In order to participate in the GunBroker Member forums, you must be logged in with your GunBroker.com account. Click the sign-in button at the top right of the forums page to get connected.
The most valuable and beautiful Luger ever made
woodguru
Member Posts: 2,850
I had a Luger in about 1973 offered to me by my supervisor who had been in the war in Germany during WW2. He had been selling me guns he had bought in Germany at that time like a consecutive serial numbered pair of Sauer Colt Peacemaker replicas with stag handles. He said he had paid $125 for the pair so I paid him double at $250. Considering a Model 29 with the 8-3/8" barrel was $229 that was a fair piece of change. They were truly stunning with a deep dark high polish and flawless blueing, not to mention a beautiful walnut presentation case. Sauer made a fantastic quality firearm as well that had a silky feel to the action and super crisp trigger like the way a Python feels, I can tell you I wish I had those still.<br>
<br>
Anyway he said he had a gold engraved Luger he would sell me but he wanted quite a bit more money for it. This thing was the Mother of all Lugers, long barrel, marbled walnut stock and presentation case, and engraved with gold chaised borders and letters of the initials of the person giving the gun to the recipient. As I recall it was George Luger giving it to Hitler's second in command, probably in recognition of a fortune in contracts for Lugers. I asked how he came to get something like this and he said that it was an immediate death sentence to get caught by the Germans with any war trophies such as Lugers. He had seen the pistol being traded for twenty to fifty bucks and he said he would take it from a guy that was scared poopless to be carrying it. He said he carried it in such a way as to have easy access to it and was going to toss it if it looked dicey as to being overrun and caught. He also had to worry about being caught by his unit's brass because it was against regs to take anything as well.<br>
<br>
He wanted $2500 which wasn't happening on an airman's pay, so I took it to a large dealer in Shreveport who offered me $25k for it. I told my Sargeant what had been offered and he sold it for the $25k. The * never gave me a dime, had I had it to do over I would have considered selling it and giving him his $2500. The guy really annoyed me not being a bit more generous.<br>
<br>
I saw this pistol in the late 70's on I think it was the back of Guns and Ammo on the outside back cover with a full page picture. It was being listed for sale by Christy's for auction or sale and had an expected value of at least $750,000. The photo for that ad was beautiful and I wonder if anyone recalls the gun and would know where to grab a picture of it. I would like a picture just because it gives me a bit of a thrill just knowing I had it in my possession and could have had it and made over $20k had I been so inclined. I was 19 years old at the time and can say I have maintained a very high degree of integrity where paying fair price for valuable items is concerned. I have never believed in ripping someone off that doesn't know what they have. I have brokered many types of collectibles and split with sellers rather than pay ludicrously low prices and profit from their ignorance. People have trusted me throughout the years and I have always enjoyed that trust so it was worth it. It certainly makes a better story that I didn't rip the guy off. Here's to Sargeant Wright, I think he sold the gun without ever knowing that it was given as a gift by Luger to one of Hitler's high commanders.<br>
<br>
If the Luger in question rings a bell and you can dig up a photo please post it, I'm sure members would enjoy seeing it as well. It was easily the most beautiful and valuable Luger ever made, there certainly wasn't another like it.
<br>
Anyway he said he had a gold engraved Luger he would sell me but he wanted quite a bit more money for it. This thing was the Mother of all Lugers, long barrel, marbled walnut stock and presentation case, and engraved with gold chaised borders and letters of the initials of the person giving the gun to the recipient. As I recall it was George Luger giving it to Hitler's second in command, probably in recognition of a fortune in contracts for Lugers. I asked how he came to get something like this and he said that it was an immediate death sentence to get caught by the Germans with any war trophies such as Lugers. He had seen the pistol being traded for twenty to fifty bucks and he said he would take it from a guy that was scared poopless to be carrying it. He said he carried it in such a way as to have easy access to it and was going to toss it if it looked dicey as to being overrun and caught. He also had to worry about being caught by his unit's brass because it was against regs to take anything as well.<br>
<br>
He wanted $2500 which wasn't happening on an airman's pay, so I took it to a large dealer in Shreveport who offered me $25k for it. I told my Sargeant what had been offered and he sold it for the $25k. The * never gave me a dime, had I had it to do over I would have considered selling it and giving him his $2500. The guy really annoyed me not being a bit more generous.<br>
<br>
I saw this pistol in the late 70's on I think it was the back of Guns and Ammo on the outside back cover with a full page picture. It was being listed for sale by Christy's for auction or sale and had an expected value of at least $750,000. The photo for that ad was beautiful and I wonder if anyone recalls the gun and would know where to grab a picture of it. I would like a picture just because it gives me a bit of a thrill just knowing I had it in my possession and could have had it and made over $20k had I been so inclined. I was 19 years old at the time and can say I have maintained a very high degree of integrity where paying fair price for valuable items is concerned. I have never believed in ripping someone off that doesn't know what they have. I have brokered many types of collectibles and split with sellers rather than pay ludicrously low prices and profit from their ignorance. People have trusted me throughout the years and I have always enjoyed that trust so it was worth it. It certainly makes a better story that I didn't rip the guy off. Here's to Sargeant Wright, I think he sold the gun without ever knowing that it was given as a gift by Luger to one of Hitler's high commanders.<br>
<br>
If the Luger in question rings a bell and you can dig up a photo please post it, I'm sure members would enjoy seeing it as well. It was easily the most beautiful and valuable Luger ever made, there certainly wasn't another like it.
Comments
A lot of the guys their are Luger pro's going back years. If anybody would know the whereabouts and could provide photos of the Luger, it would be them.
Question about the Sauer revolvers you bought off the Sarg, were they rimfires or centerfire?
If none of our folks can help, go to the "Luger Forum". GOOGLE, Luger Forum, it will come up at the top of the queue.
A lot of the guys their are Luger pro's going back years. If anybody would know the whereabouts and could provide photos of the Luger, it would be them.
Question about the Sauer revolvers you bought off the Sarg, were they rimfires or centerfire?
Oh, I forgot, they were .357 magnum, these things were the real deal in terms of being all the right stuff for the maker and era they were made. I don't know when .357 made it's debut but these must have been fairly early examples of that cartridge. I also don't know when Colt first got involved with Sauer before it became Colt Sauer but that is an interesting replica to be made by a reputable firm in the 40's/50's. I'm wondering what the collaboration level was and if they were made for Colt as an authorized Colt offering. They were as beautiful a Peacemaker as you could ever hope to find. I've always been about target and high end functionality but these were sinful in their beauty and feel.
Timeline needs a little 'firming up'.
Georg Luger died ten years prior to Hitler having assumed the Chancellory, and at the time in question (early 20's) he [Hitler] was regarded as a criminal.
Perhaps a "manufacturers presentation" by DWM, or sumsuch during the '30's?
I bought a Sauer from a 19yr. old that got it when he was stationed in Germany in the mid '60,s. When he found it was illeagle for him to own it, he sold it to me. They were very well made copies of the Colt SSA.
What caliber was it made for?
"As I recall it was George Luger giving it to Hitler's second in command, probably in recognition of a fortune in contracts for Lugers"
Timeline needs a little 'firming up'.
Georg Luger died ten years prior to Hitler having assumed the Chancellory, and at the time in question (early 20's) he [Hitler] was regarded as a criminal.
Perhaps a "manufacturers presentation" by DWM, or sumsuch during the '30's?
Don't know, we didn't have a clue what the initials were all about when we first sold it to the Shreveport dealer. I am only going by the written blurb Christy's had on the pistol and my recollection of that. It had initials of the giver and the initials of the recipient and I thought it was Luger to one of Hitler's henchmen but may have been one henchman to another and the Luger reference was simply because it was obviously a Luger made presentation with the fancy stock and accessories. The Luger reference may have been that it was just made by Luger for whoever's initials to be given to whoever's initials, but it was like third in command to second in command or something like that. I wanted to see a picture again to get a clearer idea of what it was in terms of who gave it to who.<br>
<br>
If anyone recognises my description there will be no doubt as to if we are talking about the same pistol. I hope I'm not opening some proprietary can of worms as pertains to rightful ownership and legality of how it left Germany. Countries make claims on items relating to heritage all of the time. Sgt Wright claims it was found by the original liberating soldier in a warehouse, it then changed hands multiple times due to the frontline danger of owning it being a death warrant if caught by Germans. I don't know what the legalities were in liberating an item of such historical magnitude.<br>
<br>
Even if I'm a bit shaky on the exact details of the inscriptions the pistol is what it is and it changed hands as I've said. It would be a * to have paid in the neighborhood of a million dollars at a Christies sale only to have a proveable chain of possession like that and a distinctly unprovable chain of ownership refuting that give Germany clear cut rights of ownership. Stranger things have happened. It would have to be a documented gun on the other end. I would think Christies would have had to vet the ownership to some degree. Interesting issue and one I wasn't thinking about when I posted, I thought about it looking at beautifully engraved firearms.
"As I recall it was George Luger giving it to Hitler's second in command, probably in recognition of a fortune in contracts for Lugers"
Timeline needs a little 'firming up'.
Georg Luger died ten years prior to Hitler having assumed the Chancellory, and at the time in question (early 20's) he [Hitler] was regarded as a criminal.
Perhaps a "manufacturers presentation" by DWM, or sumsuch during the '30's?
That could be, also the way it was found in a warehouse during US occupation it could have come from any time prior and may have been first liberated by German soldiers who were prone to ripping anything nice and stashing it for later.<br>
<br>
Now you have me wanting to know the periods involved, I am positive one of the big sets of gold initials was GL and that that was attributed to Georg Luger, I think the other had a last initial H. I'll check around on Luger collector sites and if that fails see if anyone at Christies can help with archival info on past sales. That gun had too high a profile to disappear after it was advertised and sold publicly.
Hi...Every copy of Guns and Ammo that I have from the seventies has an advertisement on the back cover....Remington, Marlin, H&R, cigarettes, etc. Some thirty issues. Same with Shooting Times. BT
I contacted both shooting times and Guns & Ammo to see if they could pinpoint the Christies ad that had that Luger. That will help in getting the picture I had in mind.