Summer 2026 Premier Firearms & Militaria Auction
August 6th, 7th, 8th, & 9th, 2026
This auction will feature an outstanding collection of items spanning multiple categories including Modern, Military, Sporting, & Antique firearms & militaria! Below is just a small grouping of select highlights from the massive offering to be featured in this upcoming sale!
HIGH CONDITION GERMAN WORLD WAR I DWM “1917” DATE LP.08 SEMI-AUTOMATIC PISTOL, FORMERLY OWNED BY KODAK FOUNDER, GEORGE EASTMAN
25-2097
Cal. 9x19mm Parabellum
S# 6149a
Bbl. 7 7/8″
LP.08 Luger semi-automatic pistol mfg. by DWM under contract for the Imperial German military during World War I, and subsequently owned by George Eastman. Eastman “The father of photography”), the founder of Kodak, made significant contributions in making photography accessible to the general public, and was a noted philanthropist, making notable monetary contributions in the areas of education, science, and the arts. This is example is marked “1917” over the chamber on the bbl. extension, with DWM arsenal proofs marked on the right. Toggle is marked with the intertwined “DWM” monogram. Metal components exhibit a rust blue finish overall, save for on some small parts, which exhibit a straw finish. Frame is mounted with 2-piece checkered wood grips. Fine tune blade front sight, with adj. V-notch tangent rear sight, graduated 1-8. Nearly all numbers are matching and include the frame, takedown lever, trigger, safety lever & bar, hold-open latch, bbl., front sight blade, rear sight assembly, bbl. extension, trigger bar, breechblock, extractor, firing pin, toggles, as well as the grips. Sideplate is an unnumbered and reblued replacement. MAGS: 1 plated 8-rd., with unnumbered imperially proofed wood bottom.
UNATTACHED ACCESSORIES: Glock gray nylon soft case. This example is also accompanied by documentation from the consignor’s grandfather, George J. Skivington, a predominant criminal lawyer who was based in Rochester, NY. Skivington, served as a board member of the Rochester Centennial Committee in 1934, and was a scrupulous collector and historian, who maintained a meticulous journal of his acquisitions throughout his adulthood. The documentation, being a scan of Skivington’s collection journal, lists and indicates (by S#) that this exact example was the pistol in which George Eastman took his own life, via a shot to his heart on March 14th of 1932 was acquired on March 3rd of 1937.
Earlier on March 14th, Eastman had invited a small group of close friends to his home and wanted them to witness the rewriting of his new will, which was not an unusual moment for Eastman. The night was said to have ended on a relatively cheerful note, with Eastman informing his friends that he was just making sure that his final wishes were in order. Subsequently, after his friends had left, Eastman pulled out a fresh piece of paper and wrote a short but poignant note that read “To my friends, my work is done. Why wait?” before taking his own life. While not included in the documentation, the cataloger finds it significant to mention, that during the final two years of Eastman’s life, he incurred intense and severe pain, which significantly limited his mobility, and caused Eastman to suffer from depression. This was a result of a spinal disorder, which today is believed to be a form of a degenerative disease. After Eastman’s death, the pistol was given to John P. McDonald, Captain of Detectives of the Rochester PD, and was later formally filed by Joseph Sheridan, R.P.D. property clerk, before being given to George J. Skivington on March 3rd of 1937, as notated in Skivington’s journal. Since Skivington’s death is 1961, the pistol has remained and has been maintained by the Skivington family for the last 6 decades.
A high condition LP.08, formerly owned by the founder of Kodak, George Eastman.
STATUS: CURIO
