The 'ac no-date'
- The pistol's serial number is 150XXX and the XXX numbers are also on the slide. The slide reads Walther in a banner, then Carl Walther Waffenfabrik ulm/Do, P38, Cal 9MM. All seems OK until I read the date of manufacture 11/61 but what's weird is that there is a german eagle under the 11/61.
- CYQ very early gun serial number 21. CYQ 2nd variation with e/359 small parts serial number range 50-500 - 208. CYQ 3rd variation with rare e/18 accepted locking block- (Eight known examples 2514, 2596, 2630, 2678, 2852, 2853, 2894, 2933). CYQ 3rd variation with matched numbered holster serial number range 500-1565d. 41,000 produced - 3842c.
Original, restored, and faked.
Produced for a little over a month in 1940 in a quantity of about 2500, the ac no-date is one of the harder variations to find, especially in a condition that collectors desire. After five years of war and 60+ more years of use or abuse, most are not in pristine condition. Like any rare pistol (or just about anything rare or valuable), it becomes the target of deception artists. Below are three ac no-date pistols. One is original, one has been restored (refinished), and one is an outright fake.
Serial number 9778 is in a condition typical of a pistol that saw use throughout the entire duration of World War II. While its finish is quite worn, the action is still tight and the bore is excellent. It retains its original configuration except for the matching magazines. Almost every small part is stamped with the German acceptance stamp (e/359) with the exception of the springs and the sear and hammer pins. All serialized parts match: frame, barrel, slide, locking block, and grips.
Serial number 7844 has been restored but still has all matching serial numbers (less the magazine), and all appropriate small parts bear the acceptance marking.
Walther P38 Serial Number History
Serial number 8765 is a complete fake. It is made of World War II parts, but several P.38 experts have examined this pistol and have determined every serialized component has been re-stamped to make a 'matching' gun. Unfortunately this pistol was passed off as legitimate. Examining this pistol closely reveals some of the errors made by the unscrupulous individual who produced this fake.
The first and most obvious is the fact the right grip is made by Julius Posselt, and is over two years too early to appear on a pistol made in 1940 (this grip would be most appropriate on a pistol manufactured by Spreewerk). Even more interesting is the fact the the right grip has a poor attempt at a Walther acceptance marking on the inside. The Julius Posselt grip can be identified by the five 'broken lines' around the grip screw, vice the six broken line style used by the other manufacturers.
Next, not all small parts are acceptance marked as they should be, although most are. Some of the incorrect parts are visible without any disassembly of the pistol (the hammer and the decocker/safety lever), while the others would require some disassembly of the pistol to see that they lack the e/359 marking (the sear, ejector, firing pin retaining pin, and firing pin lock lifter). The finish of the hammer is not the high-gloss blue found on the early Walther pistols - it came from a mid to late-war pistol.
Finally, all of the serial numbers have been re-stamped to match. It should be noted that in addition to committing fraud by passing this pistol off as legitimate (assuming the seller did so knowingly), the ATF takes a dim view of re-stamping the frame/receiver serial number of any firearm, even if the original number is re-stamped. It is a felony to deface or change the frame serial number.
The following pictures allow a comparison of the size and font of the component serial numbers. Note that the number 7 has a 'tail' on the upper left part of the digit in the Times New Roman style font, vice the correct Arial style font. The frame serial numbers are seen below (click on the thumbnails to enlarge).
