WWII German Holster P-08 / P-38

JesseLee

Can someone tell me what is so special about the stiching on these German Holsters. My understanding is that some of the stiching is white or off white/light tan. What is the difference. I have noticed that those holsters that have the White stiching seem to be more desireable and bring a higher price. Somebody clue me in please. Thanks for the information.

nmyers

I have had German WW2 holsters professionally repaired, & the thread is so white & fresh that they looked like they had been sewed last month (which is what happened). Much original stitching now looks dirty, dark, & flat due to time, handling, & storage, but some of it just disintegrated due to these conditions.

Bottom line: you have to examine a holster carefully for extra needle holes. If the thread looks fresh & bright white, it's likely been restored.

Neal

perry shooter

The thread should be natural fiber if original not Nylon or other man made fiber.

gary wray

JesseLee.......perry shooter has it right. It is not the color of the stiching that matters, but rather or not it is synthetic or natural. All German WWII holsters were stitched with natural fibers and all repro holsters that I have seen are stitched with synthetic fibers which can be easily detected under a black light. As a collector, I would never, repeat never, have one of my German WWII holsters "restitched" as it would destroy any collector value. Some German holsters from WWII were captured in warehouses or were hardly used in combat (like those from the 200k German soldiers in Norway) and look almost new so their stitching is the original white. The more use, the more the stitching turns dark but it is still all original and like patina on guns, sometimes adds to the value. Hope this helps.

JesseLee

Thanks guys, the information was very helpful.