[Luke]

Recently bought a 1916 DWM rig with an authentic holster, but the holster has absolutely no markings to identify it. This is only my 2nd holster, and I have no knowledge of the standards or practices of WW-I holster manufacturers.

Was it common not to mark holsters with the manufacturer's ID?

Would appreciate any comments.

Thanks,
Luke



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[Ron Smith]

Hi Luke,
It is a later production holster. Probably a commercial made in the late 20s or 30s. Note the row of stitches running across the back, just below the belt loops, in the WWII style. I'm not sure of the time period that this stitching was added. Jerry Burney could tell you.

Ron

 

[lugerholsterrepair]

Luke, You might look over the inside top really carefully. Maker marks are sometimes hard to see on the suede inside. It is not uncommon though to see an early WW1 era holster that is not maker marked or dated. As Ron says the stitching line on the bottom of the inside liner is an indication of later production. Really hard to pinpoint some of these design changes though. I would put this one in the Weimar period for two reasons. The stitch line and no maker mark or date. Weimar was not as structured as the War years so many of the norms were neglected. Nice holster regardless. Looks to be all there and in pretty good shape. Jerry Burney

 

[Luke]

Hi Jerry,

Thanks for the tip. I got out my little flashlight and (CSI style) examined the inside flap. I found a clear-cut 1916 stamped just above the stitching for the strap. I tried to get a good picture on my flatbed scanner, but it is not too clear. Even so, I think you can make out the numbers. Still looking for any additional markings.

EDIT: Actually, as I look at it with a good light and good glasses, the 1916 stands out very clearly. Is there an acceptable way to bring out the lettering on a holster analogous to using the white marker on Luger numbers?

Luke


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[Luke]

Another interesting thing about this 1916 DWM "rig" is the fact that the 1916 DWM Luger which is a part of the rig is in almost pristine condition except that it has considerable holster wear on the muzzle band and, more importantly, an unusual amount of wear on the left side of the barrel between the muzzle band and the receiver. This fact is only interesting in that this holster is caved-in in that exact area, suggesting that there would have been an unusual amount of rubbing in that section of the left side of the barrel. The picture in my original post does not properly show this caved-in area, but the large indented area is quite prominent when viewed in hand.

Luke


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[lugerholsterrepair]

Luke, sprinkle a little corn starch over the lettering area and shake it. It should settle into the deeper grooves of the markings and highlite them for you. Jerry Burney

 

[Luke]

Jerry, Ron,

Thanks for your help.

Regards,
Luke