Auction : Sauer CE 41 4811f

Hi Gents,

There is this CE 41 being auctioned at Hermann Historica:
https://www.hermann-historica.de/en/auctions/lot/id/70940

There are only 3 pictures (which I attach for the record, though they belong to Hermann Historica)

I've noticed that the scale of the rear sight is not blued below 100m (though the rear sight seems to be in very good condition) and there are a lot of interfering markings on the barrel (German civil proof marks?).

Do you think somebody has potentially altered the rifle ?

Thanks

Well, they should have included more detailed photos. 3 pictures isn't much to go off of, especially for an auction. I will say, the barrel has had stamps added to it outside of the factory. At the least, the 8x57JS stamp isn't orignal.

Is that 500 Euro starting point typical for K98s? That comes out to 543.17 USD (about where Russian/Yugo captures start). At that price, and with very few pictures, I would expect issues from a collecting standpoint. Of course as an auction who knows what the gavel price and reserve will turn out to be.

GulagACapella said:

Is that 500 Euro starting point typical for K98s? That comes out to 543.17 USD (about where Russian/Yugo captures start). At that price, and with very few pictures, I would expect issues from a collecting standpoint. Of course as an auction who knows what the gavel price and reserve will turn out to be.

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I would not rely on the starting price to judge the rifle.
For example, the hammer price for an all-matching MO 1940 was EUR 680:
https://www.hermann-historica.de/en/auctions/lot/id/59863

Based on what I've read so far, prices in the US seem to have gone through the roof compared to their level in Germany. France (where I live) seems to be in-between.

Hermann Historica is an auction house with a reliable supply of guns, from time to time I have checked their offers, but never paid attention to the details so far: which is what I'm doing now.

Anyway, I got the answer to my original question: those ugly marks are German civil proof marks. And they are ruining the look of the rifles !

That 42 40 is not matching, it's force matched. Look at the electrostenciling on the bolt. Who knows what else is wrong with it, you cant even tell based off the 3 pictures they apparently always post. This company doesn't seem very reliable in my opinion. Either they are trying to scam people or they just don't know what they are looking at themselves. I'd look elsewhere for a correct K98.

Zeppelin5000 said:

That 42 40 is not matching, it's force matched. Look at the electrostenciling on the bolt. Who knows what else is wrong with it, you cant even tell based off the 3 pictures they apparently always post. This company doesn't seem very reliable in my opinion. Either they are trying to scam people or they just don't know what they are looking at themselves. I'd look elsewhere for a correct K98.

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Good catch ! The devil is in the detail.
I thought these guys were serious
They just mention a bland "Nummerngleich": come on !

You have opened my eyes, thanks!

Guillaume d'Orange said:

Good catch ! The devil is in the detail.
I thought these guys were serious
They just mention a bland "Nummerngleich": come on !

You have opened my eyes, thanks!

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After Zeppelin5000's observation, and my own glance at the site, my initial observation stands. The other rifles I saw there in this price range were quite worn. One was missing a bayonet lug and another was covered in club stickers.

Guillaume d'Orange said:

Good catch ! The devil is in the detail.
I thought these guys were serious
They just mention a bland "Nummerngleich": come on !

You have opened my eyes, thanks!

Click to expand...

They do look fancy, but they don't seem to have anything more special than what you can find on Gunbroker.... like I said, either their workers aren't well versed in K98s, or they don't care and are trying to pass non-matching as matching to unsuspecting buyers...