1st Luger purchase

JBBOOKS · 02-13-2017, 08:39 PM

I have wanted a Luger pistol for a long time and now have the chance to purchase this pistol. This would be my first Luger. It is a DWM and I think it was a Police gun from the markings on the front strap and think it was made sometime around 1920. All numbers match. What do you Guys think would be a fair price and if I fired a couple of rounds would that hurt the value? Thanks in advance.

mrerick · 02-14-2017, 08:11 AM

Looks like a Luger that was used in police service in Berlin. The "1921" date on the chamber is the production year, and this one looks like it did not receive the modified sear safety or magazine safety.

The serial number stamped on the frame looks odd. I can't tell if it's been renumbered. It's certainly something that needs looking into.

I would expect Weimar proof and acceptance marks on a 1921 pistol's receiver. Have these been removed, or were they ever there?

Shooting an all matching gun won't affect it's value. Shooting the gun and breaking a numbered part will affect it's value 35-50%. Your experience may vary. If you buy it, it will be yours to do with what you want. I don't shoot mine, but for every one shot and broken, mine go up in value a little bit since there are fewer collectible guns.

I can't answer your question about value because I'm unsure if it's completely righteous.

DonVoigt · 02-14-2017, 08:49 AM

Welcome to the board!

Would be good to have a few more pictures and close ups.

Left, right, top, bottom of chamber area, bottom of barrel, any other markings.

Good chance it is ok, and it appears that it was assigned to the "barracked" police - as it has no sear or mag safety indications.

The missing proofs on the right chamber are odd, but then some commercial pistols were also produced in 1921. This one may have been numbered in the military style when it went into police service.

Prices are all over the map, police guns are not interesting to many; check the online auctions for yourself, you will find prices from $800 to $2000. I would think toward the lower end, does the magazine match or not? Matching magazine is good if it is there.

JBBOOKS · 02-14-2017, 03:48 PM

Thanks for all your help. The missing proofs on the right chamber are a concern is it a "red flag"? The magazine does not match. All numbers match including the grips and firing pin. My interest in Police Lugers is simple, I am a Police Officer with an avid interest in historical firearms! The asking price is $1,000.

JBBOOKS · 02-14-2017, 04:18 PM

Here are some other photo's please let me know what you think as I respect your opinions. Thanks.

JBBOOKS · 02-14-2017, 04:25 PM

Forgot the most "important" one!

Eugen · 02-14-2017, 05:35 PM

JB, that is an interesting police pistol. I am too new collecting lugers to be able to advise you on what a fair price would be. I just purchased a police refurbished 1918 Erfurt and just posted here about.it. I paid $800 for the particular nonmatching Weimer era luger and an pleased with it because it is a great shooter. That is why I bought it: to shoot it like I hate it. LOL

Welcome to the forum and the excitement over playing with Lugers.

JBBOOKS · 02-14-2017, 07:32 PM

Eugen,
Thanks for the comment, I wish I could find a nice Luger for $800 everything I have come across in that price range is rusted, pitted, and worn out but I will keep looking.

Eugen · 02-14-2017, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JBBOOKS

Eugen,
Thanks for the comment, I wish I could find a nice Luger for $800 everything I have come across in that price range is rusted, pitted, and worn out but I will keep looking.

JB, then jump on this one, especially if you can negotiate a slightly lower price. You definitely want to own a "shooter" that you can enjoy and play with fearlessly. I would recommend a shooter grade luger for your first.

sheepherder · 02-14-2017, 08:53 PM

I am not a collector and have little experience with Lugers other than looking at pictures. In spite of that, the stamping on the barrel seems odd...That it has the suffix stamped there, and that it is on the same plane as the land dimension...But if it is a police Luger, it may have been re-barreled by them...

JBBOOKS · 02-14-2017, 09:57 PM

Sheep, Thanks for the reply I am trying to make up my mind and all the information from you guys is helping me make up my mind. Love the line about the coffee and women

JBBOOKS · 02-14-2017, 09:59 PM

Eugen,
If I own it, I shoot it. Never have and never will have a "safe queen". What good is a gun if you can't shoot it???

Jim Mac · 02-14-2017, 10:30 PM

My .02 you want a luger, this one is available amd priced reasonably. You can keep shopping for the very best deal and try to find the just right pistol which may take another year or three to save a couple hundred bucks. Or you can break out the wallet and buy it today and be shooting it tomorrow. If you need to justify the difference between a good deal and a okay deal, just pack a lunch every day for a month and you'll more than make up the difference in money.
Buy it, shoot it and enjoy it. Life's too short to worry about a couple hundred bucks. Jim

JBBOOKS · 02-14-2017, 10:43 PM

Thanks Jim your right about life being too short!

Geo99 · 02-15-2017, 02:40 AM

$1100 is a fair price for this all-matching Luger. If you like it buy it.

- Geo

JBBOOKS · 02-15-2017, 03:14 AM

Geo, thanks for the imput

Edward Tinker · 02-15-2017, 09:24 AM

You have not shown the one picture I would like from above - a Berlin police would have a sear safety - if it had one, its been removed.

$1000-$1100 is a normal to low price for a police luger, even if it is missing the sear safety

The weimar 'dove'acceptance markings and proof on far right were only done for a short time and I would expect this to be dated 1921 or if in 1922 - not dated

Ed

DonVoigt · 02-15-2017, 09:56 AM

Ed,
you can barely see the top of the side plate in the last picture of the first post; not cut.
That is why I said "barracked" police.

JBBOOKS · 02-15-2017, 03:48 PM

Thank you to all who have sent a reply. I have gained quite a bit of knowledge from your posts, I still have a very long way to go but am very grateful for all your help

02-13-2017, 08:39 PM	#1
JBBOOKS User Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: Central PA Posts: 35 Thanks: 68 Thanked 14 Times in 6 Posts	1st Luger purchase I have wanted a Luger pistol for a long time and now have the chance to purchase this pistol. This would be my first Luger. It is a DWM and I think it was a Police gun from the markings on the front strap and think it was made sometime around 1920. All numbers match. What do you Guys think would be a fair price and if I fired a couple of rounds would that hurt the value? Thanks in advance. Attached Thumbnails

02-14-2017, 08:11 AM	#2
mrerick Super Moderator - Patron LugerForum Life Patron Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Eastern North Carolina, USA Posts: 3,900 Thanks: 1,370 Thanked 3,094 Times in 1,503 Posts	Looks like a Luger that was used in police service in Berlin. The "1921" date on the chamber is the production year, and this one looks like it did not receive the modified sear safety or magazine safety. The serial number stamped on the frame looks odd. I can't tell if it's been renumbered. It's certainly something that needs looking into. I would expect Weimar proof and acceptance marks on a 1921 pistol's receiver. Have these been removed, or were they ever there? Shooting an all matching gun won't affect it's value. Shooting the gun and breaking a numbered part will affect it's value 35-50%. Your experience may vary. If you buy it, it will be yours to do with what you want. I don't shoot mine, but for every one shot and broken, mine go up in value a little bit since there are fewer collectible guns. I can't answer your question about value because I'm unsure if it's completely righteous. __________________ Igitur si vis pacem, para bellum - - Therefore if you want peace, prepare for war.

02-14-2017, 08:49 AM	#3
DonVoigt User Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: near Charlotte NC Posts: 4,677 Thanks: 1,439 Thanked 4,348 Times in 2,038 Posts	Welcome to the board! Would be good to have a few more pictures and close ups. Left, right, top, bottom of chamber area, bottom of barrel, any other markings. Good chance it is ok, and it appears that it was assigned to the "barracked" police - as it has no sear or mag safety indications. The missing proofs on the right chamber are odd, but then some commercial pistols were also produced in 1921. This one may have been numbered in the military style when it went into police service. Prices are all over the map, police guns are not interesting to many; check the online auctions for yourself, you will find prices from $800 to $2000. I would think toward the lower end, does the magazine match or not? Matching magazine is good if it is there. __________________ 03man(Don Voigt); Luger student and collector. Looking for DWM side plate: 69 ; Dreyse 1907 pistol K.S. Gendarmerie

02-14-2017, 04:18 PM	#5
JBBOOKS User Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: Central PA Posts: 35 Thanks: 68 Thanked 14 Times in 6 Posts	Here are some other photo's please let me know what you think as I respect your opinions. Thanks. Attached Thumbnails

02-14-2017, 04:25 PM	#6
JBBOOKS User Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: Central PA Posts: 35 Thanks: 68 Thanked 14 Times in 6 Posts	Forgot the most "important" one! Attached Images

02-14-2017, 03:48 PM	#4
JBBOOKS User Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: Central PA Posts: 35 Thanks: 68 Thanked 14 Times in 6 Posts	Thanks for all your help. The missing proofs on the right chamber are a concern is it a "red flag"? The magazine does not match. All numbers match including the grips and firing pin. My interest in Police Lugers is simple, I am a Police Officer with an avid interest in historical firearms! The asking price is $1,000.

02-14-2017, 05:35 PM	#7
Eugen User Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Newburgh,IN Posts: 757 Thanks: 366 Thanked 594 Times in 313 Posts	JB, that is an interesting police pistol. I am too new collecting lugers to be able to advise you on what a fair price would be. I just purchased a police refurbished 1918 Erfurt and just posted here about.it. I paid $800 for the particular nonmatching Weimer era luger and an pleased with it because it is a great shooter. That is why I bought it: to shoot it like I hate it. LOL Welcome to the forum and the excitement over playing with Lugers. __________________ “God created war so that Americans would learn geography.” ― Mark Twain

02-14-2017, 07:32 PM	#8
JBBOOKS User Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: Central PA Posts: 35 Thanks: 68 Thanked 14 Times in 6 Posts	Thanks Eugen, Thanks for the comment, I wish I could find a nice Luger for $800 everything I have come across in that price range is rusted, pitted, and worn out but I will keep looking.

02-14-2017, 08:53 PM	#10
sheepherder Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: ...on the 'ol Erie Canal... Posts: 8,181 Thanks: 1,398 Thanked 4,438 Times in 2,327 Posts	I am not a collector and have little experience with Lugers other than looking at pictures. In spite of that, the stamping on the barrel seems odd...That it has the suffix stamped there, and that it is on the same plane as the land dimension...But if it is a police Luger, it may have been re-barreled by them... __________________ I like my coffee the way I like my women... ...Cold and bitter...

02-14-2017, 09:57 PM	#11
JBBOOKS User Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: Central PA Posts: 35 Thanks: 68 Thanked 14 Times in 6 Posts	Thanks for the reply Sheep, Thanks for the reply I am trying to make up my mind and all the information from you guys is helping me make up my mind. Love the line about the coffee and women

02-14-2017, 09:59 PM	#12
JBBOOKS User Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: Central PA Posts: 35 Thanks: 68 Thanked 14 Times in 6 Posts	Shooter Eugen, If I own it, I shoot it. Never have and never will have a "safe queen". What good is a gun if you can't shoot it???

02-14-2017, 10:30 PM	#13
Jim Mac User Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 261 Thanks: 2 Thanked 67 Times in 35 Posts	My .02 you want a luger, this one is available amd priced reasonably. You can keep shopping for the very best deal and try to find the just right pistol which may take another year or three to save a couple hundred bucks. Or you can break out the wallet and buy it today and be shooting it tomorrow. If you need to justify the difference between a good deal and a okay deal, just pack a lunch every day for a month and you'll more than make up the difference in money. Buy it, shoot it and enjoy it. Life's too short to worry about a couple hundred bucks. Jim

02-14-2017, 10:43 PM	#14
JBBOOKS User Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: Central PA Posts: 35 Thanks: 68 Thanked 14 Times in 6 Posts	Thanks Jim your right about life being too short!

02-15-2017, 02:40 AM	#15
Geo99 User Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Whidbey Island WA Posts: 396 Thanks: 100 Thanked 125 Times in 74 Posts	$1100 is a fair price for this all-matching Luger. If you like it buy it. - Geo __________________ "Diplomacy is the art of saying nice doggie, until you can find a rock." - Will Rogers

02-15-2017, 03:14 AM	#16
JBBOOKS User Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: Central PA Posts: 35 Thanks: 68 Thanked 14 Times in 6 Posts	Geo, thanks for the imput

02-15-2017, 09:24 AM	#17
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	You have not shown the one picture I would like from above - a Berlin police would have a sear safety - if it had one, its been removed. $1000-$1100 is a normal to low price for a police luger, even if it is missing the sear safety The weimar 'dove'acceptance markings and proof on far right were only done for a short time and I would expect this to be dated 1921 or if in 1922 - not dated Ed __________________ Edward Tinker ************ Co-Author of Police Lugers - Co-Author of Simson Lugers Author of Veteran Bring Backs Vol I, Vol II, Vol III and Vol IV

02-15-2017, 09:56 AM	#18
DonVoigt User Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: near Charlotte NC Posts: 4,677 Thanks: 1,439 Thanked 4,348 Times in 2,038 Posts	Ed, you can barely see the top of the side plate in the last picture of the first post; not cut. That is why I said "barracked" police. __________________ 03man(Don Voigt); Luger student and collector. Looking for DWM side plate: 69 ; Dreyse 1907 pistol K.S. Gendarmerie

02-15-2017, 03:48 PM	#19
JBBOOKS User Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: Central PA Posts: 35 Thanks: 68 Thanked 14 Times in 6 Posts	Thank you to all who have sent a reply. I have gained quite a bit of knowledge from your posts, I still have a very long way to go but am very grateful for all your help