[Luke]

I have recently inspected two Imperial Lugers, a 1917 Navy and a 1918 DWM 4" military, with excellent grips which were not numbered to the gun. Close inspection of the insides of the grips shows the only marking on these to be an upper-case letter clearly stamped inside the left grip. They have no serial numbers.

Comparative examination of the inside of the grips shows that they are cut in exactly the same manner as those on my Imperials which ARE numbered to the gun. This leads me to believe they are authentic WW-I grips, but possibly (?) armorer's replacement items.

Can anyone shed any light on the grip numbering process or standards employed in late WW-I by DWM?

Is it common to find authentic, but unnumbered, grips on late WW-I Lugers?

Thanks for your help.

Luke

 

[Edward Tinker]

Luke, interesting thread, I am curious and wondering what others think also?

Ed

 

[Luke]

At the recent Charlotte gun show another collector asked the same question of me. Not knowing the answer, I assured him that the world's experts reside here on this forum and that someone would surely know the answer. Maybe not.

 

[Jan C Still]

Luke,
My observations on matching magazines (as best as I can recall)on Imperial German military Lugers.

Erfurt grips always bear a C/scriptic letter stamp and the last two digits of the Lugers serial number.

DWM Army Lugers dated 1908-1918: the grips often bear the last two digits of the Lugers serial number but not always.

 

[Luke]

Thanks, Jan.

Appreciate your help very much.

Someone has suggested that the presence of an upper-case Gothic letter in the absence of serial numbers indicates that the grips are armorer's replacements. Any thoughts?

Does this degrade the value of the Luger even though they are authentic DWM grips?


Regards,
Luke

 

[Heinz]

Upper case Roman letters are supposed to be factory worker's marks.

My early 1918 DWM has the last 2 digits of the SN, small and faint. My 1915 DWM appears to have none. But it is a Weimar police reissue and may have replacement grips

 

[garfield]

It has been my experience that Imperial P08 grips are usually stamped; the Erfurts with the acceptance stamp and last two digits, the DWM usually with the last two digits in small/smaller numbers. Not all of the DWMs seem to be stamped with the last two digits. It is also not uncommon to find single digit numbers and large upper and lower case letters, seemingly unrealated to any other numbers, stamped into the grips in addition to the above mentioned. I am not familiar with the notion that upper case Gothic letter indicate arsenal replacement.

IMHO, unnumbered proper grips should not lessen the value of an otherwise collectable grade pistol.

 

[garfield]

It has been my experience that Imperial P08 grips are usually stamped; the Erfurts with the acceptance stamp and last two digits, the DWM usually with the last two digits in small/smaller numbers. Not all of the DWMs seem to be stamped with the last two digits. It is also not uncommon to find single digit numbers and large upper and lower case letters, seemingly unrealated to any other numbers, stamped into the grips in addition to the above mentioned. I am not familiar with the notion that upper case Gothic letter indicate arsenal replacement.

IMHO, unnumbered proper grips should not lessen the value of an otherwise collectable grade pistol.

 

[Luke]

Jan, Heinz, Garfield,

Thanks for your comments.

Luke

 

[Luke]

Jan, Heinz, Garfield,

Thanks for your comments.

Luke