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Those pistols were originally rust blued, and the finish I see is hot caustic blue, which did not come into use until around 1936. In addition, Mauser simply did not polish those guns that well. Few factories did, as it was too costly in terms of time. Also the surfaces show rounding at the edges and at the joint between the frame and the sideplate. No, the rounding is not a light trick; it is there.
FWIW, here is a refinish spotting "tip of the week". It isn't always true, but it is a good bet that when a sideplate of a quality gun is involved, the factory polished the plate and the frame together, leaving a very close fit and often a nearly invisible seam. But rebluers normally take the plate off and polish it and the frame separately, leaving the edges of both rounded so there is a "dip" at the joint and sometimes a gap.
Jim
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