I was told this Luger belonged to the Shah of Iran

It might be a persian, but I doubt its the actual shah's. Are there gobs of documentation?

Edward Tinker said:

It might be a persian, but I doubt its the actual shah's. Are there gobs of documentation?

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I know the CIA agent who was presented the gun. I can't say more than that.

Everything was property of the Shah. It's a Persian contract but without documentation all you have is a Persian contract LP08. Not being nasty, just being honest.

G2

tedheiman said:

I know the CIA agent who was presented the gun. I can't say more than that.

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Get it in writing, documented by a CIA historian, a picture of it in the Shah's hand, anything else you can possible connect to the Shah, and then have all the evidence itemized and notarized. Otherwise, there will always be naysayers.

And even if you get all that, there will still be some detractors. But you'll have a leg up on the story.

1,000 of these LP.08's were delivered to Iran from 1936-1942.

Get close-up pictures - there were two different Chamber stamps.
It should have serial numbers on the left receiver and frame front in farsi.

It would be interesting to see if the stock is numbered to the gun.

tedheiman said:

I know the CIA agent who was presented the gun. I can't say more than that.

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Without written documentation, its a story. At some point you'll go to sell it and you might get the same amount as any other persian luger. Questions to think about;
How much is he asking? - it depends on what is a large amount of money
Is there documentation? - Can he show he was in Iran or that met the Shah when he was here in the USA?

As the old adage goes: Buy the gun, not the story. Unless there is significant proof that this was the personal weapon of the Shah, you won’t get your money back down the road (assuming you’re paying a premium for the provenance). If you believe the seller and it’s worth it to you, then go for it - but realize that another buyer down the road won’t have that same personal connection and will likely only pay the going price for a Persian Luger.

A Shah of Iran pistol (or for that matter any other object he owned) would have had to be much more “ornate” or distinguishable than a typical one gun of a 1000 gun contract. If it is in pristine shape and all matching (including the mags) its ceiling is $10K.

Stock number is on the left side of the wood near the front. I have 3 match mags w/mine. Looks like mr shah would have wanted a more pocket-size gun.????

PJH

heckinohio said:

Stock number is on the left side of the wood near the front. I have 3 match mags w/mine. Looks like mr shah would have wanted a more pocket-size gun.????

PJH

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heckinohio said:

Stock number is on the left side of the wood near the front. I have 3 match mags w/mine. Looks like mr shah would have wanted a more pocket-size gun.????

PJH

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3 matching mag! Sounds like all matching numbers, too. Would love to see a separate exhibit thread for your gun (with many closeups if you have the time and interest).

If you are a beginning collector of Lugers, why sink a lot of your money into one gun based only on the notoriety of its owner? Do you own a conventional Imperial issue Long P08. If not that might be a much better investment. I would also suggest a Navy P04 as a better investment. Every year there are fewer and fewer people interested in Persian history. I think that guns owned by celebrities are like commemorative issues: not a good investment in the long run.

Mac Cat said:

1,000 of these LP.08's were delivered to Iran from 1936-1942.

Get close-up pictures - there were two different Chamber stamps.
It should have serial numbers on the left receiver and frame front in farsi.

It would be interesting to see if the stock is numbered to the gun.

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I will take a look!