What do we have here?

[hughscpa]

A buddy of mine is looking to sell this holster and I have no experience as to what it is. Any info would be greatly appreciated? I know values are hard to give but a ballpark figure would be huge for him.

[sdmark777]

What we have here is a post WWII German P-38 holster. I believe your friends is stamped with the manufacturer and date: "C.RIESE; BERLIN; 1960/4".

Walther retooled for new P38 production since no military firearms production had occurred in West Germany since the end of the war, knowing that the military would again seek Walther firearms. When the Bundeswehr announced it wanted the P38 for its official service pistol, Walther readily resumed P38 production within just two years, using wartime pistols as models and new engineering drawings and machine tools. The first of the new P38s were delivered to the West German military in June 1957, some 17 years and two months after the pistol had initially seen action in World War II, and from 1957 to 1963 the P38 was again the standard sidearm.

Your friends holster dated April 1960, falls right into the period of 1957 to 1963.

In late 1963 the postwar military model P1 was adopted for use by the German military, identifiable by the P1 stamping on the slide. The postwar pistols, whether marked as P38 or P1, have an aluminum frame rather than the steel frame of the original design. Starting in June 1975, the aluminum frame was reinforced with a hex bolt above the trigger guard, and a slightly modified, stronger slide design was introduced. During the 1990s the German military started replacing the P1 with the P8 pistol and finally phased out the P1 in 2004.

After phasing out the P1 in 2004, many P1's, some used, some unissued were imported to the US. Along with these P1's many postwar P38 and P1 holsters were imported as well. Some P1's were actually sold with the earlier postwar P38 holsters.

In 2006 I bought a surplus German P1(dated 4/79, that was unissued). It came however with a holster like your friends, but a later P1 with an illegible maker/date stamp. In 2006 I also picked up a Mauser BYF 44 WWII P38 that was in a postwar P38 holster just like your friends, made by C.RIESE dated Sept. 1961.

These holsters are not worth much, someone has 15 available on Gun Broker (https://www.gunbroker.com/item/894915581) right now for buy it now of $15.00 with hand picked for $25.00. Seller states dates of 50's, 60's and 70's so looks like this was the standard P38/P1 holster for decades.

Here are pics of my postwar P38 holster and P1 for comparison and cause people here seem to like pics.

[sdmark777]

So hughscpa, your friends holster is no big deal, but the arm candy below the holster......now those look interesting!

[sheepherder]

It's hard to tell from the pics; was the West German P1 holster worn butt-forward, or on the opposite side??? Or worn butt-back on the right side as in the US???

[mrerick]

These holsters were included free with many of the P1 pistols imported into the US about 10 years ago.

Don't know the uniform rules for positioning and wearing these holsters. A search online shows photos of officers wearing their holsters on strong side. My cousin's father retired as a district chief for Munich - but I've never asked him...

[hughscpa]

I knew I came to the right place for answers!! Thanks for the information. Now for the jewels in the background, he had three lugers he was preparing for auction and invited me out to look at them. After an afternoon of looking at over 50 guns he is selling, I was able to purchase two of the lugers. He still has one byf 42 still available. The two I got are DWM 1916 and a 1918. Both are what I would consider shooters. I will try to post some pictures later today. This was a very enjoyable day talking with a good friend and looking at some great firearms.

[Schupo]

Here are some postwar Niedersachsen Polizei photos of the pistol and holster in wear. Worn on the right side with butt towards the rear. Also, an obligatory picture of barracks hi-jenks that includes the pistol and holster as well.

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by Schupo

Also, an obligatory picture of barracks hi-jenks that includes the pistol and holster as well.

As someone who spent two weeks on a Bundeswehr Luftwaffe air base [Lager Lechfeld] which contained a Sicherungstaffel K-9 training unit, that last pic really scares me...

I can practically smell the beer...