Walther PPK 7.65

Question
We have a pistol

Waffenfabrik Walther,Zetta-Mehlis (Thuer)
Walther's Patent 7,65 m/m  Mod. PPK
Serial 948850 or 058894

Do you know anything about the gun or where I could find out something.

Answer
Al,

From the looks of things you have a PPK manufactured prior to the end of the war.  The PPK is a smaller version of the Walther PP, designed primarily for use as an easily concealable undercover gun.  The majority were calibered in 7.65mm which is more typically known in the US as a .32 caliber.  The fact that it was manufactured at Zella-Mehlis established it's approximate timeframe.  The PPK was first manufactured in 1931.  The manufacture was moved to the Ulm manufacturing facility at the end of WWII.  In fact, no PPK's were actually manufactured in Germany immediately after WWII due to the prohibition of weapons production in postwar Germany.  A French company called Manurhin manufactured them under license for Walther.  Some were marked as such, others were not.

Further identification and valuation might be possible with knowledge of the proof marks on the gun.  Look for a crown or an eagle.  Pay particular attention to any numbers or letters that are in proximity to the proof marks.  There are a lot of these pistols out there, so the value is not remarkably high, but depending on the specimen and the condition it is in, it could still be worth several hundred dollars to a Walther collector.  

Postwar pistols are not worth nearly as much.  If you'd like get general info you can read at the following link:

http://www.geocities.com/pentagon/quarters/2188/

If you want to send me some additional info on the proof marks, I'll try to give you a bit more info...

Cheers,

Doug