Guys, in trying to price some items form an estate I identified his luger as a 1923 commercial model. While I haven't taken it down, all visible numbers match. The closest I can come to a match on Gunbroker.com is to a 1920 commercial model. According to Lugers at Random there were far more 1920 models made than 1923. My question is to whether or not this would have any significant effect on the price if both guns are in equivalent condition?
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Ignored Due To Invisibility. -
Larry, you really don't give enough info in your posting to answer your question, if indeed there is a question there. If you will post the following information, I will make an attempt at giving you some ranges of value.
Complete serial number including the letter suffix (front of the frame just under the barrel)
How is the area under the safety lever marked, GESICHERT or SAFE?
How is the extractor marked, GELADEN or LOADED?
Beyond this point, value will be determined by originality and quality of parts and finish. -
Originally posted by Larry Lipps
In fact, author Jan Still in his book about the Lugers from the Weimar Era, renamed this classification by naming the variants as "Alphabet Lugers" (those with a suffix after the serial number, formely known as 1920 Commercials) and '20 DWM (formely know as 1923 Commercial).
All Comercial model Lugers up to the end of the war in 1918 had 5-digit serial# and lazy Crown/N proofs. Production ended around serial # 74722.
1920 DWM (formerly 1923 Commercial): Late 1919 Commercial production started again, continuing the 5-digit serial numbering beginning around 74745. Guns have upright Crown/N proof.
Alphabet Commercial (formerly 1920 Commercial): Mid-1921 the commercial serial# series reached 92000. DWM converted commercial production to the military convention of numbering, four digits with letter suffix. Numbering began with letter suffix i , guns have upright Crown/N proofs. (Not all sources agree with Still about the changeover beginning at serial# 92000.)
1929 DWM (formerly Sneak)In 1929 DWM production began the move to Mauser. Serial number suffixes s, t, u are produced this year under disputed circumstances.
So, to answer partially your question, the numbers of 1920 DWM Lugers made (ex-1923 Commercial) were smaller (around 18,000) than the total amount of "Alphabet Commercial" (around 100,000 - ten thousand per suffix).
Hope it helps.
Douglas.Comment
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How do you know the numbers match w/o taking it down? What about the trigger and firing pin?Comment
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in Italy all weapons 9mm para are prohibited, and the best alternative to have something which resembles a Luger 08 (not altered or modified or recalibrated or forever "ruined" ) is to put in collection a commercial Luger 1923, .... mine:Last edited by mufasa; 07-13-2013, 03:54 AM.Comment
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Your Commercial Luger (a 1920 DWM) is in beautiful shape indeed!
Congratulations.Comment
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thanks Douglas Jr....Originally posted by Douglas Jr. View Post
... in fact the only difference between a Luger 1920 ( military serial number) and a Luger 1923 (civilians serial number with 5 digits) that is the seial numbers that for 1923 continues with civilians before the war trom about 75,500 to 95,000 (18.000 Lugers)Comment
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As the serial numbers of the commercial Lugers approached 100,000 the decision was made to go to the military style serial number with the letter suffix. The 1920 Commercial or Alphabet Commercial serial number range started in the i letter suffix block, as this would have been the letter suffix block they would have been in had the military style numbering been used from the beginning of production of the commercial pistols.Comment
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