Great topic, trigger643..!!!! And terrific replies!!.....
I guess - for me - I'm somewhere "in between" a fanatical collector of one specific variation - and a generalist? In short - I wanted to collect Lugers since I saw my first at a local hardware store - which did double-duty as the local gun store. It was probably in the mid-60's, and I still recall a glass case where the top shelf was only Lugers. My grand-dad and father used to go there to buy nails, tools and such - but I just pressed my nose against the glass case.
From there - I actually started collecting in the late '70s - and bought whatever I could afford at the time from my summer jobs and if I had anything left from work - which wasn't much. But, I assembled quite the Luger collection - mostly of "stuff", and not worth much collectors value - but I had a lot.... Then I bought my first HK in the early 80's.... Hmmm......
And here is that "short story"... To get my first HK - I traded in a lot of my "better Lugers". And guess what - since I knew nothing about Krieghoffs - I got "taken". It was a great counterfeit of a side-frame inscribed HK commercial. So - on a mission - I figured I'd learn as much as possible about that specific variation - and sold most of the rest of my Lugers at that time to "focus"....
Anyway - since then, I've been collecting/researching HKs as my specialized area since the early/mid 80s. Not in a big way - just learning, researching and picking up what I can when I can. But for that - I also enjoy all the variations, and would like to expand my fledging Imperial and WW2 era Luger collection someday...
As for other firearms? I dunno - I have one P 38 and 4 pre-war/WW2 Browning Hi-powers and a few Colts. I like them all - I just wish I had the money to buy examples in all my collecting interest areas, but since I don't play the lottery - that probably won't happen....
Best to you,
John D.
|