So, examining the Luger that I purchased from
this thread the good news is that the finish appears to be about 98%, is not in the interior of the frame, and in the right light, it shows evidence of oxidation and browning that are normally invisible to the naked eye. Not having held a piece in this nice of a condition before, I do have some questions.
When were the various stamps applied during the manufacturing process? The marks are crisp and halos are present on the barrel s/n, and many of the individually numbered parts, but but other parts look like they were stamped before final polishing. The eagle markings on the breach block and barrel, and the chamber date particularly look like they have been polished over.
The finish is somewhat satin in character with evidence of brush or file marks in some places, such as the sides of the receiver ears where you normally see machine marks. The only parts I would call polished are the strawed pieces. There is the occasional little dent or "dimple" like that seen in my first thread in various places under the finish. A new Kel-Tec I have had similar marks. I always thought it looked like they let the parts rattle around in boxes before assembly, and they picked up some dings.
The bad news is that it has a "million dollar chip" that has been reglued. It's very hard to spot with the grips on the gun, but back doesn't line up quite so well. So, how much does this devalue the gun?