1913-1920 Double date Erfurt, police issue to Plauen Germany.

[Logictox]

This was brought home by a GI in the 183rd. It is a double date Luger that was converted to a Police Luger in 1934. The magazine was most likely numbered to the gun in 1934 as the larger font was typical of the police Lugers. Note it has the safety sear which started in 1934 and it came in a 1934 brown holster. I know it was from Plauen by the markings on the grip. The SP/P is written about in Don Maus's "Writ In Steel" which is mostly about German police Lugers. He took a photo of another one with the identical markings.

[Ben Evans]

What do they do alter the safety sear on the Police lugers? I have heard this mentioned a couple of times now but I dont understand what I am looking at? Yet another wonderful luger

[Ben Evans]

Just to clarify, they started using the large lettering on the mag bases after 1934? (brilliant pics BTW, they enlarge great) So when did the aluminium mags come into play?

[Logictox]

I date it by two things. The safety sear which is the piece added to the top of the trigger plate. When you take the trigger plate off the sear blocks the firing bar. It is a safety feature. They started adding those in 1934 and the fact that the toggle bolt in this one is numbered also tells me it went through the police transition in 1934 as that is the year they started to number the axle toggle pin. It could be later but the holster appears police and is also dated 1934. They came out with aluminum magazine bases in 34 but they had a lot of old WWI wooden base still in inventory at that time. When they matched it for police they also matched new magazines if it didn't currently have matched magazines. When they did them for Police they used the big font you see on this one. When they did aluminum for police they didn't use the same font, they used a number system. Instead of a plain and one with a + sign, one was numbered 1 and one numbered 2 along with the serial number.