Hello Vern,
I notice that you tend to be very suspicious about near mint Lugers, so I would like to show you an image of a M1900 Commercial which I had acquired from a collector in France. Sorry for the average quality image, but you can take my word that it is 'stone mint' - even the cherry color walnut grips have no dirt or stains from handling, but I did like the fact that the right grip screw had some fading of the fire blue - normal handling in the smallest degree. This Luger is nearly perfect, but it has a few tiny age marks which cried out "I'm all original"!
You will gain experience over time, and it is necessary that you examine many different pistols in your hands. You need to learn about the 'old-school' German engineering methods and workmanship as well as how time affects the different types of finishes with and without use.
Cheers,
Albert
