WWI Erfurt Model 1908 Military P.08 Luger, Matching Numbers, Blue 4” Semi-Automatic Pistol & Holster, MFD 1912 C&R
SOLD FOR: $2,816.00
LSB#: 150901DS01
Make: Royal Arsenal at Erfurt
Model: 1908 Military Luger
Serial Number: 7083a
Year of Manufacture: 1912
Caliber: 9mm Luger
Action Type: Toggle Action Single Action Semi-Auto, Removable Magazine.
Markings: The sear bar, sear bar safety, left sideplate, takedown lever, the back of the rear toggle link, the top of the front toggle link and the extractor are marked “83”. The top edge of the trigger is also marked “83”, the frame under the left sideplate is marked “E”, the inside of the sideplate is marked “J” and the trigger lever is marked with a crowned scripted letter. The left sideplate, the left side of the front sight, the takedown lever, the top of the front toggle link, the right side of the breechblock, the front of the trigger guard, the ejector, extractor, sear bar and the right sides of the trigger and magazine release are all marked with crowned inspection marks with scripted letters. The front of the frame under the barrel is marked “7083 / a” and the underside of the barrel is marked “7083 / 8,83”. The left side of the round part of the barrel is marked with a crowned script “S”. The left front of the receiver is marked “7083”. The sear bar and the front toggle are also marked with a Crowned “RC”, indicating repair or refurbishment. The front toggle is also marked with a large “Crown / ERFURT”. The right side of the receiver is marked with three crowned scripted letters and a German Imperial Eagle, with a 2nd Eagle placed sideways at the rear of the barrel on its right side. These proofs are similar to those shown on lines 11 and 12, pg. 234, of “Luger Variations” by H.E. Jones, for Erfurt military pistols, except that the scripted characters are slightly different. The left side of the frame in front of the safety is marked “GESICHERT”. The left side of the frame under the safety is marked “Gesichert”. The flat on the underside of the barrel is marked “B” and “Q”. The underside of the rear rails on the receiver are marked “U”, “T” and “Y”. The insides of the grip panels are marked “83”, “Z” and with a crowned scripted letter. The left side of the grip frame is marked “N”, “P”, “E”, and what looks like a written “l’, which is probably “S”.
Barrel Length: 4”
Sights / Optics: This pistol is mounted with a “V” notch in the back of the toggle and a serrated ramped blade front sight in a dovetail on the base on the front barrel band. The rear face of the base is also ramped and serrated.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are checkered walnut. The left grip shows light oil staining. The checkering shows light wear with several mars in the left grip and a mar along the front edge of the right grip. The grips are tight on the frame and there are no cracks or chips noted. The grips rate in about Very Good to Fine overall condition.
Type of Finish: The finish is blued. The trigger, ejector, safety, takedown lever and the right side of the magazine release have a straw colored finish.
Finish Originality: The finish on the pistol is original except on the front toggle. We think the toggle may have been touched-up when it was reconditioned. There are scratches under the finish around the crowned inspection mark and the crowned “RC” refurbishment mark.
Bore Condition: The bore is grey with light wear in the rifling. There is very light erosion the length of the bore.
Overall Condition: This pistol retains about 96% of its metal finish. There is thinning on the edges of the front edges of the barrel, receiver and frame, and on the edges of the sideplate. There is a tiny spot of pinprick surface erosion on the left side of the barrel and inch from the muzzle, a few tiny marks at the front right edges of the receiver and frame, and a small mark and a strip of thinning on the left side of the frame in front of the sideplate. There is also a light mark along the right side of the receiver above the ejector. The top of the left toggle knob shows light wear in its serrations, while the checkering and serrations on the rest of the knob and the right knob are sharp. There is a tiny mark in the safety serrations and the magazine release checkering is sharp. The crowned inspection marks are all sharp except for on the front toggle. The left grip screw is disfigured. The markings are clear. Overall, this pistol rates in about Fine condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly except that the slide does not lock back on an empty magazine – at least not with either of the two magazines that come with the gun. We did not fire this pistol.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This pistol comes with two magazines and a brown leather top flap holster. The magazines are the early type with wooden bottom pieces that are both marked “7083 / a” and with two crowned scripted characters that could be “N” and “D”. The bottom piece in the spare magazine is also marked “+”. The magazines both show thinning of their phosphate finish. The magazine in the pistol has a small compression mark on the right outside edge of the bottom piece, and is in about Excellent condition. The spare magazine has compression marks in both outside edges of the bottom piece, and is in about Fine condition. The outside of the holster under the flap is marked “B ST N” and “1 / 13”, and “AWM / 16 / 12”. The “AWM” stands for Artillerie Werkstaetten Muenchen (Artillery Works Munich), Workshop 16, 1912, and the holster appears to have been issued to the Bavarian Strafanstalten Nuremburg (Bavarian Penitentiary at Nuremberg) in January 1913. The hard top flap of the holster is hinged to the back of the holster with a separate leather hinge. There is a magazine pouch sewn to the front edge of the holster, a tool holder sewn to the inside surface of the top flap and two belt loops sewn to the back side of the holster. The top flap has a narrow leather strap sewn to it for securing to a buckle sewn to the outside surface of the holster. There is a strip of surface loss just behind the read edge of the magazine pouch, where it looks like tape was applied and then removed. There is finish loss at the muzzle and at the corners of the top flap. There is also an oil stain near the top outside face of the top flap and several light handling marks in the holster and in the top flap. The strap on the top flap shows finish loss. The stitching is all intact and there are no cracks in the hinge. The holster is in about Fine condition.
Our Assessment: From http://reference.brocksguns.com/brief-history-of-the-royal-erfurt-arsenal/: “The Royal Arsenal at Erfurt was established in 1862 to meet the increased demand for arms and to locate production toward the center of Prussia where it would be less vulnerable. They began manufacturing Lugers after the Luger was accepted by the German Army in 1908. Erfurt continued making pistols throughout WWI, but manufacturing was halted after the Treaty of Versailles forced production to cease.”. This is an Erfurt pistol manufactured for the German military in 1912. It is chambered in 9mm Parabellum, and has matching numbers on all parts including both the magazine in the pistol and the spare magazine. The pistol comes complete with a brown leather top flap holster made by AWM in 1912 for the Bavarian Penitentiary at Nuremberg. The pistol is in about Fine condition with 96% of its original finish remaining (there are scratches under the finish on the front toggle, whose finish may have been touched-up when it was refurbished. Both the front toggle and the sear bar have “Crown / RC” markings indicating they were refurbished. There is thinning on the front edges of the barrel, receiver and frame, with tiny marks on right front edges of the receiver and frame. There is a strip of thinning on the left side of the receiver and a light mark along the right side of the receiver. The grips show only very light wear in the checkering, but there are a few mars in the left grip and a marred strip along the front edge of the right grip. The bore is gray with light wear in the rifling and very light erosion the length of the bore. The action functions correctly, except that it will not lock back on an empty magazine, at least not with either of the two magazines supplied with the gun. Still, the finish on this pistol and all matching numbers make for an incredible find for the Luger collector. It is very rare that we see a pistol in this nice of a condition that comes with two matching magazines.
