1917 German Luger

[IronB26719]

Can anyone tell me any information on a 1917 German Luger, just basic information. I found one for sale and was wondering if it was a good buy. I've done searches on it but couldnt find anything on a 1917 Luger.

[pistolchamp]

Lugers are one of my passions... oh, and my wife is a passion too... just in case she reads this.

1917 was near the end of WW1 and many Lugers were parted out. Some were junked (shame) and some were rebuilt using the parts and were re-stamped 1920 under the 1917 which was left intact. Most of these do not have matching numbers. When you find a double date Luger with matching numbers it is likely someone has gone through a bunch of parts and come up with the correctly numbered parts or has restamped some parts so they match. Either way is silly as the double date Lugers are collectable as is.

With most Lugers the three main considerations for value are condition, condition, condition... with rarity coming in an important fourth... with carbines at the top of the heap and artillery models next.

WW2 came along and Lugers were date stamped with codes for the year as were Mauser rifles and other Nazi guns... I guess they thought this would help win the war... or confuse us, or something.

A really good pic would be required to put a value to your Luger.

[IronB26719]

ok thank you, i havent looked at the gun yet, will probably go later in the week. There was also a Charles Daly 45 auto and a Llama 9mm for sale. The luger for 100 in silver and the other two for 50 in silver.

[frank7234]

Originally Posted by pistolchamp

Lugers are one of my passions... oh, and my wife is a passion too... just in case she reads this.

1917 was near the end of WW1 and many Lugers were parted out. Some were junked (shame) and some were rebuilt using the parts and were re-stamped 1920 under the 1917 which was left intact. Most of these do not have matching numbers. When you find a double date Luger with matching numbers it is likely someone has gone through a bunch of parts and come up with the correctly numbered parts or has restamped some parts so they match. Either way is silly as the double date Lugers are collectable as is.

With most Lugers the three main considerations for value are condition, condition, condition... with rarity coming in an important fourth... with carbines at the top of the heap and artillery models next.

WW2 came along and Lugers were date stamped with codes for the year as were Mauser rifles and other Nazi guns... I guess they thought this would help win the war... or confuse us, or something.

A really good pic would be required to put a value to your Luger.

[frank7234]

I too have a 1917 German Luger..All original with matching numbers and in great shape..It has what appear to be bone or plastic grips with an eagle in the middle and I wondered if this was original or aftermarket issue...Over the chamber are the initials DWM in fancy scroll..Any idea of the value of this gun?? Thanks...F

[LDBennett]

Lugers are highly collectable. The prices I see at gun shows always start at over $500 for "shooter" quality versions. It is not unusual to see Lugers priced well into four digits! But at those prices you really have to know what you are getting.

LDBennett

[Dirtypacman]

I had the pleasure of shooting a luger a few months back and was incredibly impressed with its accuracy. I have wanted one for years but the price tag has always kept me from the purchase.

[prcko]

hi i inherited a luger 1917-1920.but i don't know its cost. and it has strange emblem on top. i would be thankful if somebody would know anything . thank you in advance :-)

[gdmoody]

Originally Posted by IronB26719

The luger for 100 in silver and the other two for 50 in silver.

IronB, What do you mean when you say 100 in silver / 50 in silver?

prcko and frank, To come up with information about a particular pistol, pictures are needed! Post some pictures on the Ask the pros forum and you will get some feedback.

[JUNKKING]

Originally Posted by gdmoody

IronB, What do you mean when you say 100 in silver / 50 in silver?

prcko and frank, To come up with information about a particular pistol, pictures are needed! Post some pictures on the Ask the pros forum and you will get some feedback.

If he is talking about dollars I wouldn't wait till later in the week. I would go asap. I never owned a luger, Nut from what I see here they are pretty pricey. Even if it didn't match it has to be worth a whole lot more that 100 dollars.

[gdmoody]

Originally Posted by JUNKKING

If he is talking about dollars I wouldn't wait till later in the week. I would go asap. I never owned a luger, Nut from what I see here they are pretty pricey. Even if it didn't match it has to be worth a whole lot more that 100 dollars.

I wouldn't wait either, I would go immediately. I wonder if the guy is selling them out of the trunk of his car.

[Jim K]

One thing to remember, there were no military Lugers with ivory, pearl, or stag grips. Period. Those were added in the U.S. by people who believed they made the guns more valueable when the opposite was true. The same with plating - silver, nickel, chrome - is always after service, done here or in Europe after WWII.

I don't know what IronB means by "in silver", but silver coins with a face value of $100 would be worth a lot more than $100. Depending on the coins, maybe a whooole lot more.

Jim

[deadin]

Well, I think silver is running around $18.00 an ounce currently, so $100 face value of silver coins would be around $1800.00 (figuring a $1.00 coin contains about an ounce of silver.)
That's pretty steep for a 1917 Luger.

[Teejay9]

I bought an S/42 1937, all matching for $600 back in 1992. I traded it for a broom handle Bolo. It goes down in my book of "Things I Never Should Have Done," right up there with a few others. TJ

[papawsluger]

Originally Posted by pistolchamp

Lugers are one of my passions... oh, and my wife is a passion too... just in case she reads this.

1917 was near the end of WW1 and many Lugers were parted out. Some were junked (shame) and some were rebuilt using the parts and were re-stamped 1920 under the 1917 which was left intact. Most of these do not have matching numbers. When you find a double date Luger with matching numbers it is likely someone has gone through a bunch of parts and come up with the correctly numbered parts or has restamped some parts so they match. Either way is silly as the double date Lugers are collectable as is.

With most Lugers the three main considerations for value are condition, condition, condition... with rarity coming in an important fourth... with carbines at the top of the heap and artillery models next.

WW2 came along and Lugers were date stamped with codes for the year as were Mauser rifles and other Nazi guns... I guess they thought this would help win the war... or confuse us, or something.

A really good pic would be required to put a value to your Luger.

im trying to find the elevated sites for a 1917 luger

[papawsluger]

im trying to find the elevated sites for my 1917 luger

[rhmc24]

To offer some fact re silver, I just checked the silver markets ----- Payment in "silver" could have many meanings. Today silver is being quoted in the metals markets at around $32/oz. US silver coins have varying amounts of silver depending on when they were minted. US silver dollars go for $25-30 today, depending on year, etc.

[Jim K]

First a note on the letter dates. Hitler began the rearming of Germany in earnest in 1934, prior to his abrogation of the Versailles treaty. Letter dates were used for only two years, 1934 (K) and 1935 (G). In March, 1935, Hitler openly announced that Germany would not be bound by the treaty and that rearmament would begin. (A typical Hitler lie; secret rearmament had been ongoing for at least two years.) After that, there was no concealment of arms production and the actual date was used for 1936 and subsequent production.

To provide some secrecy, German arms and equipment manufacturers were assigned codes. The format changed several times, but for most of the war it was two or three lower case letters. The S/42 and 42 for Mauser were early; Mauser Orberndorf was later was assigned the code "byf", and retained that code through the end of Luger production.

Prcko's "strange emblem" is probably the interlaced letters "DWM" (Deutsche Waffen-und Munitions Fabriken), the manufacturer.

The 1920 "dates" were a post-WWI Weimar government property mark. In 1920, the government offered a reward for military weapons turned in by civilains. These were marked with the date of the law (1920) as a property mark to make sure weapons were not somehow taken back and turned in again. The mark was also to be applied to weapons currently in the hands of troops and police or in government stores, but that effort never really got started. There were some Lugers actually made in 1920 for the government; these have been seen with that single date, or with two "1920" dates, the manufacturing date and the property mark.

Jim

[hstout1143]

Originally Posted by Jim K

Prcko's "strange emblem" is probably the interlaced letters "DWM" (Deutsche Waffen-und Munitions Fabriken), the manufacturer.



Jim

This is what the "DWM" looks like.

[rhmc24]

For what it's worth here is my 1920 marked Pw.B = Polizeiwehr Bayern, my rough translation, Police Force Bavaria. Apparently made (converted or whatever) in 1920, used in Bavaria till it got drafted into the Army. Holster is date 1940. Sorry about he the bayo.