Looking for price on father's Lugers

[idsubgun]

To the admins, if this is the wrong forum, please delete or move it.
I posted over at gunboards.com, and some suggested I come here and ask my questions.


We recently had to put our father in assisted living and I'm selling some of his firearm collection to help pay the costs. I have three Lugers I need to put a value on. I have NO idea what to ask for them. Asking dad really isn't an option because his memory has deteriorated greatly.

I uploaded photos on Imgur and have links to the albums below. Hopefully the photos will tell everyone the condition. The only thing I should include is the American Eagle Luger has some marks on the barrel and receiver where some "bubba" either changed out the barrel or tried (see photos in link below).
Dad also has a Luger shoulder stock/holster. I think it's a repro, but not sure. I'll be posting photos later.

Hopefully someone can give me a good ballpark figure so I can put these up for sale.

If you want, you can reach me directly thru email at [email protected], or by PM.

The three Lugers are:

1918/1920 DWM "Double Date" 9x19 9mm Luger
Link to photos: https://imgur.com/a/ApBDu
Sharp, bright bore, some frosting.
It's all matching with the exception of the firing pin (#58), grips (#51) and magazine (no markings).
Has sear safety. Appears to be a Berlin police pistol from markings on front of grip strap. Also has Imperial markings.

1920 DWM Commercial .30 Luger/7.65mm
Link to photos: https://imgur.com/a/rWg7M
Sharp, bright bore, has some frosting.
Numbers matching
Has Crown over "N" proof mark (Commercial Nitro Proof)

1906 DWM American Eagle .30 Luger/7.65mm
Link to photos: https://imgur.com/a/pIs8F
Shiny, sharp bore with VERY little pitting towards muzzle. Can hardly see it.
Non-numbers matching.
Safe marking has been altered (see photo).
Grip safety.

Thank you,
Bill

[Edward Tinker]

Bill, sorry for your difficulties,

I sent you a PM in response to getting you up and running on Jan's forum, although info will be about the same.

MY thoughts after quickly looking;

My thought is that all are decent money, but not a huge amount.

1918/1920 DWM "Double Date" 9x19 9mm Luger
army then police - it might be better to have a blank firing pin, then a mismatched one, but I could look and see if I have your number, but i just moved, so things are everywhere.
I think as is, $1200-$1400 - some folks will tell you less than a $1000 because its non-matching - depends on buyer

1920 DWM Commercial .30 Luger/7.65mm
these are considered common, so maybe a $1000 - $1100
perhaps a bit more?

1906 DWM American Eagle .30 Luger/7.65mm
unsure, gut feeling is $800-900 as its been monkeyed with slightly?

Ed

[DavidJayUden]

Bill:
It's hard to tell, but ballpark figures for the 3, IMHO, would be:

1. Police Luger, $1100
2. Commercial Luger, $900
3. 1906, too bad Bubba got ahold of it, $900

These figures are based on what you see on the forum, collector to collector. Maybe add 25% if you want to hold out for full retail. Drop prices 10% for fast sale.

Hope this helps, and please post photos of the holster/stock.

dju

[idsubgun]

Thank you, Ed. I did get your PM, and appreciate the help.

I'll post these for sale soon and see if I can sell them.

My biggest dilemma is that these are just three pistols out of three safe's full of guns. Thankfully I know what most are worth but there's going to be a few that I'll have to research out.

Once again, I greatly appreciate your help.

Bill

[Bill_in_VA]

I’m sorry to hear of your father’s situation and the difficult choices you’re having to make. I’ll certainly keep you and him in my prayers.

Just a couple of guess-timates based on some limited photos and your written descriptions. Condition is everything with Lugersmatched magazines are common and don’t generally seem to be a detractor. Matching magazines, on the other, do add a small premium. Mismatched guns, on the other hand do detract significantly from the price. It’s either matching or it’s not matching - no real middle ground there, so to many collectors, a gun that is mismatched is often relegated to shooter” category.

The alphabet Lugers are pretty common, and looking at yours I’d value it in the neighborhood of $800 due some some loss of bluing on the high points, spotty/faded straw, and well-worn grips.

The double date is a police gun, but as you say its mis-matched I guess somewhere in the neighborhood of $1000-1100.

As for the AE, I have an idea too, but I will say that the lack of matching numbers, the bad side plate, and especially the hand-pecked safety markings and accompanying grinding marks detract significantly from it.

I’d be very interested in the American Eagle when you decide on a sale price but since I’m interested in it I don’t think it would be ethical to try to place a value on it.

Best of luck with your sale.

[idsubgun]

Originally Posted by DavidJayUden

Bill:
It's hard to tell, but ballpark figures for the 3, IMHO, would be:

1. Police Luger, $1100
2. Commercial Luger, $900
3. 1906, too bad Bubba got ahold of it, $900

These figures are based on what you see on the forum, collector to collector. Maybe add 25% if you want to hold out for full retail. Drop prices 10% for fast sale.

Hope this helps, and please post photos of the holster/stock.

dju

Thank you for your help as well.

I will get photos of that holster. While researching it I realized dad might have other shoulder stock/ holsters. I saw at least two more but thought they went to his Inglis Hi-Powers. I won't be back to his place for a couple weeks so it's be that long before I can get photos of those but I will get some of the one with me.

[DavidJayUden]

Regardless, float all the stock/holsters up here because we have lots of military collectors here to whom Lugers are of secondary interest.
Also, we have pretty good luck selling here on our For Sale column down below. Costs nothing and I have yet to see a crook operating here. I always start there and only rarely end up over at GunBroker.com.
dju

[idsubgun]

Originally Posted by DavidJayUden

Regardless, float all the stock/holsters up here because we have lots of military collectors here to whom Lugers are of secondary interest.
Also, we have pretty good luck selling here on our For Sale column down below. Costs nothing and I have yet to see a crook operating here. I always start there and only rarely end up over at GunBroker.com.
dju

I will put them up for sale here. I've never used gunbroker, and am a new member here, but I have a lot of great feedback on the FAL Files under the same username.

Dad was career military, and moonlighted in the gun business on the side. After retirement from the military he worked full time in the gun business. While he had interest in all aspects of firearm collecting, he mainly collected military guns. I have to head out to his place in a couple weeks, and go through all his stuff. Who knows what I'll dig up!