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Johnny Peppers · 06-27-2001, 11:09 AM

I never collected with the idea that it was a good investment, but if it turns out that way, so be it. I have friends that will spend $20,000 on a new boat and trailer, but would think that spending $20,000 on a collectible pistol is sheer lunacy. The fact that their boat drops 50% in value the first year is of no concern to them.

The prices on the recently imported Lugers seems to be more niche driven rather than collector driven. These pistols are putting pressure on the lower grades of original examples, but have no effect on the early collectible Lugers that are now in the $4000 to $5000 range. The higher price pistols are rising in value on their own merits. A good example of this is the 1911/1911A1 pistols. These pistols were never declared surplus, and none have been imported since 1968. There have been no artificial influences on their price, but as collectors become aware of the the rarer examples, the prices have risen accordingly. One such pistol is the 1911A1 built by Union Switch & Signal. 55,000 were built in WWII and everyone has known that they were a scace example. Collector presssure has driven the prices of these pistols into the $1500 to $2000 range for really nice original examples. Recently one US&S that was as new in it's original shipping box sold for $3800 with no advertising.

It will probably take several years to see the real effect of the import pistols on the collectible Lugers. When the first big shipments of Lugers were sold in the 1950's, they were advertised as haveing a 4", 6", or 8" barrel, take your pick. Only after information started coming out on the different variations did the prices start to sort themselves out. We are also seeing a very sharp rise in value of truly near new examples of these pistols.

06-27-2001, 11:09 AM	#12
Johnny Peppers User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Calion, Arkansas Posts: 1,042 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: Prices I never collected with the idea that it was a good investment, but if it turns out that way, so be it. I have friends that will spend $20,000 on a new boat and trailer, but would think that spending $20,000 on a collectible pistol is sheer lunacy. The fact that their boat drops 50% in value the first year is of no concern to them. The prices on the recently imported Lugers seems to be more niche driven rather than collector driven. These pistols are putting pressure on the lower grades of original examples, but have no effect on the early collectible Lugers that are now in the $4000 to $5000 range. The higher price pistols are rising in value on their own merits. A good example of this is the 1911/1911A1 pistols. These pistols were never declared surplus, and none have been imported since 1968. There have been no artificial influences on their price, but as collectors become aware of the the rarer examples, the prices have risen accordingly. One such pistol is the 1911A1 built by Union Switch & Signal. 55,000 were built in WWII and everyone has known that they were a scace example. Collector presssure has driven the prices of these pistols into the $1500 to $2000 range for really nice original examples. Recently one US&S that was as new in it's original shipping box sold for $3800 with no advertising. It will probably take several years to see the real effect of the import pistols on the collectible Lugers. When the first big shipments of Lugers were sold in the 1950's, they were advertised as haveing a 4", 6", or 8" barrel, take your pick. Only after information started coming out on the different variations did the prices start to sort themselves out. We are also seeing a very sharp rise in value of truly near new examples of these pistols.