Same question, different forum, Nazi markings

[DrLaw]

Hello all. I asked this question on THR, but have had no responses, only meatgazers (What we call people who look but do nothing else).

Question is, with all those guns out on auction sites of certain types like Browning 1922's, HSc's, Mauser's, etc...that are marked with German markings "Nazi-markings", just how many of those might really be actual German markings or are some of them phonys? I just have to wonder why I see no 1922's without the Waffenamt stamp markings. Anbody have a clue?

The Doc is out now.

 

[Hawg]

I don't know what the real to fake ratio is but there are fakes out there.

 

[UGAdawg]

Nazi Germany didn't take hold until Hitler took power in 1933 so I wouldn't think that any gun before that date would have a swastika on it. I guess if you could trace a serial number back to the correct factory you could authenticate it as a waffenamt firearm, but it would have to be made before 1920.

 

[wjkuleck]

There is a well-known batch of Star Model B pisols with spurious WaA marks. While they fall in a S/N range next to Nazi orders, this batch actually went to Bulgaria during WWII, were never accepted by the Wehrmacht, and thus originally did not have WaAs. An enterprising Eastern European evidently saw an opportunity to increase the "value" of pistols from this batch.

They were actually sold as "Nazi-marked" by US distributors until the fraud was unconvered. I'd like to think that the vendors were deceived.

Fake WaA251

Real WaA251​

And yes, I bought one (it's the fake picture above) just because it was fake.

Regards,

Walt

 

[mlm42000]

Yeah, I was interested in picking up a K-98 from Mitchell Mauser's until I heard they stamped them with the "nazi marking". Not sure if this is true but I heard it enough times that maybe its now an urban legend. I guess the rule of thumb is research research research. Best of luck. Mitch

 

[GWbiker]

Bogus Nazi marking is not restricted to only guns. Certain model Leica cameras (German) made during the late 1930's thru end of WWII often show up on auction sites with various bogus Nazi engravings, or missmatched parts to indicate a rare German military contract.

Then there's the dozens of gold plated wrist watches engraved with Hermann Goering's signature that lie stored in safe deposit boxes while awaiting a rapid increase in value!

 

[4V50 Gary]

I have an instructor who engraves smokepoles. A good engraver can also make good stamps. A good stamp can be used for put authentic looking fake markings on a gun. He doesn't do that, but is aware of some new guns that have been passed off as relics.

 

[johnbt]

There used to be ads in one of the old gun rags for nazi metal stamps. So you could clean up the worn markings on your collectibles I suppose.

 

[Tom2]

Heck, they are making and selling fake stamps for US WW2 gunstocks now too. So you can take a Boyds stock and make it into the equivalent of a WW2 Springfield stock which is worth alot more. Not an underground item, some of the big parts houses are selling them. And alot of imported holster replicas right now have "authentic" markings applied to make them equivalent of an item worth a lot more. I suppose that if it makes someone money, that is what you watch for. I don't think someone will bother to put marks on something if it does not substantially increase the value potential. But the Germans inspected and stamped millions and millions of pistols of all types and alot of them came back to the US so I am not suprised that alot of pocket pistols have the marks. Just watch out if it is high priced and sold as a "rare" item. In some cases the prices between same type gun marked or unmarked is not remarkable.