Hi Pat,

If you indicate what State/city you're from, folks here can probably direct you to worthwhile gun shows or luger dealers in your area that can be trusted...

You also might want to chase down one of the 1970's Mauser built "new" lugers...in 9 mm to keep your ammo costs down. These are fine reliable shooters and even collectible if NIB (new in box).

Here is one on Guns-America :

http://www.gunsamerica.com/guns/976685110.htm

I'm new to the forum and not a serious collector, and I hope this question is not on the wrong thread. It appears to me that what I'll call standard infantry issue WW2 vintage Lugers are more valuable than standard infantry issue WW1 Lugers, condition being equal. Am I correct in this observation? I think of the Luger as a WW1 pistol that was surpassed in functional reliability and practicality by the later Browning and Walther designs that made the WW2 scene. By contrast, I believe Colt 1911 pistols fetch higher prices than Colt 1911A1s, conditions being equal.

Lund Yes being new also and having scowered the internet for months now I have found the same to be true, The Nazi or Reich era infantry Lugers do fetch more than the Imperials of same condition.

I think that anything to do with the Nazi era has a big attraction to collectors and drives up the price.

I just purchased a 1911a1 1945 Remington in 95%-97% condition from a private owner for about 1/3 the price of a WW1 era 1911 in the same condition so in that case older has higher collector value.

Agreed, Curley. I note that FNs, Norwegian 1914s and other pistols made outside of Germany but used by the WW2 German army and marked accordingly command more $s than those without the Waffenamt stamp. It seems to be an American and British thing.