[mrerick]

There is a very good book on this subject;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_the_Faker

It goes into the psychology of people that fake art and collectible objects.

It was published in 1961 in English, and is out of print but often available from used booksellers. I got mine for $15.

There are a number of faking techniques that apply to guns which are, of course, not discussed in an art book. It might be worth a discussion here about:

• Detecting finish and refinish issues
• The difference between stamping and engraving, including characteristic appearance
• The importance of collector books that show specific characteristics of variations of Lugers
• Paths from "donor" Lugers to rare high value variation fakes