One of the points made by several of the folks over on the German Collector's Board is that the post-war guns were made by the same craftsmen that made the pre-war ones. They assert that the quality is essentially the same, once the Russians provided appropriate quality steel.
Post-war production appears to have been centered on Field Grade guns, made for export as a source of Hard Currency. There appears to have been quite a bit of consolidation under the Commies, with several well known pre-war names being made under the same roof, and the ressurection of names like Simson, formerly a very large concern before being taken over by the Nazis (the Simson family was Jewish) and going through a couple of name changes by war's end. Also, during post war production there was creation of the Ernst Thalmann Werks, named after the pre-war leader of the German Commies, which produced quite a few guns, many of which are available at Simpson Ltd.
Considering the drop in Simpson prices over the last few years, (I estimate between $100-$200 per gun) IMHO German Field Grade guns appear to be a great value, (although the Spanish guns are selling for even less, but let's avoid that Kettle of Worms right now) they'd make great starter doubles for kids, grandkids or other friends and relatives.
Regards
Ken
Last edited by Ken61; 08/07/17 12:06 PM.
