German Luger P08 Nickle ?????

[ccgmedic]

Ok.. not sure where to start. A friend of a friend has a 1941 P08 Nickle plated luger that he took off a German SS Officer in WWII. I tried to take pictures for your enjoyment but due to the plating I can not seem to get them to come out ok. All the numbers match in several places.

He said that after the ss officer was killed, his own weapon went down and needed to use this luger to kill 2 more german soldiers. This is the story as it was told to me. Now, this friend of a friend would like to sell this and would like to know how much it is worth.

I am looking for any suggestions as to where to start. What is the best way to go about this?.... Thanks Chris

[TJB63]

Well I'm no Luger expert but..

If it has Capture Papers, It is worth more than without.

If it has the Original Belt & Holster, it's worth more.

All serial numbers should be matching and since this is a capture gun, possibly the magazine.

Now as far as I know, Combat Lugers (P08's) were never Nickel plated, and I can't imagine one produced almost 2 years into the war would be. This more than likely occurred between Capture and Present day! If I'm correct, I would assume Value would be diminished to that of a Shooter, Approx $700-$1000 or less. It is possible it was Factory built as a presentation model, but without documentation, again it's just a shooter.

There are websites that are Luger specific, try Google. As a word of caution, Buy the Gun and not the Story, unless the story can be Documented, it means nothing.

You can kind of see a Theme here, With Historic Firearms, Documentation is Everything.

Good Luck in your search.

TJB

[fastfive0]

Nickel plating on this gun will diminish it's value by 50%. It will also be a hard sell as most who want one are collectors. I would think value between 4-500.

[ccgmedic]

Thanks for the replies.

My friend stated that it has never been altered from when he took it off the dead soldier.

What are capture papers?

- Chris

[brian]

What are capture papers?

- Chris

sadly, if all you have is your friends story, you have a 500 dollar p08.
it is not the way it should be. and the story does not fit with the way things normally work with them...a nickle plated p08 is not something that was an everyday thing in germany at the time.

[thebearpack]

Capture papers are what the GI would've filled out to be able to keep the weapon and take it home. They would've had a description of the gun and its serial number. They don't always survive (being paper) so their presence increases the gun's value.

I would suggest signing up at Luger Forums and asking there. Pictures would help tremendously of course.

http://www.lugerforum.com/

ETA: Was pretty sure but just verified that there were indeed no chrome or nickel plated military lugers made for WWII. It was most likely plated after the war. That said, seems like you're definitely in the $500 range.

[Grumpa72]

One of my other forums have guys that routinely post "buy the pistol, not the story" when things like this come up. No one except the original owner (the German officer) and the individual picked it up can state whether or not his story has merit.

I would have a hard time believing that many individuals in combat would carry something as bright and shiny as a nickel plated pistol. Just my opinion.

[zachomega]

My grandfather fought in WWII in the 14th armored division. During the war he said he obtained a lot of captured firearms. And at the end of the war he had more than he was able to take back (1 piece, right?). He said he had a nickel plated officers gun that he sold to another soldier (who never paid him for it).

He never said what sort of gun it was, but never underestimate the power of ego and prestige. If somebody wants something bad enough (even during war time) they will obtain it.

-Zach

[ccgmedic]

all righty... off to luger forum .com I go..... I will let you know what I find out. Thanks again for the replies!!!

- yep all I have to go off of is this guys word and a really cool looking luger that has all the matching serial numbers and an origional magazine.

I am also going to send a photo into the gun's and Ammo magazine folks and see what they have to say.

- Chris

[Ecclectic Collector]

Dear cdgmedic,

First: Assume that the gun is worth less, not more as others have posted. Secondly, do your homework. While the German army for obvious reasons did not blue weapons, officers could do as they pleased, and a few commercial guns were sometimes nickel finished. (I've seen one) That aforementioned Luger forum is a good place to start your homework. Also look for little clues on the gun itself. For starters, does the gun have military markings or commercial ones? What year was it made? Are the little proof marks on it clear and crisp (as if the plating was done when the gun was made), or appear filled in or nearly obliterated (by polishing or during the plating process)? All these are little clues. If after all the work you do, you still think that this gun may be a factory nickel finish gun and not a refinish done by somebody in the 60-70 years since the war, pay an expert to do an appraisal and get that person to put it in writing.

Hope that helps.