Auction coming up. Never heard of this rifle.

I can not find anything about it. Has any body ever heard of a Franz Hinze Zerbst military rifle?
Maybe the auctioneer misread the name?

My guess would be that a former owner stamped or engraved his name on the rifle.

Zerbst is a town, in Germany, I believe. There was a Hitler Youth training camp there.

From a WW1 war memorial in Klieken, Anhalt-Zerbst district, Sachsen-Anhalt

Names of the fallen
...
Reservist
HINZE
Franz
03.04.1898
27.09.1918
...
I think you may have found one of the very, very few rifles that can be linked to a specific person. As Franz Hinze is recorded on the memorial, there may well still be town records with further information (unit etc). There are several Zinkes in the Zerbst telephone directory. As Zerbst is in former East Germany, i.e. an area with limited mobility after WW2, the chances are good that they are related.

That would make it very interesting = more valuable for some people!

Patrick

P.S. You didn't post a link to the auction so that we could all see what type of rifle you are talking about!

Patrick

just Google Franze Hinze Zerbst and the auction site comes up. a telephone directory is also listed.

Patrick - I just looked this up to clarify things, and I think this is the page bearhunter is referring to.

It's only a list of items with no photos.

SPORTSMAN AUCTION, WEDNESDAY - Corry, PA

Well, it looks like someone (not me, wrong country) needs to find out just what kind of a rifle that is. The trick is to do that without alerting the auctioneer that he might have something special.

Flying totally blind here, but there is no Hinze listed in Stoeckel as a gunmaker , so I would also guess that the one-time owner/user marked his name on the gun. Over to you A.F. Medic!

Patrick

Thanks for all the information. They did not post any images that I was aware of. I never thought about it being a personal rifle. I intend to be there but I could always be out bidded. I will take some pictures whether I get it or not.

You might come up with some info if you posted this over on the Greatwar forum site.....There are alot of Great war knowledgeable folks over there...chris3

Try here... Great War Forum -> Arms