Mauser military??

05-03-2002, 09:19 AM

I recently inherited a luger that my grandpa brought back from WW2. Looking at the proofs, I think it matches #46 or #47 in the markings document posted at lugerforum.com. "Mauser military proofs. S/42, 42, and BYF coded Lugers. Left and right proofs appear on barrel, right proof on breechblock.

"

The serial number is 4192 and at glance, all the parts are stamped 92. Looking at it from the top, the frame is stamped "1939" and the rear toggle is stamped "42".

One of the magazines has no markings and the other is stamped with eagle over the number 37, PO8, and fXO.

My grand was a litter-bearer in WW2, so I am pretty sure the gun and holster were looted from a fallen soldier. My father has my grandpa's journal that he kept during the war, and I can't wait to read it. Hopefully it will tell where and when he came to posses this luger.

The gun's not for sale, but I am curious about it's value. The gun has not been fired since brought back from the war. It appears to be in working order and the blueing is 80-90%. The only blemish is that someone (probably my grandpa) etched what appears to be a social security number on the bottom of the trigger gaurd. My guess is that he may have done this while over-sea's, so he could prove it was his while still in the army.

The holster is pretty beat up. Inside it has a German eagle stamp and the letters "LWP 1940" are either stamped or carved into the leather, not sure which.

Any info on this gun would be greatly appreciated.

John Sabato · 05-03-2002, 10:43 AM

Congrats for having a grandfather that loved you that much!

There are many factors that would affect the value... you need to check the Technical Information link in the left frame and print out the identification sheets.

Then post ALL the information, and if possible, a photo of both sides and the top of your Luger.

There should be a small script lowercase character under the serial number on the front of the frame.

This is an essential part of the serial number and is known as the suffix letter. There were many Lugers that were numbered 4192 in 1939 and this letter is what distinguishes one from another. It should be on ANY official documentation that pertains to ownership of your Luger - like registration papers or bills of sale.

Your Luger is worth somewhere between $450 and $1450 dollars (or more) depending on the finish and whether or not any of the original parts have been replaced. The holster, even if you consider that it is beat up, can also be worth some money to a holster collector or one who restores holsters may like to have it for the good parts...

Please post photos if you can- if you have a problem, email the photos to me and I will post them for you. If you don't have a digital camera that can take sharp focus closeups of your Luger, you can use a flatbed scanner and scan it on both sides just like it was a document- lay it on the glass and cover it with a white cloth... just crop the picture to eliminate the unnecessary blank space

regards, (and welcome to the Luger Forum!)

John Sabato

Roadkill · 05-03-2002, 11:29 AM

Recommend you don't attempt to shoot it until its been carefull disassembled and cleaned, too many small parts that could be stuck, also don't dry fire it for same reason. Grips are sensitive to breaking if you aren't careful in taking them off for the first time, they get stuck and fit very tightly. You have a nice gun with family history, inattention to care especially after being put up for 50+ years could cause real damage. Congrats!

Roadkill

Orv Reichert · 05-03-2002, 01:03 PM

Herb · 05-03-2002, 03:57 PM

Check the holster stamp again, it should be dlwp, if the 'd' is there it was made at the Deutsche-Lederwerk, Pirmasens, GE. in 1940 and the WaffenAmpt (WaA code is 416.

Orv Reichert · 05-03-2002, 04:52 PM

Usually, you wil also find a black rubber ink stamped legend inside the lid with 'P38[t]

If so, it was made for the CZ38 pistol and are quite valuable in their own right!

Orv Recihert

05-05-2002, 07:37 AM

You are correct. It is 'DLWP', with the date '1940' stamped directly below it. If you know in your mind that it should be 'DLWP', you can see the 'D' clearly. Otherwise, it looks like LWP. It looks like the stamp was not level when the maker of the holster hit it. The 'D' is there, but not nearly as deep as the LWP

05-05-2002, 08:16 AM

The letter under the serial number is either a capital 'A' slightly tilted, or cursive 'g' or 'q'. A freind of mine has a digital camera, and I'll post pictures of everything in the next 1-2 weeks.

I really appreciate your help on this.

Questions:

Is there a specific US military document that would have been filed when my grandpa obtained this gun? My gut feeling is that he found/took the gun from a battle field while serving for the US. From what I know, he did not but it, it's just something that came home with him.

Did the Germans track what serial numbers were assigned to which soldiers? I would love to be able to put together the entire life story of the gun, from when it was made until now.

05-05-2002, 01:59 PM

No sorry Sludge, with a few exceptions, most guns were issued and some were issued and as they changed theaters they turned in their old gun and were issued new ones later. (that is what I have been told, although I am sure many kept theirs also.

When brought in "legally" to the US, the soldiers were supposed to declare the gun and they were issued what we call "Bring Back Paperwork". I imagine some of these were logged in unit books, but there is not any central location for anything like this. Further, some soldiers through the war, mailed guns or other souvenirs home and those wouldn't have paperwork. For example, I have a 7.7 Arisaka; it still has the Chrysanthemum on it, which was supposed to have been ground off after being captured. So, I surmise that it was captured before that time frame and the seaman or marine brought it home, but I have no idea. So, again, I am sure that many soldiers, marines, airman, etc., traded bought, found, captured guns and were afraid of them declaring it and they would never see it again, so they just left it in their duffle bag and others were afraid of getting caught and tossed them overboard.

BTW, thebring back paperwork is usually on thin paper that doesn't last or hold up very well.

Ed

Orv Reichert · 05-05-2002, 04:41 PM

I hit the wrong key...it is P39[t] for the CZ holsters

05-03-2002, 09:19 AM	#1
Sludge17 Guest Posts: n/a	Mauser military?? I recently inherited a luger that my grandpa brought back from WW2. Looking at the proofs, I think it matches #46 or #47 in the markings document posted at lugerforum.com. "Mauser military proofs. S/42, 42, and BYF coded Lugers. Left and right proofs appear on barrel, right proof on breechblock. " The serial number is 4192 and at glance, all the parts are stamped 92. Looking at it from the top, the frame is stamped "1939" and the rear toggle is stamped "42". One of the magazines has no markings and the other is stamped with eagle over the number 37, PO8, and fXO. My grand was a litter-bearer in WW2, so I am pretty sure the gun and holster were looted from a fallen soldier. My father has my grandpa's journal that he kept during the war, and I can't wait to read it. Hopefully it will tell where and when he came to posses this luger. The gun's not for sale, but I am curious about it's value. The gun has not been fired since brought back from the war. It appears to be in working order and the blueing is 80-90%. The only blemish is that someone (probably my grandpa) etched what appears to be a social security number on the bottom of the trigger gaurd. My guess is that he may have done this while over-sea's, so he could prove it was his while still in the army. The holster is pretty beat up. Inside it has a German eagle stamp and the letters "LWP 1940" are either stamped or carved into the leather, not sure which. Any info on this gun would be greatly appreciated.

05-03-2002, 10:43 AM	#2
John Sabato Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The Capital of the Free World Posts: 10,154 Thanks: 3,003 Thanked 2,306 Times in 1,097 Posts	Re: Mauser military?? YES Congrats for having a grandfather that loved you that much! There are many factors that would affect the value... you need to check the Technical Information link in the left frame and print out the identification sheets. Then post ALL the information, and if possible, a photo of both sides and the top of your Luger. There should be a small script lowercase character under the serial number on the front of the frame. This is an essential part of the serial number and is known as the suffix letter. There were many Lugers that were numbered 4192 in 1939 and this letter is what distinguishes one from another. It should be on ANY official documentation that pertains to ownership of your Luger - like registration papers or bills of sale. Your Luger is worth somewhere between $450 and $1450 dollars (or more) depending on the finish and whether or not any of the original parts have been replaced. The holster, even if you consider that it is beat up, can also be worth some money to a holster collector or one who restores holsters may like to have it for the good parts... Please post photos if you can- if you have a problem, email the photos to me and I will post them for you. If you don't have a digital camera that can take sharp focus closeups of your Luger, you can use a flatbed scanner and scan it on both sides just like it was a document- lay it on the glass and cover it with a white cloth... just crop the picture to eliminate the unnecessary blank space regards, (and welcome to the Luger Forum!) John Sabato

05-03-2002, 11:29 AM	#3
Roadkill User Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 1,632 Thanks: 1 Thanked 28 Times in 17 Posts	Re: Mauser military?? YES Recommend you don't attempt to shoot it until its been carefull disassembled and cleaned, too many small parts that could be stuck, also don't dry fire it for same reason. Grips are sensitive to breaking if you aren't careful in taking them off for the first time, they get stuck and fit very tightly. You have a nice gun with family history, inattention to care especially after being put up for 50+ years could cause real damage. Congrats! Roadkill

05-03-2002, 03:57 PM	#5
Herb User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Utah, in the land of the Sleeping Rainbow Posts: 1,457 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Holster marking Check the holster stamp again, it should be dlwp, if the 'd' is there it was made at the Deutsche-Lederwerk, Pirmasens, GE. in 1940 and the WaffenAmpt (WaA code is 416.

05-03-2002, 04:52 PM	#6
Orv Reichert RIP Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: SW Washington State Posts: 339 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	DLWP HOLSTER Usually, you wil also find a black rubber ink stamped legend inside the lid with 'P38[t] If so, it was made for the CZ38 pistol and are quite valuable in their own right! Orv Recihert

05-03-2002, 01:03 PM	#4
Orv Reichert RIP Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: SW Washington State Posts: 339 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	don't store it in the holster! (EOM)

05-05-2002, 07:37 AM	#7
Sludge17 Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Holster marking You are correct. It is 'DLWP', with the date '1940' stamped directly below it. If you know in your mind that it should be 'DLWP', you can see the 'D' clearly. Otherwise, it looks like LWP. It looks like the stamp was not level when the maker of the holster hit it. The 'D' is there, but not nearly as deep as the LWP

05-05-2002, 08:16 AM	#8
Sludge17 Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Mauser military?? YES The letter under the serial number is either a capital 'A' slightly tilted, or cursive 'g' or 'q'. A freind of mine has a digital camera, and I'll post pictures of everything in the next 1-2 weeks. I really appreciate your help on this. Questions: Is there a specific US military document that would have been filed when my grandpa obtained this gun? My gut feeling is that he found/took the gun from a battle field while serving for the US. From what I know, he did not but it, it's just something that came home with him. Did the Germans track what serial numbers were assigned to which soldiers? I would love to be able to put together the entire life story of the gun, from when it was made until now.

05-05-2002, 01:59 PM	#9
66mustang Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Mauser military?? YES No sorry Sludge, with a few exceptions, most guns were issued and some were issued and as they changed theaters they turned in their old gun and were issued new ones later. (that is what I have been told, although I am sure many kept theirs also. When brought in "legally" to the US, the soldiers were supposed to declare the gun and they were issued what we call "Bring Back Paperwork". I imagine some of these were logged in unit books, but there is not any central location for anything like this. Further, some soldiers through the war, mailed guns or other souvenirs home and those wouldn't have paperwork. For example, I have a 7.7 Arisaka; it still has the Chrysanthemum on it, which was supposed to have been ground off after being captured. So, I surmise that it was captured before that time frame and the seaman or marine brought it home, but I have no idea. So, again, I am sure that many soldiers, marines, airman, etc., traded bought, found, captured guns and were afraid of them declaring it and they would never see it again, so they just left it in their duffle bag and others were afraid of getting caught and tossed them overboard. BTW, thebring back paperwork is usually on thin paper that doesn't last or hold up very well. Ed

05-05-2002, 04:41 PM	#10
Orv Reichert RIP Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: SW Washington State Posts: 339 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	error above....Orv I hit the wrong key...it is P39[t] for the CZ holsters