1939 Mauser Banner - police luger- interesting E/6 variant side plate

[DonVoigt]

Similar 1939 Mauser Banner pistols have been posted here or on the other luger forum, but here is one I just brought home from SOS.

I don't "collect" Mauser or late Nazi pistols, but this one spoke to me as it is different- still a police luger- which I do collect- and with a Simson made/inspected by E/6 inspector side plate.

I was very skeptical of this variant when I saw/read the first post I saw on them a year or so back. Further investigation has shown that this is a documented and recognized variant. Refer to The Mauser Parabellum 1930-1946 by Hallock and van de Kant, p-355.

To paraphrase:
During late 1939 Mauser received a quantity of obsolete parts from Kreighoff, which originally came from Simson. E/6 marked side plates were included and are frequently found on 1939 banner pistols, between #1w and 1250w.

This example is matching including magazine and numbered 426w. The side plate is numbered 26 on the outside and has a single "5" on the inside, which is correct according to the Mauser numbering practice for side plates at the time. Odd but true, the inside number is usualy the first two digits of the serial number plus one; this one is a three digit so only "4+1" = "5" on the inside.

The "Mauser Banner" commercial variant pistol was sold to the German police, and the sear safey added as was required for police use at the time, then marked with the Eagle F police inspection/acceptance stamp. Mauser luger 426w is not the prettiest luger one can find, only 70% or so, but has that for sure been there look.

Thanks for looking