Value guide
What is my Walther worth?
Walther's pocket pistols have been made across three countries and ninety years, and the differences that decide value are stamped on the slide in letters a few millimeters tall. This is a maker where reading the markings is the entire job.
No page can price your gun, and any page that offers to is guessing. What this one does is show you the things that decide the number, so you can look at what you have and know whether you’re holding something ordinary or something worth a proper look.
Where it was made, and when
A PPK can be pre-war German, wartime German, French-made by Manurhin, German post-war, or American-made under license. They look nearly identical and they are not priced alike. The proof marks, the address on the slide and the importer stamp are what separate them, and a family clearing a house has no reason to know that the word on the slide is the most valuable thing about the gun.
The models that turn up, and what they mean
| Model | Made | What it means for value |
|---|---|---|
| PPK | 1931–present | The pocket pistol everybody knows. Pre-war and wartime German production is a different market from later guns. |
| PPK/S | 1968–present | A taller-framed version created for American import rules. Common and worth less than the pre-war guns. |
| PP | 1929–present | The larger original. Earlier German production is the collectible end. |
| P38 | 1938–2000s | The wartime service pistol and its post-war successors. Maker codes and dates matter enormously. |
| Manurhin production | 1952–1980s | Made in France under license while German production was restricted. A distinct market. |
| Model 8 and Model 9 | 1920s–1930s | Early pocket pistols, small, and frequently found in drawers with no idea what they are. |
What to check before anybody makes you an offer
- The address and any maker code on the slide, which says where and when it was built.
- Proof marks and acceptance stamps on the frame and slide.
- Any importer marking, which indicates a later commercial import.
- Whether the finish is original, and whether the grips are the correct ones.
And the two rules that apply to every gun on this page:don’t clean it, and keep the box and papers. Removing original finish is permanent, and on the right gun the packaging is a real fraction of the total.
"It is a little .32, it cannot be worth much"
Post-war and American-made examples are modest money and that is fair. Pre-war and wartime German pistols with clear markings are a different proposition entirely, and the markings are exactly what somebody destroys when they decide to polish a tarnished pocket pistol before selling it. Leave it alone.
The markings are worn and hard to read. Should I clean them?
No. On these pistols the markings are most of what a collector is paying for, and cleaning or polishing them is permanent. Photograph the slide and frame at an angle in good light and let somebody read it from the picture.
Model by model
- What is my Walther PPK worth? (1931–present)
Getting an actual number
Condition, originality and configuration decide it, and none of the three can be judged from a description. Send photos and we’ll make you an offer, wherever you are in the country. It comes itemized, showing what we’ll pay for each firearm, so you can see how the number is built instead of being handed one figure for the pile.
Related: what determines value on any gun ·how to sell a collection ·you inherited firearms
Worth reading alongside this
Police trade-in guns — department markings and what they do to the value. Engraved guns — factory grade or added later, and why the difference is most of the money. What determines value on any firearm.
Other makers
Winchester, Remington, Colt, Smith & Wesson, Marlin, Browning, Ruger, military surplus rifles, Glock, Beretta, Intratec, Savage, Mossberg, Ithaca and SIG Sauer.