What is my Beretta Model 1934 worth?
A compact Italian service pistol carried through the Second World War, and one of the more commonly brought-home souvenirs. Wartime guns with their original markings intact are a different proposition from the post-war commercial production that followed.
Made 1934–1991.
No page can price your gun, and one that offers to is guessing. What this does is show you which one you have — because that is where the money is.
How to tell which one you have
- Look for the year stamped on the slide. Wartime guns carry a date, and the Fascist-era guns also carry a year in Roman numerals.
- Check for military acceptance and branch markings, which identify what it was issued to.
- See whether the numbered parts still match, particularly the slide, frame and magazine.
- Establish the caliber: the 1934 is .380 and the closely related 1935 is .32.
The versions that change the number
| Version | What it means for value |
|---|---|
| Wartime military production 1934–1945 | Dated and service-marked. The collectible end, and matching parts matter a great deal. |
| Post-war production 1945–1991 | Continued commercial manufacture. Good pistols and an ordinary market. |
| Model 1935 1935–1980s | The .32 version of the same design, generally less sought after than the .380. |
| Refinished or renumbered guns any | Common on souvenirs. A refinish removes most of the collector value even when it looks better. |
What actually drives the price
- Whether the wartime markings and date are intact and unpolished.
- Matching numbers across slide, frame and magazine.
- Original finish, which refinishing destroys permanently.
- Documentation of how it came home, where any exists.
And the two that apply to every gun on this site: do not clean it, and keep the box and papers. Removing original finish is permanent, and on the right gun the packaging is a real part of the total.
"It is a small old .380, it cannot be worth much"
Post-war commercial guns are modest money and that is fair. Wartime pistols with clear dates, service markings and matching parts are a different thing, and the markings are exactly what gets polished away when somebody decides to tidy a souvenir up. Leave it alone until it has been looked at.
The markings are hard to read. Should I clean them up?
No. Those markings are most of what a collector is paying for, and polishing or wire-brushing them is the single fastest way to lose the value. Photograph it in good light at an angle instead and let somebody read it from the picture.
Getting a number for yours
Send photographs and we will tell you what we will pay for it. We buy nationwide — a single firearm ships to us prepaid and insured, and for a collection we come to you. More on what separates one Beretta from another.