JP Sauer & Sohn
I've had this gun for a while. It had been sitting in my grandmother's closet since my grandfather died 10 years ago. I found it then, loaded with the safety off...
My grandfather got the gun when he was stationed in Germany in WWII. He was a colonel in the army. My mom says he was always proud of this pistol. I unfortunately didn't know him when I was old enough to be interested in guns and the outdoors.
The holster is in pretty good condition.This is all the writing on it.
The two magazines have the J.P. Sauer & Sohn insignia on them and the caliber.
I read on wikipedia that original grips in good condition are rare, and as far as I can tell from the limited information I saw, the grips are original. They are in good shape for sure.
The serial number is 300175. Is there any way to tell what year between '38 and '45 this gun was made? Also, any idea its value? I don't intend to sell it, but I'm looking to learn all I can about it.
My grandfather got the gun when he was stationed in Germany in WWII. He was a colonel in the army. My mom says he was always proud of this pistol. I unfortunately didn't know him when I was old enough to be interested in guns and the outdoors.
The holster is in pretty good condition.This is all the writing on it.
The two magazines have the J.P. Sauer & Sohn insignia on them and the caliber.
I read on wikipedia that original grips in good condition are rare, and as far as I can tell from the limited information I saw, the grips are original. They are in good shape for sure.
The serial number is 300175. Is there any way to tell what year between '38 and '45 this gun was made? Also, any idea its value? I don't intend to sell it, but I'm looking to learn all I can about it.
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It the Model 38 H. Unfortunately it's been nickel plated at sometime after the end of the war, perhaps even before your Grandfather obtained it. This has a very negative affect on it's value. As it has what are know to collectors as "Eagle C" paramilitary Proof Mark on the trigger guard it would have been very desirable if left in factory original condition. The holster appears to be original and would be worth some money to a collector. 0 -
SCdeerBASSturkey......welcome to the GB Forum and thanks for your question. As Rufe has told you, you have a Sauer 38H. It was a very popular pistol in WWII and was the peer of the Walther PP. Many were produced during the war (over 200,000) and, since the pistols' serial # started in the 260xxx range your serial # fits into the early production range (first 40000 or so). They were made in four subvariations and yours is considered subvar 2 according to its serial number. Only about 15% of the 38H's went to the German Army and were Waffen marked and they are the more rare ones. Your mark Eagle/C indicates it was issued to the police or para forces. Sadly, in the day it was popular to nickel plate weapons which ruins collector value..."blings" up the weapon, downsizes value. But the good news is that it looks as if you have the correct holster (Schambach & Co, Berlin) with a recognized German leather maker with the correct Waffen mark. The 1941 holster is a Type I (of two Sauer type holsters) and its date is about when the pistol was made so the set has value even with the nickel plate. Correct 38H holsters go for $100/200 and with the pistol, you have a set worth somewhere in the $4/500 range IMHO. Without the nickel plate probably in the $7/800 range. But the market today is not good for selling but I don't think that will bother you as you have a great piece of family and WWII history! And thanks to your grandfather for his service to our country. Hope this helps. 0 -
Great information fellas. I'm definitely not going to sell it, but I'll probably set the holster aside to keep it in good condition. I'm going to get the gun cleaned up and see how it shoots. Thanks for the information! 0
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