Came across a very clean AC 45 9XXX lot B P38 today. Correct phosphate small parts, durofol grips, Nazi acceptance stamp.
Has black leather holster - probably original. Gun 90% holster 70%

From the date it seems to be made about a month or so before the factory was captured.
Thinking $800 but then I think that's low.

Anybody have a good read on the true value?

Thanks

It's late for your post but probably $650-$800 for just the pistol and additional $150-$250 depending on which of the many P38 holsters it is and condition and if original.

Is the frame steel or aluminum? French put P38,s together after the war with French made aluminum frames and captured German parts as a lot of the parts factories were in the French zone.

Ha... Opened this thread thinking it was going to be about a Lockheed P-38 Lightening. LOL

I had a 1945 Mauser-made P-38 that a previous owner had polished and blued. While a beautiful finish, it destroyed the value; I got $400 for it and was told that in the original finish, it would have been worth about $1,200. This was about 8-9 years ago.

I was wondering that as well the first time I opened it - also, "-J or -L?"

That's what grabbed my attention....

As a man once told me, one can go down from a listed price, but NOT up!

From the range in prices, it sounds like you need a person that knows them well to give a fair appraisal.

Jus sayin.

I have an AC45 P38 in very comparable condition (~95%), but without the holster. My serial is 9211b.

I value mine, according to auctions that I have observed within the last 6 months, to be worth around $900...and that is without the holster.
So yes, I'd bump your value up a bit.

Worse yet, I expected a discussion of the little can openers we wore on our dog tag chains.

We called our little can openers we got in C-Rats P38's. I had mine for years. Don't know where it is now.
kwg

I clicked on this thinking the can opener was what was being discussed. HA!

Did you hang yours on your dog tags like the rest of us?