Engraved Victory Model

[mrdante]

I pick up an engraved Victory over the weekend. It was engraved in Munich at Waffen Krausser. Does anybody know anything about these. It came with a set of Stag grips, one of which is cracked pretty bad, but they have got to be close to the age of the gun.

Any help would be great.

 

[Art Doc]

Sometimes GIs stationed in Germany after the war would pick up a VM and have a local artisan engrave it. They turn up from time, are fun, but I don't think there is a huge collector interest in them and I doubt that they bring huge amounts of money. But I'm not the expert of these things. Maybe someone else will have better info.

Neat gun.

 

[DWalt]

I doubt the engraving adds much if any to the value. It's more of a production line style, not high art - sort of like comparing a da Vinci to something sold at a Starving Artists sale.

Some time ago, I used to see speed gun engravers at gun shows who could apply, after a fashion, engraving scrollwork on your firearm while you waited. I remember these guys were oriental, and were they ever fast. It wasn't fine art, but it was pretty good. But nothing like the quality of the classic engravers. I imagine this revolver received somewhat the same treatment in Germany.

 

[zonker5]

Sometimes GIs stationed in Germany after the war would pick up a VM and have a local artisan engrave it. They turn up from time, are fun, but I don't think there is a huge collector interest in them and I doubt that they bring huge amounts of money. But I'm not the expert of these things. Maybe someone else will have better info.

Neat gun.

I have one that was purchased in post war Germany and reworked by a local gunsmith; blued, action job done, etc..

Has no collector value but is a darn good shooter.

 

[2152hq]

Waffen Krausser is still around. They're an old sporting goods company that's been around since the late 1800's. I have a leather rifle sling somewhere with their logo stamped on it.

Most likely a Post WW2 done engraving job as already pointed out. Those were done for Occupation Forces as German citizens were forbidden to own firearms right after the War.

The licensed Gunshops and Gunsmiths were allowed to sell and work on firearms but only to and for those few allowed to have them.
Kurt Jeagers shop in Munich is probably the best known of them in that period. He had several engravers working for him.
Smaller shops and freelanze workers would do work in those troubled times for very little money sometimes just to get by.
Many US shops took advantage of the situation and sent workover to Germany and Austria for engraving, stock work and other gunsmithing work. Many of those gunsmiths & engravers took advantage of the times and moved to the USA as well.

The scroll isn't all that detailed but it's cut well. Nice even curves and arcs on the sides where scrolls really show up.
The smaller areas in the rest of the pattern is left to short abreviated leaf patterns that fill up room in awkward spaces. That's something that is common with large 'filler' type patterns.

Who ever cut it was certainly an experienced cutter. What they're top skill level was/is we'll never know from this one job.

The overlapping scroll lines (sides) are not easy to do quickly w/o some planning and/or having done that style before. They usually end up out of place and look glaringly so when done w/o any thought or previous experience.


It was designed to be cut quickly and fill spaces fast.
A hollowpunch background covers quickly. No relief work, a real time saver.

Different size hollowpunch work for borders, Liner tools used for the shading on the scroll, Single point tool shade cuts on some of the smaller parts.,,they all show at least some assortment of tools at the bench. The signs of a working engraver and not the work of a gunsmith that does some engraving.

Signed as work from a 'Shop' and not signed by an individual engraver which was pretty much the way it was done at the time. Very rarely was the engraver allowed to place their own name on the work as a contractor.

I'm surprised that the bbl on the revolver lacks any engraving. Usually these PostWar engraved V/Models are all done up or at least have some engraving on the bbl.
You wanted your $5 or $10 worth of engraving after all! Check the bbl and it'll tell quick enough.

Anything is possible of course including the work being done later than what we usually consider to be the PostWar Europe period when most of these were done for the Allied Occupation Forces.

Interesting pistol. .

 

[mrdante]

Thanks for all the replays. I did email the shop in Munich to see if they might have any records etc. it never hurts to ask. The barrel does match the gun and I was like you and kinda surprised that there wasn't any engraving on the barrel. I will upload some pics with the grips on, but like I say one is very rough.

 

[JSR III]

I would not dismiss the gun too quickly. It is very possible that there could be a cult following for occupation engraved guns. Just look at the prices of some of the trench art that came out of WWI. As prices increase on the very popular models, some folks have no other place to turn but to the lower priced guns. As that happens, their prices will eventually rise as well.

 

[mrdante]

I'm not dismissing the gun. I think it is pretty cool. I don't collect a set genre of Smith's or guns for that matter. I buy what I like.

 

[opoefc]

It's a Lend Lease gun ( 38S&W) and 2152hq dissertation is right on the money. Why the barrel didn't get the treatment - who knows? Personally I think there's very little value enhancement here over what the gun would be worth if it had been left in it's original state, but it is a curiosity. Ed.

 

[vonn]

I like it . Cool gun!

 

[mrdante]

Here it is with the grips on. The right grip is cracked, and has been "glued" to keep if from falling apart.

I did email the gun shop in Munich. They surprisingly responded. They did not have any info on the gun.