WWII Walther PP/PPK 7.65 stainless

[big ned]

Vet's often had their bring back firearms electro-plated to add a bit of bling. Maybe that's the case here.

Regards, Ned.

Following my earlier comment, here's a couple of examples of German pistols brought back by GI's and then plated.

Regards, Ned.

[dunepray7]

Wagriff,
Thanks again. Just got done cleaning and turns out the weapon has been plated, as a couple of very small flakes came off. I have no idea when it was plated, however, know from my old friend that the WWII vet didn't have it plated. He never talked about the weapon being in any other condition than it is today. Even the ammo left in the extra clip is molded, so I don't think it was ever fired after WWII. Learned a lot today, but more to go.

Like William says "Much that once was, is lost." I'm an old Nam Vet, and a lot of my brothers are now gone. Our heroes of WWII are leaving us too fast. My dad was a B-24 driver during WWII and luckily still around at 88. My father-in-law's father was killed in the Hurtgen Forest during the Battle of the Bulge. Very highly decorated vet who went through North Africa, Italy, and Normandy landings. I would love to have this weapon, just for the story and connection to my life. Sure would be nice to be able to locate or know to whom the weapon was issued. Depending on circumstances, I may even try to return it to Germany. Anyone know what it would be worth?

I sure wish I could find a link that works to German archives. So far, no luck.

Thanks Again,
Dune

[Wagriff]

Hello Dune, Sad to say, but without unit marks,etc., it's impossible to ever definitively find out who carried this gun and anything else about it, other than the date of manufacture. The Walther's were manufactured by the many many many thousands and were used in most all of the branches of the German Armed Forces by both enlisted men and officers as well. They were also used by civilian Police departments and several other outfits such as the dreaded Gestapo and your average workaday Government officials. The bring-back papers and the name of your Vet from whom you got it will be about all that can ever be known about it. The circumstances of it's being owned by Him could be almost anything from a personal shoot out trophy over a determined German adversary or maybe something as mundane as it being won by him from one of his buddies in a card game!(I know several Vets who brought back guns and other souvenirs by just that very means!) It's just one of those minor mysteries that will never be known. But, in the meanwhile, you still have a great little war souvenir gun that can be safely shot or simply admired for what it is and where it may have been!

[dunepray7]

Wagriff,
Is there a possibility this may be nickel plating, and whether or not Walther actually plated the weapon. The reason I'm asking is I've just found this on a website suggesting same.

Thanks,
dune

Guns, Firearms, Projectile Weapon Sports: Walther 7.65, walther pp, model pp

[Wagriff]

Hello Dune, It probably is a nickel plating whose finish has simply toned and worn down to a dull appearance over time. As far as who actually Did the plating, that's almost impossible to say, but I doubt very much if it was factory applied. The gun is waffenamp marked, so it was produced for the military and almost certainly would not have been Issued nickel plated but if it Was plated during the time, it could have been done so by almost any gun shop available.

[dunepray7]

Dear Wagriff,
I truly appreciate the help you and all have given me. The old friend I mentioned early on just called me over to his house and presented me with the Walther. He said it was given to him by a friend, and he's passing it on to me. I will cherish it until the time I pass it on to another. When my research is complete, the story will be written with its lineage and encased for future generations to remember. I find amazing this date, when on the same day in 1944 our "Greatest Generation" found their way forward through the hellish beaches of Normandy.

Sincerely,
dune

[Doppelgänger]

Thread resurrection?

I can't believe that no one would step in with anything but nay saying, when I thought it was rather well known that Walther made what they called "Verchromt" PP's and PPK's during the war. I have a pics somewhere in my files of a e/359 Waffen proofed late war PP with wood grips in the Verchromt finish, use to be my finest and rarest Walther...

You can tell in an instant if that's what it is, or not, for a Verchromt piece with have zero bluing anywhere, the metal is obviously in the white under the nickel layer (I think it was nickel?), and it does flake slightly, especially around sharp edges, etc... I shudder to think that someone who has one of these has to go one thinking that he has a post WWII GI "enhanced" piece (those were actually chrome plated...), or even worse goes out gets it stripped and re-blued on possibly bad advice...

Here's the pic of the Verchromt PP that I had back in the 90's, sold to me by a member of the WA Collector's Association who palled around with Don Hallock (who had a multi million dollar collection of Lugers), I was pretty sure I could trust him to sell me something legit. The image was shot with a 4x5 camera, as you can tell from the edges of the neg.





But again, it's sad to see someone being told they have something that's been more or less "been ruined as far as collectability" when in fact they possibly have something quite rare.

Mini rant not over yet... ;-) As I just acquired a PPK, and doing some internet browsing regarding the same I came upon a thread where a guy posted great pics of a Police marked PPK with holster, spare mag, etc (I didn't bother to look at the pics until I'd read most of the thread, and guys were saying that it was 70% condition and "the previous owner did something horrible keeping it in the holster all these years", for it's really in rough shape, and it's worth $500 (This was NOT and old thread, it was from 2012!) and I finally looked at the pics and the gun was in far above average condition for a wartime PPK, slight muzzle wear, a few tiny (I mean tiny!) pits here and there, realistically, the gun was in about as nice a condition as you'll ever find one of these.

Is there a moral to this story?

Yes, I think most "collectors" of WWII arms are completely delusional when evaluating the condition of other people's finds (or completely unrealistic about what these things should look like), of course I'm much too naive to think one might do this to get a deal on something...

Just a month ago I read another thread on the net where a guy had inherited Luger with a holster and a couple matching mags, and of course a few experts popped up to notify the owner that there were so many things wrong with it (there we go again, "dumb PO left it in the holster too long", etc), it was a wonder he wouldn't have to pay someone to get it off his hands, and by the second page of the thread someone started being honest and saying it's worth $2000 to me if you want to sell it, and by the end of that same page another member offered $3000.

Not that anything remotely close to this happened here, I just have trouble wrapping my head around that someone could post about what could very well be a Verchromt PPK here on this forum, in world firearms forum, and not one person is even knowledgable enough on PP's/PPK's to know that they do exist (mods?). I never saw a pic of this particular PPK in the thread, so I don't know what it is, but based on what he described that is a definite likelyhood that's what it was.

Walther Model PPK Semi-Automatic Pistol with Scarce "Verchromt" Finish

Walther PPK cal 7.65...... Nickel ,White grips and finger rest...... - The Firearms Forum - Gun Community

WALTHER PPK VERY RARE VERCHROMT FINISH

Walther Model PPK Semi-Automatic Pistol with Rare - by Rock Island Auction Company