[Ron Wood]

This is like finding a winning lottery ticket! What a fantastic stroke of luck. It is a beautiful specimen just by virtue of its condition. The rarity is outstanding. In 1969 when Kenyon published "Lugers at Random", only two examples were known at that time. I have no idea how many more have surfaced, but it can't be many.

This Luger needs to be examined by an expert. As far as I know it is 100% authentic, and the purchase price virtually guarantees it. However there are a couple of things that need to be checked out. The example shown in Kenyon is serial number 51544. That is roughly 3000 numbers lower than this Luger. That seems like a pretty wide spread for a limited production gun, but not necessarily incorrect since special commercial sales were not assured of being consecutively numbered or even delivered as one lot. The other observation is that Kenyon states that the inscription of the French firm was made prior to finishing the Luger. In the photos, this Luger appears to have a "halo" effect around the firm inscription, which would indicate application "through the blue" after the piece was finished. This may be an illusion caused by the photo, or the example(s) observed by Kenyon may have already been refinished thus giving the appearance of having been roll die stamped before finishing.

In any event, this is a very important find and needs to be properly evaluated and appraised. If authenticated, it is going to fetch close to five figures.