Found this guy on eBay recently, didn't look like much under a thick layer of dust and mildew, but is cleaning up well so far and I believe it may be unused. I'm having some difficulty pinning down the maker and fit. It's obviously for a Luger and I think either Lawrence or A. E. Nelson was the maker, but that's all I've got so far. Haven't been able to find one that looks like this one anywhere online. Knowing next to nothing about Lugers, I can't decipher the numbers stamped on the back. Can anyone shed any light on this? Thanks.

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SWHF #448

You know they're still around, right?

EMF Co.

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James L. "Jim" Rhiner

Yes, but no longer in Studio City. This is an older holster and EMF wasn't the maker, only a distributor/retailer.

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SWHF #448

Here it is on page 2 of a circa 1950 A.E. Nelson catalog. The 1/2 refers to the attached clip pouch.
Nelson made holsters for a large number of western and west coast sporting goods stores and gun shops. I have a shotgun shell belt box made by them for Abercrombie and Fitch. They are well made holsters.
98 1/2 is the model number, made for a 4" Luger. I correspond with a Luger collector and was just reflecting on how many post-war commercial holsters were made for the Luger. Those GI's must have brought back a ton of them.
Regards,
Turnerriver

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turnerriver

Outstanding, turnerriver. Thank you very much.

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SWHF #448

Like many others, I enjoy finding old quality but neglected items and bringing them back to life. This holster was well worth an hour of cleaning and bootshine.

Seller's photos, how the holster arrived:





Ready for service:





That a piece like this cleans up so well after so many years speaks to the maker's quality and craftsmanship. You just can't do this with junk leather. Thanks again to turnerriver for the identification.

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SWHF #448

Here's another interesting Luger holster I found recently. Unfortunately it's not marked as to maker but I suspect it's from Chic Gaylord or is a very good New York-style Gaylord-inspired copy. The fine boning, small 1" belt loop for plain clothes carry, anchoring rivet and double-stitched extended spear point back loop which adds stiffness to the holster are cues (we also see these features with early Seventrees holsters by Paris Theodore, who was inspired by Gaylord).




Following are some photos of Gaylord holsters for comparison:

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SWHF #448