[Johnny Peppers]

I would think that it is quite evident that a Luger with a mis-matched magazine is not totally matching. However, a matching pistol with a mis-matched magazine is much more collectible than a Luger with a mis-matched small part. Many completely matching Lugers exist, and completely matching rigs also exist. While an arsenal rebuilt weapon has collectibility, it will never approach the collectibility of a completely original matching weapon. The problem with arsenal rebuilt weapons is that there is no evidence that the rebuild was actually done in an arsenal or in someone's garage. The M1D Rifle is a good example of this. Every M1D Rifle was converted from a standard M1 Rifle, and every part that it took to build the M1D has been available on the market for years. The DCM and CMP have sold quite a few of the M1D's in the past several years, and the paperwork is the only assurance that you have a US arsenal built M1D.

There are no hard an fast rules as to what constitutes collectibility, as it means different things to different people. If some like factory new guns that is their game, and if others like guns that appear to have "been there" that is their game. One person cannot decide for someone else what to collect. You can only offer guidance when ask, and let the person decide for themselves.