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Consecutive serialized Spreewerk P.38 pistols

Absolut

Absolut

Senior Member
From a friends collection, he managed to do the impossible and find a consecutive serialized set of pistols - not from the end of the war but right from mid of production. An impossible task that he did so many years after the war ended.
 

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I will ask the question....does a pair of consecutive numbered pistols increase the value of the two as a whole? I'm aware of some other pistols that are consecutive numbered...and wondering what effect this would have on the value of the two together....
 
Very nice and what luck, always liked the color of the grips on most of the Spreewerks. I once bought an old Savage over under shotgun and about five years later found the consecutive numbered one!
 
Now that’s what I’m talk’in about right there! That is utterly cool.

Yes, a consecutive pair of P.38’s like that is worth more than individually sold. You just don’t see things like that often.
 
Not wanting to hi jack your post as those cyq’s are awesome, but the only thing I have even close to that pair is two dual tone Mauser P.38’s that are two apart from each other. This photo is not mine and was taken years ago by Leon DeSpain who I bought them from:

P.38 byf44 #172e and P.38 byf44 #174e
(I am always on the look out for #173e.)
 

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ChrisG43 said:
I will ask the question....does a pair of consecutive numbered pistols increase the value of the two as a whole? I'm aware of some other pistols that are consecutive numbered...and wondering what effect this would have on the value of the two together....
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That is an interesting question to which the answer in my opinion depends on the person you are asking.
For someone who is absolutely not into Axis pistols and maybe just interested in owning a single P.38 of any manufacturer in my point of view a higher price is nothing he‘d ever pay for getting something he doesn‘t need nor wants to have.
To name the exact opposite: if you though collect P.38 pistols only and basically have every code of every year and all odds and ends, then this in my opinion would be a kind of holy grail, something that makes your collection than unique compared to another P.38 collection.

@Tiger 2 Tank thanks for sharing a near consecutive set! They follow the rule that most consecutive (or obviously close) sets are of late WWII origin since it would be easier because they saw less war and did not get carried around this much.
 
As a collector of P38's, and all of my pistols being Spreewerks, I would say they would add some value...but perhaps more to someone else. The consecutive serial number factor is nice, but not something I would pay an excessive premium for. I concentrate more on the very early and very late guns. If it was within range (and depending on the overall condition of the pistols), I would say a $400-500 markup would not be unreasonable.
Mid-war pistols such as those typically don't attract the interest level that very late and very early guns do. That being said, those two look to be in exceptional condition (+), they both have the reddish grips (+) and they are consecutively numbered (++). Correct magazines would be E/88 or maybe even just 'jvd' proofed.
What would likely drive the price is some collector of WWII guns that had deeper pockets and wanted a consecutive set. This would be a good pair to own that would certainly hold it's value.

Great looking pair and thanks for posting these.
 
Interesting. I would say that I know him, but I don't know anyone else in the P38 community who only collects Spreewerks. I certainly don't know everyone, and there are some serious collectors who remain off the radar entirely. I know one guy who buys LOTS of P38's and has probably over 100 Spreewerks alone. He also has some of the best of them (two digit early ones and double zero late ones) that would rival those in any other collections. He is not involved in any forums. I often can tell collectors by how they take their pictures as well. Not these however. Nice looking guns and a worthy pair to own for sure.
 
biggymu said:
Truly remarkable what is accomplished here. The odds must be astronomical
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Here is another story and I was there to witness it: About 1979 I and a fellow collector drove from southern California to the San Jose gun show. It was not an inordinately large event but often a fruitful one. As I stopped by a German pistol collector's table whom I knew, he reached under it and produced a Walther Mod HP in the 9000 range he had acquired that morning and handed it to me. Pistol was matching and about 85% finish overall. He then placed it back under the table and I continued the hunt. About 90 minutes later I encountered him again... leaning over another vendor's table at the opposite end of the hall with a P38 in hand. He then handed the gun off to me and said "This is my pistol...WTF is it doing over here???". It certainly looked like his P38, right down to the serial number. I then handed it to him, he put it back on the table and we took off for his table. Reaching under the table he produced the P38 after removing the towel it was wrapped in. Now he looked really perplexed, so stuck the piece in his waist belt and back we went to the other vendor's table. My friend picked up the P38 again, negotiated the price, and bought it right then and there. As we walked off, we examined both. Turned out he had found the consecutive numbered pistol to his (one number higher). In addition, in comparing the two pistols they were almost identical as to wear and condition. The amazing thing is here they were...a consecutive pair of Walther HPs which likely had last been together in 1939, gone through a world war and almost 35 years later turn up in San Jose, Ca. at the same show on the same day and get bought by the same collector. Einfach unglaublich!
 
pwcosol said:
Here is another story and I was there to witness it: About 1979 I and a fellow collector drove from southern California to the San Jose gun show. It was not an inordinately large event but often a fruitful one. As I stopped by a German pistol collector's table whom I knew, he reached under it and produced a Walther Mod HP in the 9000 range he had acquired that morning and handed it to me. Pistol was matching and about 85% finish overall. He then placed it back under the table and I continued the hunt. About 90 minutes later I encountered him again... leaning over another vendor's table at the opposite end of the hall with a P38 in hand. He then handed the gun off to me and said "This is my pistol...WTF is it doing over here???". It certainly looked like his P38, right down to the serial number. I then handed it to him, he put it back on the table and we took off for his table. Reaching under the table he produced the P38 after removing the towel it was wrapped in. Now he looked really perplexed, so stuck the piece in his waist belt and back we went to the other vendor's table. My friend picked up the P38 again, negotiated the price, and bought it right then and there. As we walked off, we examined both. Turned out he had found the consecutive numbered pistol to his (one number higher). In addition, in comparing the two pistols they were almost identical as to wear and condition. The amazing thing is here they were...a consecutive pair of Walther HPs which likely had last been together in 1939, gone through a world war and almost 35 years later turn up in San Jose, Ca. at the same show on the same day and get bought by the same collector. Einfach unglaublich!
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That has to be an impossible to beat story! The world is definitely a smaller place than it would appear. I’m pretty sure DaveR came up with consecutive number LSR sniper rifles a couple years back, no small feat. I can’t even win a scratch off ticket.😃
 
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