that all depends on how you define "value". if it is based on monetary issues then i guess "rariety" does drive it. if it's based on the sheer love of the luger and the appreaciation of craftmanship or just the history of it then the "value" is defined differently. i guess the bottom line is "value" is up to the individual collector. if it's all about the money and the investment and the return - then yes i guess rariety drives that purchase. if you just love collecting things as i do, it's not that important. it's nice, but not the end all. i factor in the history, the finish, and then the rariety.
well, ok - the very first step is cost. which i think beat finish and rareity everytime because if you ain't got the money you can just throw the other 2 right out the window.
personally i think too much is made of "all matching and original finish" myself and cause a lot of nice old lugers feeling neglected. a luger is a luger. the main reason the other 2 are issues are based mainly on money issues and are driven by greedy collectors and shady dealers. follow the money and you always find the answers.
just my cheap two cents worth.
[img]eek.gif[/img] <img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" /> <img src="graemlins/jumper.gif" border="0" alt="[jumper]" /> <img src="graemlins/roflmao.gif" border="0" alt="[hiha]" /> <img src="graemlins/oops.gif" border="0" alt="[oops]" />