This one of the highest serial number known 3-line GENUINE stamped, Mauser assembled Stoeger Artillery Luger with all original DWM Artillery parts supplied from BKIW with the following unique features or characteristics.

1. Military proofed artillery spare, BKIW installed and c/c/U proofed barrel with adjustable, graduated rear sight.
2. The entire right side receiver two-side and frame rail third-line and stamping, including the word GENUINE were pantograph applied, not stamped, at the same time, under the blue, by Mauser.  For more information regarding the 3-line pantograph method used see below.
3. The full serial number is stamped in the commercial hidden and military style placement: on the frame front, the barrel underside and the on the receiver left side.
4. This gun is featured or referenced in three Luger book publications:
         a) The Mauser Parabellum 1930 – 1946, © 2010 by Don R. Hallock & Joop van de Kant on page 448, Table 24.03 Reported 3-line Stoeger Luger pistols 543V - 1185V (1931 – 1934?),
          b) Pistole Parabellum, © 2010 by Görtz/Sturgess, Volume II, page 607, figure 547
          c) The Borchardt & Luger Automatic Pistols, © 2011 & 2012 by Görtz/Sturgess, Volume I, page 539 and Volume II on page 763.

1183V sold at auction in 2013 with the following description: *◊ SPECTACULAR NEAR MINT LATE STOEGER ARTILLERY LUGER. SN 1183v. 8" 9mm artillery bbl with fine tune adjustable rear sight. DWM scroll on center toggle link. Right side has three line address, receiver marked "A.F. Stoeger Inc./New York." in front of a "Germany" mark. Right frame rail is marked "Genuine Luger Registered U.S. Patent Office". Horizontal Crown/U proof on left receiver and bbl. Low V suffix range indicating Mauser assembly of DWM components. All numbered parts are matching. This gun is featured on pp. 539 and 763 of Dr. Geoffrey Sturgess' The Borchardt & Luger Automatic Pistols. This is one of the highest serial number Stoeger marked pistols known and one of the finest examples of its kind. PROVENANCE: Collection of Dr. Geoffrey Sturgess. CONDITION: Near mint retaining 99% original blue and 99% original straw. Bore is bright and sharp. Grips retain original color and sharp checkering with very little wear. Proper wood bottom magazine is in excellent condition. Mechanics are excellent.

In Pistole Parabellum by Görtz/Sturgess 1183v is pictured in figure 547 with the following text caption: The run-out of BKIW-supplied finished pistols included a very few 9/200mm barreled lP08s such as sn 1183v, supplied to Stoeger and bearing their 3-line markings.
These were made up from WW1-era DWM components, including the barrel/sight assembly and toggle train, both bearing Imperial; Army eagle proof marks, assembled to BKIW serial numbered frame and militarily numbered receiver, the barrel being serial numbered in the Mauser pattern without barrel suffix.
The proof marks are the standardized small Oberndorf crown/crown/U applied over the blueing to barrel and receiver only. The serial numbers were applied by BKIW before blueing, the finish maintaining the original military satin polishing on all parts.

In The Borchardt & Luger Automatic Pistols by Görtz/Sturgess 1183v is pictured in figure 11-80 with the following text caption: Fig. 11-80: After Stoeger registered “LUGER” as a trade mark in the US in 1930 the third line of the inscription was added to the frame rail, either with or without the word GENUINE which was omitted in the initial shipment, but added to later guns by Mauser, under the original blueing: top, sn 431v, 7.65/98 mm barrel P.08, original BKIW manufacture, SAFE/LOADED, crown/N proof, no GENUINE mark; note the slight fault in the right hand arm of the Y of NEW YORK, characteristic of most pistols with the three line inscription; centre & bottom sn 1183v, 9/200 mm barrel lP.08, built by Mauser from BKIW supplied WWI surplus parts, Oberndorf crown/crown/U proofed on barrel and receiver, Mauser finished, GENUINE marked; this is one of the highest known serial number Stoeger marked pistols, dating to ca. 1936/7 after the final supplies of the original batch of SAFE/LOADED marked components had been used up and so marked GESICHERT/GELADEN.

The only other publication that delves into this last series of Mauser 3-line Stoeger deliveries is The Mauser Parabellum1930 – 1946 by Don R. Hallock & Joop van de Kant where 1183V is listed in Table 24.03. Reported 3-line Stoeger Luger Pistols – 543V – 1185V (1931 – 1934?)  Based on the Table 24.03 title, the manufacturing date of 1183V is ratcheted down to 1934, vs. the Sturgess estimate of 1936/7, however, with the question mark after 1934 and with Table 24.04 titled: Reported 3-line Stoeger Luger pistols, starting with 8725V and 1937 leaves the Mauser assembly date of 1183v as uncertain, complicated with an undefined three-year gap. In Table 24.06 titled: Estimated USA imports of Stoeger pistols states that 1029v through 1185v were imported to the United States with four being reported.

The Sturgess assembly date of 1936/7 seems more reasonable as by 1936 Stoeger imports mostly dry up, leaving the possibility that 1183v may not have been exported to A.F. Stoeger that late in the 1930s, as although the 2-line receiver marking includes the GERMANY export stamp, whereas the significant GERMANY export stamping, invariably, found on all 3-line Stoeger Luger exports, is missing on the frame front, usually being located under the frame serial number. Another interesting exception is 460v, discussed earlier, which also lacks a Germany export stamp on the frame, just below the serial number. This omission, combined with the fact that 1183v is a “European” gun, being in a European collection for many years, does not support the 1930s export of 1183v to A.F. Stoeger in New York.

In summary, 1183v only first sees American shores in its penultimate journey or port of entry, when it was exported to its originally intended destination, the United States in 2013 for auction, getting its’ “ultimate or final” export stamping, ironically, by Simpson Limited, prior to its delivery to the  J.D. Julia, Inc. auction house of Fairfield, Maine.

Per subsequent conversations Sturgess, the prior caretaker of 1183v, who disputes the above conclusions stating that 1183v was, most certainly, part of a last contract order with Stoeger, based on the fact, as he recalls, that it in the early 1980s it was part of an old American deceased estate collection and additionally on the premise that he doesn’t think Mauser would have risked a row with Stoeger, even this late when Stoeger's orders had dried up, knowing as they did how litigious Stoeger was for his trademarks - it was made up for a Stoeger order, one of their last before WWII.

Additionally, expanding on his description of the figure 11-83 text caption of 1183v in The Borchardt & Luger Automatic Pistols Sturgess is now convinced, based on the late 1936/7 assembly and the lack of available BKIW/DWM “SAFE” marked frames and pre-stamped American Eagle two-line Stoeger receivers, used up in earlier Stoeger contract orders that the plain, no chamber date stamped Artillery receiver spare was Stoeger two-line, GERMANY export stamped, prior to bluing by Mauser, as was the Stoeger third-line frame rail stamping, including the word GENUINE, thus making a very unique and rare BKIW/DWM serial number stamped V-suffix, Mauser three-line stamped, assembled, blued and proofed, original Artillery parts Stoeger Luger.

Since Sturgess made the above additional comments, it has been determined that the 3-line inscription of 1183V is not a die stamping, but applied using a pantograph method of engraving as described below.

The 3-line Stoeger Luger, SN 1183V, was engraved using a pantograph method.  It is evident from close examination of the three lines of text that a manual scribing method of application was used.  Each of the characters show variations in depth and width as you trace along the letter as though the operator was methodically tracing a master.  The operator slowly traced each letter in small increments causing minute depth and width variations by the cutter. The cutting tool/milling apparatus is connected to a pantograph linkage where a hard, sharp tip traces the master and the tool cuts an identical pattern in the production part.  This method has been used for centuries to transfer designs from a master to reproductions.  The technology is no longer widely used because it has been replaced by much more precise and rapid CNC machines.  The cost of these machines have decreased to the point that even the smallest shop can afford to own the technology.

Several theories can be espoused as to why a pantograph method of engraving was used on 1183V vs. the traditional die stamp application used on all earlier 2 and 3-line Stoeger Lugers. The most plausible explanation is that by 1936-37, the approximate date of 1183V assembly, as ascribed by Sturgess, that all DWM and SAFE marked frames and LOADED marked extractors were used up, specifically 2-line American Eagle chamber crested receivers and SAFE marked frames. Only Gesichert marked frames, without the Stoeger frame right side rail die stamp inscription and Geladen stamped extractors/breechblock assemblies only.  Per the earlier Sturgess comments regarding 93184 that Pantograph engraving was introduced by Mauser in their military and commercial production by 1936 supports the Pantograph method used on 1183V.

Apparently the DWM 2 and 3-line Stoeger die stamps were not transferred to Mauser in the early 1930s or were lost.  Evidently Mauser had one GENUINE stamped 3-line Stoeger Luger in stock, needed for the pantograph application to 1183V.  If there are other late Mauser production 3-line Pantograph applied Stoeger Lugers is not known, except possibly 1185V reported by Hallock in The Mauser Parabellum, however, there can be no doubt as to the authenticity of 1183V as received by Mauser, in the white, assembled or parts from DWM, frame serial number and V suffix stamped, blued by Mauser and then c/c/U stamped by an Oberndorf proof house, through the blue on the receiver left side and DWM barrel underside.

Dr. G Sturgess, the previous owner of 1183V was informed that the 3-line Stoeger inscription was a pantograph engraving and not a roll die stamp as previously thought existed for all Stoeger Luger 3-line inscriptions and responded with the following comments: There is no factory data concerning the Stoeger guns, and conclusions must be drawn from the surviving guns. I do not know for certain why these markings should be engraved rather than stamped, but since they and the serial numbers are applied under the blue, and the barrel and receiver proof marks are applied through the blue, this shows conclusively that
     a) the blue is factory original
     b) the Stoeger marks were applied before the blue and the proof marks, and must therefore also be factory original.
Given the condition of the pistol and its finish, I don't think there can be any question of refinishing ever having been done.

Regarding the lack of the 8,8x bore mark, which is absent on 1183v (as the Persian and Siamese guns) but I have no real idea why the c/c/U barrel proof should be placed where it is, since this was not the case for the Persian and Siamese guns. I can only think that, since it was a "special" for the proof house, they used their discretion and placed it adjacent the serial number rather than on the foresight bed as the 100 mm barrels.

The fact that 1183V is an unusual, rare example of a mid to late 1930s contract Stoeger Artillery that was assembled using all original in stock spare Artillery parts, including a DWM Artillery barrel, original Artillery stepped receiver and original Artillery rear link, supports the above conclusions.