1940 byf - should I return it?

[Pablo]

Thanks again for all the info. So, to summarize, based on the acceptance marks with a crown, the frame is WW1, but the barrel has an eagle clutching "N" (NAZI Commercial Proof) and another eagle proof, and "42" stamped into it. The number inside the grips is "S01". Was this Luger put together for a practical application, i.e, did the Nazis take the older WW1 Lugers and added the eagle acceptance marks or is this Luger purely meant to deceive? Anyway, I'm returning it, armed with a bit of Luger knowledge for my Luger quest.

[MG42UK]

The thing to remember is that WW2 Lugers are not rare, in fact on most gun sites they are very common. With around 4m in total made (not just WW2), there will always be a better one

That being said, the market you are in can effect this; in Europe we only have deacts (or at least this is all that is open to most collectors) and there are then variants like the 'Black Widow' and '38 Kreighoff etc that can add more to the price/rarity. But Luger collecting is a world onto itself

I'm lucky enough to own a deact Kreighoff, is is matching except for the side plate and mag (prob couldn't afford a full matching one)

[BrodieBartfast]

I believe habicht answered this on page 2 of this thread:

'It's a typical East German rework as issued to the Volkspolizei. The frame was manufactured by Erfurt prior to 1919. The take-down lever appears to be from a commercial Luger. It's value is about $500 if it functions correctly.'

So it was reworked in the DDR, probably in a similar fashion to the way the Russians reworked domestic and captured rifles postwar. Stripped down to base components, with the components thrown into different bins. They then reassembled rifles using the best quality parts. These rifles weren't typically re-numbered, but this may have been true of captured pistols, of which Lugers were a part. As the DDR was a satellite of the USSR at the time, it's not too much of a stretch to imagine a similar process being followed.

So, in short, no two components originate from the same pistol. It apparently has some value if it shoots, but its collectability as an original piece goes out the window. It may have some value to a collector of East German items, however. Worth bearing in mind.

Regards, B.B.