Original Item: Only One Available. This is an excellent lightly used condition WWII production black finished leather holster for the standard issue Walther P-38 pistol in 9mm. This example is made from Preßstoff, an imitation leather made from pressed paper. The securing strap is made from pebbled leather, but the rest of the holster is Preßstoff.

The holster definitely looks to have seen a good amount of use in service, and shows overall wear and wrinkling in the material. The finish is a bit worn, and the flap is a bit stiff from being opened and closed so many times, that the material is beginning to warp at the edges. There is no maker marking on this example. The flap is splitting at the bend due to the material. This example is not marked with an embossed "P.38" on the back, which is not unheard of.

This is a very nice late-WWII example of a P.38 holster, and would make the perfect accessory for a P.38 pistol that no longer has its holster. Ready to display!

Presstoff (also Preßstoff or Pressstoff) is the German-language term for a type of ersatz or artificial leather used during the first half of the 20th century. Made of specially layered and treated paper pulp, Presstoff was durable and easily adapted to be used in place of leather, which under wartime conditions was rationed. First invented in the 19th century, it gained its widest use in Germany during the Second World War.

Presstoff use included but was not limited to binoculars cases and straps, horse tack, bayonet frogs, equipment belts, cap visors etc. In short, Presstoff could be used in almost every application normally filled by leather, excepting items like footwear that were repeatedly subjected to flex wear and/or moisture. Under these conditions Presstoff tended to delaminate and lose cohesion.