This is a spectacular example of a lavishly embellished Krieghoff Luger with "KRIEGHOFF SUHL" marking and "HK" and anchor logo on front toggle link with full serial number on left front side of receiver. Left side flat of frame is marked "Heinrich Krieghoff/Waffenfabrik/Suhl". Remainder of pistol has nearly 100% coverage deep relief Germanic style oak leaf pattern engraving with fine stippled background. All flat surfaces have gold wire outline with a cloud shaped gold wire inlay around inscription on flat panel on left side of frame. The grip screws are also engraved. Fitted with extremely beautiful special grade carved oak leaf and acorn pattern walnut grips with checkered center medallion. Inside each grip is a pencil number "1". Original matching numbered machined stainless steel body aluminum base magazine with matching engraving patterns on base. The finish on this pistol appears to be original bright metal but is in reality a pickling process wherein the parts that were not to be pickled were gold washed and after pickling process the gold wash was removed. This pickling process leaves the surface slightly rough, on the order of rust bluing. It is apparent, upon close examination, that the engraved areas were gold washed prior to pickling, leaving only the unengraved edges exposed which show this light roughness. Pistol is complete in a burgundy velvet lined English oak presentation case, custom fitted in the bottom for the pistol and one magazine, with an empty lidded compartment. There is a brass disk inlay in the lid. This spectacular Luger is accompanied by a copy of an email from Carl Kleber of Worms, Germany dated May 2, 2008 and addressed to a previous owner with the subject "History of Krieghoff Luger #25190". Mr. Kleber states that this pistol was a birthday present for Josef (Sepp) Buerkel in 1943 who, prior to 1929, had been a teacher. At that time he joined the NSDAP (Hitler's Party) and became a Gauleiter of "The West-Gau which covered the area of Western Germany-Rhineland-Palatone, up to the city of Koeln and to the French border/Saarbruecken". This was a very large area of that part of Europe. Mr. Kleber goes on to state that in 1944 Gauleiter Buerkel became disillusioned that Germany could win the war. He apparently spoke of this with his driver, Wilhelm Baer, and apparently also spoke openly in the town of Kaiserslautern where he had his offices. Mr. Kleber states that his SS bodyguards reported his statements and Gauleiter Buerkel "died of natural causes". Mr. Kleber also states that Gauleiter Buerkel had a hunting estate near Kerzeheim/Ramsen in the Staatswald and that the house is still standing in a very remote place. It had a well and power plant and was used as an emergency communications center and transmitter station for phone lines from Paris to Berlin. The family Jung from the Klauser-Hof took care of this estate. He goes on that toward the end of WWII the driver, Wilhelm Baer, took all of the estate, papers, uniforms, etc. of Gauleiter Buerkel to the Klauser-Hof where he hid and he also hid the Luger and a lot of other guns. Wilhelm Baer was taken prisoner-of-war by the advancing American Army and spent time in the death camp at Bad Kreuznach, where he almost died. He was released in 1947. He returned to the Klauser-Hof and in 1949 married a daughter of the Jung Family. In 1974, this Krieghoff Luger was registered in his name when Germany introduced gun registration and it remained in his possession until he died in 2002. The Baer family sold off all of the possessions of Gauleiter Buerkel and Wilhelm Baer with this Krieghoff Luger being the last item, which Mr. Kleber purchased himself. With this solid provenance, this is one of the very few, if not the only, documented presentation Krieghoff Lugers in the world for sale today and certainly is one of the finest ever made.

Very fine as exhibition quality embellished. The pistol retains virtually all of its bright coin finish with crisp engraving and bright gold inlay. The very fine grips are exceptionally carved and retaining most of the original oil finish. The magazine is also excellent plus. The mechanics are crisp. All numbers match. The case is fine with some minor nicks and scratches and slight wear internally.