General Observations
 

Hi,
With interest I've watched the discussion on the 1914 Erfurt and some of the other Lugers in the past few weeks and would like to give some general observations on collecting in 2002.

First, don't believe any story that is told to you, and especially if you didn't get it directly from the vet yourself. Everyone has a story and every piece is a direct vet purchase and came from an officier, isn't it??

Next, in this day and age, look at each piece as if it is a fake, or counterfiet, and be pleasantly surprised it you find an original piece. Half of the stuff you see at shows anymore has been messed with, reblued, restrawed, touched up, or just plain made. People can make anything these days, and they do. There are literally thousands of shooters and imports that can be bought cheap and made into any variation for a nice profit. Remember that not everyone does this for the pure joy, and there are a lot of bad apples out there that just want to make some fast and easy money. I just don't think most of you realize just how many messed with Lugers there are out there, and the extent some will go to make a nice profit.

And last, do not make excuses or try to justify stuff that is out of the ordinary or doesn't fit into the known variations. As collectors we can not play "what if". There are known characteristics that each variation has and if they differ from these, then beware. By trying to justify this you are just going to get taken. You are not only giving yourself false hopes, but giving others false hopes also. Look at all the "unusual" variations that are showing up now. Collectors have been looking at collections for a lot of years and recording information and that is why it is highly unusual to find variations that are out of the known examples. One has to be very, very careful before he accepts any of these as being original, as chances are, especially in 2002, with all the bogus stuff floating around, that they are not original. -- The fakers and refinishers are getting better and better and the guys who can tell what is what are getting fewer and fewer. So, do your homework, find a friend in your area to look at stuff with you, look at each others stuff and compare finishes and stuff, and read. Reading is good, but you need hands on experience and that is why you have to share stuff with fellow collectors and shooters to see what is what. Ask questions and don't be in a hurry.

Good collecting --

Bill
Excellent post! Every collector on this form should read it. Its the simple truth and it has gotten much worse in the last 5 years.
Jan C. Still

To all,
If I can get serious for a moment there is a very good article in the current issue of Man at Arms entitled A collectors guide to Spotting Luger Restorstions by Dave Norin. Let me quote him "It is absolutely possible to take a gun with virtually no finish, lots of rust and pits, a bent-in frame and some file marks on it, and restore it to a condition that would fool most experts. The experts that won't be fooled are the one who know what to look for." Beware!