Jan C. Still Lugerforums banner
Cancel

Prussian Eagle/Erfurt Eagle... Related?

2371 Views 10 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  Jack Lawman, 
J
2
Here is a photograph I borrowed from Garfield. It shows a Prussian Eagle mark on the front triggerguard of a Mauser 1914. I know this Prussian mark is also found on the front magwell of C96's:

Download Attachment: Garfields 1914 Prussian Eagle.JPG
10.06KB

Below is a photo from another forum. It shows two Eagle stamps found on a 1915 Luger (toggle and receiver) that are identified as "Erfurt Proofs":

Download Attachment: Beanstrungs 1915 Luger.JPG
38.24KB

Are the Prussian and Erfurt Eagles somehow related or are they just coincidentally similar?

Thanks for any help,
Jack
See less See more
Reply
Save
Like
1 - 2 of 11 Posts
D
Jack,

The Imperial marking requirements for Lugers require "a heraldic eagle" to be stamped as power proof marks. The two eagles you show from the 1915 thread are actually different, the receiver eagle is the style usually associated with the Erfurt armory and the breechblock eagle is the style usually associated with DWM.

The Prussian eagle, as seen on the trigger guard, is a heraldic eagle, as well.

--Dwight
Reply
Save
Like
  • Like
Reactions: 1
D
Jack,

I will be out of my depth if I talk about proof and inspection marks on anything other than Lugers. I think that one could be guided by the placement of such stamps, power proofs are associated with parts which are subjected to firing pressure--receivers, barrels, etc.

"Property stamps" are difficult. The only marks which might properly be described as such are Imperial Army and Navy unit marks, Police unit marks, and the Weimar 1920 receiver stamp. There are examples of eagles stamped on German arms, the Prussian eagle you example above is one, an Erfurt-style eagle shows up occasionally on trigger guards of pistols, but the purpose of these is obscure. Jan Still has started a couple of discussions of these marks in these Forums.

Sam Costanzo, in his encyclopedic Luger marking tome, documents variations of the DWM eagle. If you do a search on proof eagles, or associated words, you should find discussions about the differing styles of heraldic eagles and their likely meaning. In short, variations of eagle styles are more likely to be varied interpretation by die carvers of the "heraldic eagle" requirement and any examples provided as examples for their work.

One question which I don't believe has been addressed is, where were these dies produced? Did the Erfurt arsenal have a die shop, DWM with their own as well? Or, as the inspectors were assigned by the Spandau arsenal, did Spandau provide all the stamps? This might have a bearing on why the distinct eagle styles.

--Dwight
See less See more
Reply
Save
Like
  • Like
Reactions: 1
1 - 2 of 11 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Jan C. Still Lugerforums
A community dedicated to Lugers, Central Powers, Axis, Allied and related WW-I and WW-II pistols by their scholars, collectors, owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about the history, technology and extraordinary background associated with these design masterpieces.
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
New Collectors Board German: German Mfg. (non-P08) Pistols & Holsters. 1933-1945: Mauser Lugers. Army, Navy, Police German: Foreign Mfg. Pistols and Holsters. 1900-1918: P.08-Army Lugers
Top