Brad,
Knowing how to spot original finish on Lugers requires years of looking at many original and refinished guns.
But there are some basic pointers for spotting poorly refinished guns. Sharp edges will be rounded, strawed parts will be blued, pits will be blued over, proofs will be very light & blurry, etc. I recommend looking under the grips, which is a common place for pitting. If there is hidden pitting that has been blued over, the gun has been refinished.
Its always better to ask opinions of many different people than to rely on just one expert (especially if the expert is the dealer you are buying all of your guns from!)
Good luck & keep looking at as many Lugers as you can.
Brad Simpson
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