- Luger Serial Number Suffix Letters
- Luger Serial Number Letters Worksheet
- Luger Serial Number Letters 1
MAUSER MANUFACTURED LUGERS 1930-1942 DWM
- A small number of arms designers with a near monopoly on the fi eld. Names like Paul Mauser, Hiram Maxim, Hugo Borchardt, Georg Luger, and the prolifi c John M. Browning dominated much of the work at the time. With the exception of Browning, who was focusing on more mainstream sliding automatic pistol designs.
- The standard system has the number starting at 0001 and going to 9999. At that point the next number is 0001a to 9999a then 0001b to 9999b and so on. Each manufacturer had their own serial numbers so its possible to find more than one pistol with the same number and letter. Of course there are exceptions and oddities like with any other German.
Mauser Oberndorf
The photograph on the right is of the markings that are found on the left side of this pistol. At the top is Kal. 22lr, then underneath that is the serial number and then to the right of that is ERMA-WERKE Mod. Underneath all of this and nearly directly above the trigger is a round Erma logo. The German military began using Luger pistols in 1908. Though the pistol is recognized by its exposed barrel and butt that fits into one's palm, the most reliable form of identification is by serial number. Identify your German Luger 761B by the serial number, proof symbol, production year stamp and the manufacturer's mark.
4' barrel, 9mm caliber. Has a stock lug, blank chamber area and marked extractor and safety. Early example of Mauser Luger. Front toggle link is still marked DWM. Leftover parts were intermixed with new Mauser parts in production of this pistol. One of the first Lugers to be finished with 'Salt' blue process. Approximately 500 manufactured with one- to four-digit serial numbers, with letter 'v' suffix. A rare variation.
| NIB | Exc | V.G. | Good | Fair | Poor |
| $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 |
1934/06 Swiss Commercial Mauser
4.75' barrel, 7.65mm caliber. No stock lug, but has a grip safety. Swiss Cross in Sunburst stamped above chamber. Extractor and safety marked in German. Front toggle link marked with Mauser banner. Approximately 200 manufactured for commercial sale in Switzerland. Variation is very well finished. Serial numbers are all four-digits with a 'v' suffix.
| NIB | Exc | V.G. | Good | Fair | Poor |
| $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 |
1935/06 Portuguese 'GNR'
4.75 barrel, 7.65mm caliber. No stock lug, but has a grip safety. Chamber marked 'GNR', representing Republic National Guard. Extractor marked 'Carregada'; safety 'Seguranca'. Mauser banner stamped on front toggle link. Exactly 564 manufactured according to original contract records that Portuguese government made public. All have four-digit serial numbers with a 'v' suffix.
| NIB | Exc | V.G. | Good | Fair | Poor |
| $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 |
1934 Mauser Commercial
4' barrel, 7.65mm or 9mm caliber. Has a stock lug and chamber area is blank. Extractor and safety are marked. Mauser banner stamped on front toggle link. Finish on this pistol was very good. Grips are checkered walnut or black plastic on later models. Few thousand manufactured for commercial sales in and outside of Germany.
| NIB | Exc | V.G. | Good | Fair | Poor |
| $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 |
S/42 K Date
4' barrel, 9mm caliber. Has a stock lug. Extractor and safety are marked. First Luger that utilized codes to represent maker and date of manufacture. Front toggle link marked S/42 in Gothic or script; this was code for Mauser. Chamber area stamped with letter 'K' code for 1934 year of manufacture. Approximately 10,500 manufactured, with one- to five-digit serial numbers—some with letter suffixes.
| NIB | Exc | V.G. | Good | Fair | Poor |
| $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 |
S/42 G Date
Courtesy Orvel Reichert
As above, with chamber stamped 'G' code for year 1935. Gothic lettering was eliminated. Many thousands of this model produced.
| NIB | Exc | V.G. | Good | Fair | Poor |
| $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 |
Dated Chamber S/42
4' barrel, 9mm caliber. Chamber area dated 1936-1940. There is a stock lug. Extractor and safety marked. In 1937, rust blue process was eliminated entirely and all subsequent pistols were salt blued. Many thousands manufactured with one- to five-digit serial numbers—some with letter suffix. NOTE: Rarest variation is early 1937, with rust blued and strawed parts, add 20 percent.
| NIB | Exc | V.G. | Good | Fair | Poor |
| $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 |
S/42 Commercial Contract
4' barrel, 9mm caliber. Has a stock lug, chamber area is dated and marked extractor and safety. Unusual feature, although this was a commercial pistol, front toggle link is stamped S/42, which was military code for Mauser. Only a few hundred manufactured, so perhaps toggles were left over from previous military production runs. Serial number range is four-digits, with letter 'v'.
| NIB | Exc | V.G. | Good | Fair | Poor |
| $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 |
Code 42 Dated Chamber
4' barrel, 9mm caliber. New German code for Mauser, number 42, stamped on front toggle link. There is a stock lug. Chamber area dated 1939 or 1940. At least 50,000 manufactured, with one- to five-digit serial numbers; some have letter suffixes.
| NIB | Exc | V.G. | Good | Fair | Poor |
| $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 |
Luger Serial Number Suffix Letters
41/42 Code
As above, except date of manufacture is represented by final two digits (e.g. 41 for 1941). Approximately 20,000 manufactured, with one- to five-digit serial number range.
| NIB | Exc | V.G. | Good | Fair | Poor |
| $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 |
byf Code
As above, with 'byf' code stamped on toggle link. Year of manufacture, either 41 or 42, stamped on chamber. Model also made with black plastic and walnut grips. Many thousands produced, with one- to five-digit serial numbers—some with a letter suffix.
| NIB | Exc | V.G. | Good | Fair | Poor |
| $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 |
Persian Contract 4
4' barrel, 9mm caliber. Has a stock lug and Persian crest stamped over chamber. All identifying markings on this variation—including extractor, safety and toggle—are marked in Farsi, Persian alphabet. There were 1,000 manufactured. Serial numbers are also in Farsi.
| NIB | Exc | V.G. | Good | Fair | Poor |
| $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 |
Persian Contract Artillery
As above, with 8' barrel and nine-position adjustable sight on barrel. Model supplied with flat board stock. There were 1,000 manufactured and sold to Persia.
| NIB | Exc | V.G. | Good | Fair | Poor |
| $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 |
Persian Contract 4
4' barrel, 9mm caliber. Has a stock lug and Persian crest stamped over chamber. All identifying markings on this variation—including extractor, safety and toggle—are marked in Farsi, Persian alphabet. There were 1,000 manufactured. Serial numbers are also in Farsi.
| NIB | Exc | V.G. | Good | Fair | Poor |
| $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 |
Persian Contract Artillery
As above, with 8' barrel and nine-position adjustable sight on barrel. Model supplied with flat board stock. There were 1,000 manufactured and sold to Persia.
| NIB | Exc | V.G. | Good | Fair | Poor |
| $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 |
1934/06 Dated Commercial
4.75' barrel, 7.65mm caliber. Has a grip safety, but no stock lug. Year of manufacture, from 1937-1942, stamped above chamber. Mauser banner stamped on front link. Extractor marked, but safety is not. Approximately 1,000 manufactured, with one- to three-digit serial numbers—some with letter suffix.
| NIB | Exc | V.G. | Good | Fair | Poor |
| $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 |
1934 Mauser Dutch Contract
4' barrel, 9mm caliber. Year of manufacture, 1936-1940, stamped above chamber. Extractor marked 'Geladen' and safety is marked 'RUST', with a downward pointing arrow. Mauser banner stamped on front toggle link. This was a military contract sale. Approximately 1,000 were manufactured, with four-digit serial numbers and letter 'v' suffix.
| NIB | Exc | V.G. | Good | Fair | Poor |
| $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 |
1934 Mauser Swedish Contract
4.75' barrel, 9mm or 7.65mm caliber. Chamber dated 1938 or 1939. Extractor and safety are both marked in German. There is a stock lug. Front toggle link stamped with Mauser banner. Only 275 dated 1938; 25 dated 1939 in 9mm; 30 dated 1939 in 7.65mm. Serial number range is four-digits with letter 'v' suffix.
| NIB | Exc | V.G. | Good | Fair | Poor |
| $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 |
1934 Mauser Swedish Commercial
4' barrel, 7.65mm caliber. 1940 stamped over chamber; 'Kal. 7.65' stamped on left side of barrel. Extractor and safety are both marked and Mauser banner stamped on front toggle link. There is a stock lug. Model is rare. Only a few hundred manufactured, with four-digit serial numbers with letter 'w' suffix.
| NIB | Exc | V.G. | Good | Fair | Poor |
| $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 |
1934 Mauser German Contract
4' barrel, 9mm caliber. Chamber dated 1939-1942. Front toggle link stamped with Mauser banner. There is a stock lug. Extractor and safety are both marked. Grips are walnut or black plastic. Several thousand manufactured, with one- to five-digit serial numbers—some with letter suffixes. Purchased for issue to police or paramilitary units.
| NIB | Exc | V.G. | Good | Fair | Poor |
| $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 |
Austrian Bundes Heer (Federal Army)
4' barrel, 9mm caliber. Chamber is blank and there is a stock lug. Extractor and safety marked in German. Austrian Federal Army Proof stamped on left side of frame above trigger guard. Approximately 200 manufactured, with four-digit serial numbers and no letter suffix.
| NIB | Exc | V.G. | Good | Fair | Poor |
| $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 |
Mauser 2 Digit Date
4' barrel, 9mm caliber. Last two digits of year of manufacture—41 or 42—stamped over chamber. There is a stock lug and Mauser banner on front toggle link. Extractor and safety both marked. Proofmarks were commercial. Grips are walnut or black plastic. Approximately 2,000 manufactured for sale to Nazi political groups. They have one- to five-digit serial numbers; some have letter suffix.
| NIB | Exc | V.G. | Good | Fair | Poor |
| $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 |
Ku Luger (Prefix or suffix)
Courtesy Gale Morgan
4' barrel, 9mm Luger. Probably manufactured by Mauser for German Luftwaffe in early 1940s. Serial number (on left side receiver area) has 'Ku' prefix or suffix. Total production estimated at 5000 pieces.
| NIB | Exc | V.G. | Good | Fair | Poor |
| $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 | $0000 |
1934 K-Date Mauser S/42 Rig
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Luger Serial Number Letters Worksheet
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Luger Serial Number Letters 1
This is a 1934 Pistole 08 military Parabellum manufactured by Mauser. As a K-Date this is one of first military contract Lugers produced by Mauser. This Luger is a 4 inch (100mm) 9mm Parabellum. To conceal production a series of alphabetical dates were assigned in addition to the code on the toggle S/42 (Mauser). 'K' dates are representative of the Lugers produced in 1934; this is an all-matching gun including two magazines and a dated holster along with a cleaning rod and loading tool. (2111) |
NOTE: Photographs taken today with the high mega-pixel camera show more than we sometimes can see with the human eye. Magnified close-ups show us tool marks and natural surface conditions that one normally doesn't see in the ordinary handling of the weapon. Photographs are copyrighted, all rights reserved, any extraction, reproduction or display of gun pictures without the express consent of the Phoenix Investment Arms is strictly prohibited. Thank you for your cooperation. Please see 'Legal' for terms of sale. |
