Wayne Heckert

I'm always willing to listen and it's great to get clarification from others. Interestingly, it was suggested by a collector as well as a reputable dealer in these items that I check the LugerForum for this part. Some of the things that I've seen done to Lugers certainly damage the hobby, such as applying death's heads and fabricating cartridge counters out of regular ones. I've seen examples of both...beautiful work...perhaps one is in your collection, now. Yes, this is bad business. However, I think a distinction has to be made to some degree between replacing a part that might even be right with one that is definitely wrong, in an effort to return a specimen to its original condition, as opposed to altering a specimen to make it appear to be something that it was not from the beginning. In the realm of Lugers, if the authorities tell me I'm entirely wrong, then I stand corrected.In otherareas of selective gun collecting this is the standard. Check Ron Gabel's website (GabelGuns.com) for a statement on restoration vs. fakery for an "ethical" position on antiques. This is not just his opinion...I know...I'm mixing apples with oranges. What you are telling me is that the ethics for a pre 1898 piece are fundamentally different than for a Luger dated 1917...19 years more recent. Interesting.