beholla pistol

riley · May 12, 2007, 10:12 PM

i have a beholla pistol that i would love to have more information on.
i was told it is nickle plated and was probably an officers gun? my grandfather brought this home when he was in germany during WW11
he has since passed so i dont have much history on it. i do know he had a blued one also that disappeared.(another story) this one has the crown/N all over it a serial
#135XX another mark behind the serial number that i cannot make out, it appears to be a crown and something else. i have the holster and a spare clip as well. are these guns rare? is it nickle plated?stainless? any more info you guys have i would greatly appreciate it. Thank You in advance

Jim Watson · May 12, 2007, 10:29 PM

I don't have many details, but the Beholla was one of many European .32s that were carried by German officers. It wasn't as though they expected to actually get in a battle, but a soldier has to have a gun, you know.

Many GIs had souvenir guns nickel plated to pretty them up after they got them home, there were not nearly as many "presentation" shiny pistols as the sellers would have you think. I don't think the dollar value is high, but it is a neat memento of Grandpa.

riley · May 12, 2007, 10:49 PM

thanks jim but i know he didnt have it plated. he told me he wouldnt even fire it because the germans used to booby trap there guns? but i do know my uncle fired the gun. not really interested in the monetary value as much as the history of the gun. as far as the blued one, he gave a buddy a pack of cigartettes to bring it back to the states for him because they could only bring one back at a time and he never seen his buddy again. it also has the original holster with the extra clippouch with an extra clip. i will try to get some pics up. can we post pics here?

rufe snow · May 13, 2007, 10:37 AM

Much information is available on the net regarding Beholla pistols. Google, using "beholla pistol" as your search term. Your questions will be answered.

James K · May 13, 2007, 11:26 AM

The Beholla was made in Suhl, Germany from about 1915 to about 1925. The trade name is an abbreviation for "Becker und Hollander" the first maker; from about 1920-1925, the gun was made by Stendawerke. The guns are not high ticket items but are reliable and interesting. Value runs about $150 for an average one, $250 for like-new. A plated one would not be worth $100.

That "booby trap" story is an old one, and mostly a myth. Guns were booby trapped, but usually with a simple string tied to the pistol on one end and a grenade on the other - pick up the gun, and bang!

AFAIK, Beholla did not produce nickel plated guns, and I doubt any German officer would have carried such a monstrosity if they had. Almost all nickel or chrome plated "capture" pistols were plated by American GI's either in Europe or here.

Jim

RJay · May 13, 2007, 04:33 PM

That creates a interesting mental picture, a young German officer raises his pistol in the air, yells 'follow me", and 10,000 Russian Mosin Nagants zero in on his nickle plated pistol.

May 12, 2007, 10:12 PM	#1
riley Junior Member Join Date: May 12, 2007 Posts: 2	beholla pistol i have a beholla pistol that i would love to have more information on. i was told it is nickle plated and was probably an officers gun? my grandfather brought this home when he was in germany during WW11 he has since passed so i dont have much history on it. i do know he had a blued one also that disappeared.(another story) this one has the crown/N all over it a serial #135XX another mark behind the serial number that i cannot make out, it appears to be a crown and something else. i have the holster and a spare clip as well. are these guns rare? is it nickle plated?stainless? any more info you guys have i would greatly appreciate it. Thank You in advance

May 12, 2007, 10:29 PM	#2
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,535	I don't have many details, but the Beholla was one of many European .32s that were carried by German officers. It wasn't as though they expected to actually get in a battle, but a soldier has to have a gun, you know. Many GIs had souvenir guns nickel plated to pretty them up after they got them home, there were not nearly as many "presentation" shiny pistols as the sellers would have you think. I don't think the dollar value is high, but it is a neat memento of Grandpa.

May 12, 2007, 10:49 PM	#3
riley Junior Member Join Date: May 12, 2007 Posts: 2	thanks jim but i know he didnt have it plated. he told me he wouldnt even fire it because the germans used to booby trap there guns? but i do know my uncle fired the gun. not really interested in the monetary value as much as the history of the gun. as far as the blued one, he gave a buddy a pack of cigartettes to bring it back to the states for him because they could only bring one back at a time and he never seen his buddy again. it also has the original holster with the extra clippouch with an extra clip. i will try to get some pics up. can we post pics here?

May 13, 2007, 10:37 AM	#4
rufe snow Junior Member Join Date: May 4, 2007 Posts: 12	Much information is available on the net regarding Beholla pistols. Google, using "beholla pistol" as your search term. Your questions will be answered.

May 13, 2007, 11:26 AM	#5
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	The Beholla was made in Suhl, Germany from about 1915 to about 1925. The trade name is an abbreviation for "Becker und Hollander" the first maker; from about 1920-1925, the gun was made by Stendawerke. The guns are not high ticket items but are reliable and interesting. Value runs about $150 for an average one, $250 for like-new. A plated one would not be worth $100. That "booby trap" story is an old one, and mostly a myth. Guns were booby trapped, but usually with a simple string tied to the pistol on one end and a grenade on the other - pick up the gun, and bang! AFAIK, Beholla did not produce nickel plated guns, and I doubt any German officer would have carried such a monstrosity if they had. Almost all nickel or chrome plated "capture" pistols were plated by American GI's either in Europe or here. Jim

May 13, 2007, 04:33 PM	#6
RJay Senior Member Join Date: November 2, 2005 Location: Arizona Posts: 1,936	That creates a interesting mental picture, a young German officer raises his pistol in the air, yells 'follow me", and 10,000 Russian Mosin Nagants zero in on his nickle plated pistol.