GUN FALL 2017
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/31/2017
INCREDIBLY RARE WALTHER P38 PISTOL, MOD. HP, CAL 7.65MM, SINGLE ACTION, IN FACTORY BOX.WALTHERH.P.32627.65BOXMODERNCal. 7.65mm. Super rare Walther Mod HP in Cal 7.65mm, experimental trigger bar, single action only with target grips in factory correct HP shipping box. Standard configuration P38 with 5" bbl having drift adjustable front sight and red painted rear sight. Left side of slide marked with the usual Walther banner followed by 2-line address that includes "Cal. 7.65 m/m" and suffixed by "Mod. HP". Safety detentes marked with a white highlighted "S" and red highlighted "F". Eagle/N marking on right side of slide, right side of bbl, and right side of locking block. Full SN under bbl, on slide, on right side of frame above trigger guard, with the last three digits repeated on the locking block. Fitted with wood target grips, each internally penciled with a matching "5/3262", with stippling over the left thumb rest and deeply checkered panels on the left side with separate panels of checkering over the backstrap to extend over the right grip. Left side of Mag marked "P.38". Major and minor components with original high polish salt blue, locking block in the white, grips with original varnish. When Warren Buxton wrote his P-38 books, he documented a serial range of 3105-3259. This gun obviously expands what is still a very, very narrow range of pistols. In fact, this may be the highest recorded SN for this type of gun. Regardless, according to Buxton, "The P.38 Pistol, Volume I", pg 156, it is "An extremely rare and very difficult to find variation which generates intense collector interest." Complete with an orig wood grain shipping box whose lid features gold image of Model HP pistol with "HP" at lower left corner and a Walther banner in the upper right corners. Includes orig cleaning tin, that has orig oil bottle and Walther marked hair swab, in addition to orig cleaning rod. PROVENANCE: The Esteemed Collection of Noted Expert and Author Warren Buxton. CONDITION: Outstanding with over 98% of salt blue on all components. Slight muzzle wear and a few pinpricks of oxidative wear on front strap. Excellent original mag. Dark grips with 80% original varnish showing small areas of wear, oil staining, handling marks. Mirror bore. Perfect manual mechanics. Crisp box, whose lid presents nicely with minimal separations. Equally high condition cleaning tin and cleaning rod. A fantastically rare P.38, in the correct shipping box, that could be the centerpiece of any collection. 52337-3 LMA (15,000-25,000)