With only 7000 estimated to have been manufactured the 1914 Erfurt P.08 Luger Pistol is the rarest regular production German Military Luger Pistol of the WW1 era….. This example is in a highly attractive 97%+ condition, still with 1 factory numbered magazine and amazingly is still fully rigged out in the original WW1 Holster with the spare un-numbered magazine, proofed tool and incredibly it still has the actual WW2 bringback papers. The bore is mint and the pistol is a totally matching textbook example of Luger rarity. In 1914 Luger production at the Imperial State Arsenal at Erfurt was concentrated on production of the Lange P.08, the “Artillery”Luger, with 23,000 being produced. For this reason production of the standard P.08 Luger with the 4 inch barrel was extremely low.
I would imagine that this pistol was likely brought home from WW1 by the German soldier who carried it during the war and decided to retain it. At the end of WW2 when Germany had surrendered all firearms were confiscated by the occupying Allied forces and this pistol came into the procession of this GI, who brought back by the as evidenced by the capture papers. Since is it still in the complete context of WW1 this is the most likely scenario. If you collect Lugers or are a fan of WW1 this is an incredibly meaningful and fantastic find, certainly one of the most interesting and important German WW1 Lugers we have ever had on offer.
