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View Full Version : Question? Chromed Luger?



coonhound
09-26-2014, 03:22
I am going Sunday to look at some guns owned by a 90 yr old WWII vet including what he says is a chrome plated P08 Luger that he brought back from the ETO personally (I don't about any capture papers). Can anyone help in answering if there were chrome plated Lugers that were actually available (I alsodo not know what code or year of manufacture). If legit, what would value be.
Any and all info would be appreciated.
Thanks

Johnny P
09-26-2014, 08:07
No military Lugers were originally chrome plated. A lot were chrome/nickel plated by American GI's, but never while in the service of the German military.

Before I met him, a good friend decided that he would like to collect Lugers as he was born in Germany, but his father got the family out in 1938. At his first gun show he couldn't believe his good luck in finding what the seller described as "an officer's Luger, which was nickel plated. After doing his research he realized that he had been taken.

oldtirediron
09-26-2014, 11:08
I know I am opening a can of worms here but I had a FN 1922 32 ACP pistol with the Crown W on top of the slide- Bought it from a veterans family -- he had left the pistol in a holster from 1945 and never took it out-After the old guy passed I was offered the guns and about 12 original SS belt buckles -- Seems this old Jewish fellow like killing SS men and kept a few pieces for rememberance-- I know he never had the gun plated and the plating showed wear on it and a bunch of scratching from use-- I sold the gun a few years ago and now wish I would have kept it--- I also have a picture somewhere of a chromed luger a GI has in his hand from a old gun magazine--

joem
09-27-2014, 04:48
While they might look cool, most collectors have no intrest in them. If the nickel plating job was not done correctly the gun will not function very well due the build up of nickel on moving parts.

dave
01-27-2015, 11:02
Crown W would indicate a WW1 era pistol and it may well have been a civilian pistol ordered with N.P. from the factory or done later. In other words a private purchase. If it had German WW11 WaA inspection numbers on it the plating was not original.

Shooter5
01-27-2015, 06:42
I posted a PPk or HSc (IIRC) awhile back; a buddy's WW2 Vet grandfather recently had given it to him. He brought it from European theater and had it chrome or nickel plated sometime in the 50s or 60s, which was common at the time.