John,
yes the bug can really get to a guy. John Sabato had some good advice. Leave your checkbook home at first. Take your time, at first, to familiarize yourself with quality, prices and fakery. When you think you are ready to go on a big buying spree take a trusted friend with you to help you remove emotion from your buying. That is no put down on you intelligence. Ed mentioned that there are 300 diferent kinds on Lugers out there. I have heard 550. But no matter who you believe, there are lots of them.
Then there are the Lugers that someone has messed with and created something else. The sellers of these guns will frequently try to tell you that these are rare prototypes or some such garbage. You see them all the time on the internet and at gun shows. These guys are just trying to unload their creations at a high price on the unsuspecting guy who has money to spend. These creations will be on the same table for a long time so don't be in a hurry to get sucked in.
The above mentioned Jan Stills book is a must for someone just starting out. Especially if you have isolated your hunt for Lugers to the Nazi Era Lugers. Other good books are "Lugers at Random' by Charles Kenyon Jr and "The Luger Book" by John Walter. These last two books can be frequently found on Ebay.
Finally, get an issue of GUN LIST magazine at your local magazine store. Some stores don't carry it. But look around. There are lists of upcoming gun shows and their dates. A few extra miles on your car for a good gun show is worth the effort. You will soon be able to differeniate the good shows from the bad. But even bad shows might have that one good Luger on rare occasion. How many times do you have to find a treasure to be successful? There is a close relationship between hard work and good luck.
Big Norm
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