Bill,
for a while, I was looking at that 1908 navy. Then I noticed a few things that made me pass on it. For one, the barrel and the frame did not even come close in finish. There seemed to be light freckling rust on the frame while the barrel looked pretty good. Also, there wasn't a serial number on the barrel. Proof marks, yes. Serial number, no. I didn't seem to get pictures number 6 through 12. I don't know if this is a problem with my computer or if the pictures were not supplied. Pictures numbered 1 through 5 were pretty dark. If you want to get the big dollars that some Lugers command then you had better supply some good pictures.
I passed on it because I felt that the frame, receiver and toggle might be legit but the barrel has been replaced. The bidder has an unknown reserve on the gun and, I think, the last bid of $1500 did not meet the unknown reserve. The seller seemed to indicate that he didn't know much about Lugers, so I assume that his reserve price was in the 'all matching' stratosphere that navy Lugers demand. So collectors just gave up on it.
I hope that this helps.
Big Norm
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Something is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it.
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