If I remember correctly, the Hugo Borchardt presentation carbine was sold in the Butterfield auction in the mid 1990's and it had fetched between $55k-$63k which was considered a low price for such a marvellous item. In those days, a cased presentation carbine was valued between $80k-$100k. A possible explanation for the low result could have been the suspicion or nervousness that collectors had with this Luger carbine being a presentation from Georg Luger to Hugo Borchardt who had sour feelings against each other.
If this 'GL' presentation carbine was not a presentation/gift from Georg Luger to Hugo Borchardt, are the initials for somebody else, or could it have been a gift from Loewe to Borchardt who was the CEO of DWM?
A question I have always had in my mind is: are the initials 'GL' for Georg Luger or a member of the Loewe family who worked in the DWM factory? Was Georg Luger authorized as a sales manager/director to add his initials on a Luger pistol, and why did 'GL' Lugers 'disappear' after 1910 while he continued to work in the DWM factory until 1918 or so?
It will be interesting to observe the hammer price for this carbine plus many more items from the Doug Smith collection.
Albert
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