anderson. Ron __________________ I Still Need DWM side plate #49... if anyone runs across a nice one. What ~Rudyard Kipling~ said...

05-27-2007, 07:21 AM	#10
LU1900 User Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: FRANCE Posts: 900 Thanks: 35 Thanked 461 Times in 193 Posts	......... __________________ Best regards from France...Patrice https://www.fichier-pdf.fr/2016/03/1...nd-snail-drum/

05-26-2007, 08:50 PM	#2
Edward Tinker Super Moderator Eternal Lifer LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: North of Spokane, WA Posts: 15,909 Thanks: 1,986 Thanked 4,500 Times in 2,076 Posts	I have seen it on a couple of WW1 guns in pictures. I have also seen it on WW2 lugers, with US GI names. Most often (from my memory) on krieghoff and PX lugers post-war It appears to me that many collectors do not look favorably on engraving such as this....

05-26-2007, 09:48 PM	#4
drbuster User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: San Mateo, California Posts: 1,432 Thanks: 2 Thanked 71 Times in 56 Posts	I would sure like to see some photographs of such names engraved on WW1 era lugers. I don't think I've ever been fortunate to come across such engravings in my luger travels over the past 50 years.

05-26-2007, 10:19 PM	#5
the gunman User Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Leland NC 28451 Posts: 1,017 Thanks: 1 Thanked 13 Times in 12 Posts	Don't beleive I've seen any either in 50 years of collecting.

05-26-2007, 10:35 PM	#7
Edward Tinker Super Moderator Eternal Lifer LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: North of Spokane, WA Posts: 15,909 Thanks: 1,986 Thanked 4,500 Times in 2,076 Posts	Ron, not to doubt you, but the one posted on Jan's forum, is this one a year ago (or so). I have seen this brought up before, there was an interesting posting by Ted Green 3 or 4 years ago, for an armorer marking, and a couple of others. http://luger.gunboards.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8493 I am unsure if 3 to 4 engravings equals "common"....

05-26-2007, 10:43 PM	#8
383 magnum User Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 120 Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Ron, that is one of the two or three I have seen recently. It sounds like they are not that common after all. I just wonder what impact this has on value. The other one I have seen is an artillery model that has a woman's name engraved on it.

05-27-2007, 08:19 AM	#11
Ron Smith User Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Orygun Posts: 4,243 Thanks: 118 Thanked 245 Times in 150 Posts	Hi Pat, That's nice, is it yours? Thanks for posting it... Reitende Battery Field Artillery Regtiment 12 Ron __________________ I Still Need DWM side plate #49... if anyone runs across a nice one. What ~Rudyard Kipling~ said...

05-27-2007, 08:21 AM	#12
LU1900 User Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: FRANCE Posts: 900 Thanks: 35 Thanked 461 Times in 193 Posts	......... __________________ Best regards from France...Patrice https://www.fichier-pdf.fr/2016/03/1...nd-snail-drum/

05-27-2007, 08:26 AM	#13
Ron Smith User Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Orygun Posts: 4,243 Thanks: 118 Thanked 245 Times in 150 Posts	That is approx. $2700. He must be an agent for Simpson Ltd. What would be a fair average price for it in France? There ya go folks. 2 Engraved Lugers in 12 hours... Ron __________________ I Still Need DWM side plate #49... if anyone runs across a nice one. What ~Rudyard Kipling~ said...

05-27-2007, 08:31 AM	#14
LU1900 User Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: FRANCE Posts: 900 Thanks: 35 Thanked 461 Times in 193 Posts	......... __________________ Best regards from France...Patrice https://www.fichier-pdf.fr/2016/03/1...nd-snail-drum/

05-27-2007, 08:35 AM	#15
George Anderson Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: VA Posts: 3,592 Thanks: 1,769 Thanked 2,527 Times in 786 Posts	I have two Lugers marked to individuals. One is an '08 first military with the name and rank of an Offizierstellvertretter on the back strap and the other is a 1914 commercial with, what I believe to be, an officer's name on the gripstrap. Photos of both these pistols were posted on Jan Still's forum quite some time ago.

05-28-2007, 09:18 AM	#16
Edward Tinker Super Moderator Eternal Lifer LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: North of Spokane, WA Posts: 15,909 Thanks: 1,986 Thanked 4,500 Times in 2,076 Posts	interesting one Attached Thumbnails

05-28-2007, 09:57 AM	#17
Ron Smith User Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Orygun Posts: 4,243 Thanks: 118 Thanked 245 Times in 150 Posts	Ed, Where did you find it? Weapon Master would mean " The Head Armorer" or " In charge of the Armory", I would think? 1st Battalion or Company / 72nd Regiment ? The" / " most likely would indicate a Reichswehr mark. Ron __________________ I Still Need DWM side plate #49... if anyone runs across a nice one. What ~Rudyard Kipling~ said...

05-28-2007, 10:01 AM	#18
Edward Tinker Super Moderator Eternal Lifer LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: North of Spokane, WA Posts: 15,909 Thanks: 1,986 Thanked 4,500 Times in 2,076 Posts	it is another of Carl's lugers. I told him I want it ((he laughed at me)) I will start another thread on it, I took pictures of it from assorted angles Ed

05-28-2007, 10:36 PM	#19
GerColctor User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: CT & FL Posts: 308 Thanks: 2 Thanked 40 Times in 27 Posts	This may be a dumb question; If these were German Government owned Lugers such as the above Erfurt, how did this "officer" Loblich or others obtain ownership? Was the military into selling pistols to officers or were the pistols they carried private purchased? If private purchased how did they get an government made Erfurt or a DWM with all the military acceptance stamps? Maybe they just took an issued Luger home and kept it after the War. Joe __________________ It is better to have lived a day as a tiger, then a thousand years as a lamb.

05-29-2007, 01:10 AM	#20
George Anderson Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: VA Posts: 3,592 Thanks: 1,769 Thanked 2,527 Times in 786 Posts	German officers were obligated to buy their own equipage and weapons. They could purchase pistols from army sources. They could also buy their weapons from civilian sources.