[mrerick]

George,

First, welcome to the forum.

While Luger collectors are mainly interested in guns that are as close as possible to the way they left the factory, your Luger will always have the value of being tangible evidence of your uncle's service to our country. That value, even including the history of his refinishing the gun, will never change for you.

If you've checked it mechanically, and cleaned it, and found it sound, it is still valuable as a "shooter" Luger. Every time you bring it to the range, you'll find those that admire the Luger, and are curious about it and your family story that goes with it.

Ed Tinker on this forum collects "bring back stories". If you know the history of your uncle's acquisition of the Luger, and particularly if you can find the "bring back papers" that he may have been issued by his unit commander, these things have historical value. If you know these things, please post details here for Ed and others.

Marc