information on pistol

Question
Hello Doug,

Like Bob, I too have a Walther PPK that an uncle brought back from Germany after the war. I would very much like to know about this pistol including what you feel the value might be. The gun is stainless steel I think. The serial # is 299506K. There are also two very small birds with spread wings either stamped or engraved with a capital K on the right side with the serial #. One of the birds is on the barrel and one directly below on the part that slides. (I don't know the names of the parts of the gun) On the left side of the slide it has the Walther logo toward the end of the barrel, Mod PPK on the grip end of the slide. In between the two is engraved Waffenfabrik Walther, Zella-Mehlis (Thur.) with two dots over the u. Under the Waffenfabrik is engraved Walther's Patent Cal. 7,65 m/m. The grips are brown plastic with the Walther logo on both sides of the grip.The clip has the same brown plastic on the end and the metal part of the clip is engraved with the Walther logo and PPK 7,65m/m. I also have a partial box of bullets that came over with it with all German print on the blue and red box. To my untrained eye the gun appears to be in excellent condition. Any information you could give me would be greatly appreciated. The gun has been in my Dad's drawer for at least 60 years.

Thanks again,

Dan Alexander

Answer
Hi Bob,

The pistol you have is one of the more common variant of the Walther PPK.  It's German acronymous name stands for Polizeipistole Kriminalmodell (Police Pistol Detective Model - implying it was more concealable than the original PP model and hence better suited to plainclothes or undercover work.  It has a slightly shorter barrel and grip, and carries slightly less ammo than the full size PP model.

The Walther PPK was introduced in 1931 and originally chambered in 7.65 mm (.32 ACP)  and 9mm Kurtz (.380 ACP).  From the markings on the gun, you have the 7.65 mm model.

Since it was manufactured at the Zella-Mehlis plant in Germany, that means that it was made before the end of 1946 when production moved to a new facility in Ulm.

During World War II variants of this pistol were issued to German military police, Luftwaffe, and other support personnel, as well as officials of the Nazi Party. Adolf Hitler used his PPK to kill himself as Soviet forces closed in on the F黨rerbunker in Berlin.

Check your gun to see if the magazine is released with a button on the left side of the grip.  If yes, you have a more standard model.  If the magazine releases with a lever on the heel of the gun, you may have a rarer version, particularly since it is calibered in 7.65mm.  Very few heel release versions were made, even fewer of them in 7.65mm.

The other marks, particularly the birds are probably proof marks.  These were essentially proof that the guns had been 'tested and accepted' by the military or police agency purchasing them.  Usually if it was a Nazi proof mark it would be an eagle over an "N".  From the marking you described, your proof mark is a Police acceptance mark.

From the serial number, I can only tell it was manufactured between 1931 and 1940.

If you have a reputable gun dealer that you TRUST in your area, you may want to check with them.  They can give you a much better idea on things like the true 'condition' of the firearm.  Without more info, the range is pretty broad.  Values could range from a couple of hundred dollars to over a thousand for a rarer piece in good to excellent condition.

Hope this helps...

Best regards,

Doug

Bob,

I also wanted to add a bit of follow up on the value question.  I was able to determine that your gun was actually manufactured between 1940 and 1945.  I also can provide some additional info on value.  According to the Blue Book of Gun Values (28th edition), the values of your pistol are as follows:

100% (new in box) - $850
98% - $650
95% - $475
90% - $375
80% - $300
70% - $275

Cheers,

Doug