holsters on ebay

[Roadkill]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1097819483


Couple of good looking holsters, not cheap but probably worth it, another is a few item nunbers before this one.


Roadkill

[Frank]

Holsters in this condition are difficult to find. They almost always command a high price!

[tom]

Hi Gang,


I have one *slightly* better and I paid $600 for it several years ago.


The really cherry stuff never loses value and the supply never meets the demand, which is why they cost so much.


And, as a point of fact, FWIW, Luger hoslster values have FAR, FAR out paced pistol values over time...which is why I always try to buy the very best rigs I can find.


My zwei pfennig,


Tom

Oh no, Tom! You let the secret out!


Dave

holster collector

Tom, the point you made about Luger holster value out pacing Luger value is so true and an interesting question as to Why?

I would say in the last 30 years (I have many price list to back this statement up) that holsters have increased by a factor of about 10 to 1 (or more). Lugers on the other hand have gone up by a factor of about 5 or 6 to 1.


The increase is even more dramatic if one goes back about 20 years...holsters about 8 to 1 and Lugers about 2 or maybe in some cases 3 to 1.

[John Sabato]

more perishable...


They require more care... they rot, tear, rip, come unstitched, and are misused. They get used by re-enactors till they are worn out, they are often improperly handled and improperly stored...


Even conscientious owners sometimes put things on them that make them rot... just trying to preserve them. They are more fragile than the guns and that means they get used up faster.


fewer holsters holsters survive than do guns... the fewer the holsters, the more the surviving ones cost.


All the same factors goes for guns... but they just don't deteriorate at such a fast rate.


that's MY $0.02...


How about it you holster collectors... fess up!


John Sabato

[tom]

Hi All,


I agree with what my colleague Herr Sabato has said; however, he has omitted the most important factor: there were considerably fewer holsters to begin with.


How? you ask.


Simple. Most Doughboys and GIs alike wanted and were crazy to get that Luger (a la Band of Bros)...most simply did not take the time to retrieve the holster...in either war.


Ergo, a smaller population of holsters to begin with.


My zwei pffenig.


Tom

[Johnny Peppers]

John, I think you are onto something there. As the holsters slowly turn to dust, the Lugers have miraculously gotten better. This is not limited to Lugers, as it is happening in all collectible firearms.

[Joe]

Also many GIs just were not interested in bringing home the Luger's holster. It was eaiser to pack and hide just the pistol. Also a number of people who have recently purchased the import Lugers are interested in picking up an original holster for their gun.

The Russian threw away [maybe] the holsters, but refurbished the pistols. Imagine if the Russians are holding all the captured holsters and suddenly decide to dump them onto the market. That would have a serious effect on the holster's value.

Joe, that is the thought that has had holster collectors wondering for years--Did the Russians keep any of the holsters and will they appear someday in the thousands? I spoke with someone in Britain who had found a few in Russia that were all painted brown. I have also heard suggested the holsters were fed to pigs or used to repair shoes and other leather goods. The only holsters to show up in the past few years have been brand new P38 and 7.65 holsters. There is some controversy about whether all of those are wartime or some may be recent manufacture.


I don't see any large numbers of luger holsters coming out of the eastern countries.

Unfortunately, the holster mentioned at the start of this thread has been recently treated by the seller. He was concerned about the cracking of the surface--but that could be due to fluctuations in temp, humidity--sunlight, or other factors. The treatment may very well accelerate the cracking because now it can get deeper into the leather through the cracks and further soften the leather. Optimistically, it will not cause any noticable harm.


Too bad--it was in great condition and only needed a good environment for storage and protection.

yep, as time goes on the lugers "improve" and the holsters turn to red dust. I saw a lot of improved lugers at the last Denver gun show--better looking than the day they were made! At least, that is what happened once the straw was done up in a pretty gold color.

[Marvin]

Joe,


The Russians did ho;d onto the P.38 holsters. There are many of these in NEW condition on the market today and the price is almost the same as the used holsters. The P,38 holster were supposed to have been new ones that were found in warehouses and the Russians kept them. I can see this actually happening, bur since Luger production stopped in 1942, the large scale production of these stopped. I would think this is reason there are not any coming from Russia. The Germans used all that were made and at the ward end they were thrown away????? Just my thought on this.


The Norwegians did keep all the Luger holsters that were turned in by the German troops when the war ended and used them. The only problem here is that they cut the belt loops off and installed a GI type hook. These are on the market today and in very nice condition. They usually sell in the $75-100 range. The first one I saw and bought was what I though to be a GI conversion, but soon after I learned they were Norewegian conversions. A nice deal if you want a good holster for you shooter.


marvin