Good call by both Thor and Roadkill on the matching numbers issue. Collectors have made this issue a real die on the hill concern and there is probably no other single issue about Lugers that can raise so much passion. It is all about intent (from the moment you buy a Luger to the time it leaves your possession..or you check out). It's a funny catch-22 situation because the people who despise the practice of 'matching-up' a Luger are the very ones who have made all matching Lugers so much more valuable. I personally want the Luger to have all matching numbers (and be original) so I am willing to pay extra for that feature. I also know that if I had a mismatched Luger but had the opportunity to put a matching sideplate on it I would not hesitate to do it. Understand, this would be for my own satisfaction. The problem comes along if it falls into someone else's possession. The true history of the gun is then lost, and if the match is good, the pistol then becomes something that it is not. I haven't had to deal with this problem on a personal level but have witnessed the fallout from it over the years. Thor is correct in the fact that it is your property and you have a right to do what makes you feel best. Roadkill is right about a German soldier probably never caring about the matching numbers that appeared all over his pistol. The unstated opinion is the collector who thinks he has an all original pistol then finds out that it is not original. I guess this is why so many of us can be skeptical and why there are two distinct categories of Luger pistols (shooters/collectors). I, myself, can't afford any more 'arsenal mismatches' in my Luger collection. [img]wink.gif[/img]
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"Take me to your Luger!"
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