[Dwight Gruber]

Bob,

The term "shooter" Luger and "collector" Luger get thrown around here pretty freely. To read these Forums you might get the idea--I believe that many casual correspondents have gotten the idea--that a perfect Luger is a "collector", and any flaws make a Luger junk, "just a shooter". Upscreen you suggest that Luger aficianados have these designations as "classes". You also note the disappointment expressed by collectors who are told that their guns are not "collectible". In this you have touched the essence of what I find so objectionable about these simple--simplistic--designations.

The answer to your question is not this easy.

Superficially, and according to Conventional Wisdom, there are three characteristics which describe a collection-quality Luger. They are condition, condition, condition. A Luger with all-original finish, number-matching, little wear to steel or wood, is certainly collection quality by definition. A Luger which is refinished or with much wear, pitting or damage, buffed-out, mismatched, would certainly seem appropriate to shoot. There is equally certainly no way to assign a percentage to the difference.

With Lugers there is so much variety in collecting potential that the other characteristics may be equally, or more important, than simple condition. The desirability of any Luger for a collection can be measured in part by the aspirations of the particular collector and a Luger's rarity and circumstance, compared to its condition.

Of course, there are collectors who collect expressly for condition. The mint-condition Luger--regardless of variety--is their grail, anything else is trading stock, or inconsiderable. Although everybody seems to want the best Lugers they can get, I feel safe in saying that condition collectors are not the majority.

I think the best way to demonstrate the breadth of Lugers' collection-worthiness is by some specific examples.

Vickers Lugers
Vickers Lugers are uncommon--only 6,000 produced, many fewer survive--and are desired by both general collectors and those who collect Dutch Lugers. Vickers (and all other Dutch models) were aggressively maintained by the Dutch East Indies army, and are almost never found with their original finish; very often they are rebarrelled, and parts are commonly mismatched or force matched. Though this violates the principle of condition, these guns are nonetheless desirable and desired by collectors.

This rework circumstance also applies to Finnish Lugers, which is a burgeoning collector category.

Test Eagles
This is another variation which defies condition. The 1,000 1900 American Eagles which were purchased by the U.S. Army to field test were very often hard-used and ill-cared-for. The circumstances of their use and eventual sale cause many of them to be in very rough shape, mismatched, or refinished contemporaneously or in modern restoration. These conditions have no effect on the desirability of authentic Test Eagles for a collection.

Bulgarian Lugers
Another example of rarity overcoming condition. The 1908 model of this variation probably represents the extreme case: for reasons which are not entirely clear, many examples of 1908 Bulgarian are found reblued, with -all- of their markings removed--they are identifiable only by distinctive and unique physical characteristics. And yet, this is still a collection-worthy Luger.

Police Lugers
During the years between the two World Wars many Lugers were pressed into municipal police service. Sometimes they were physically reworked with new parts, and commonly refinished to as-new condition. Collectors of Police Lugers very often assess the condition of these guns based on the rework and re-finish.

There are some Lugers which are so fantastically rare that they have demonstrated collection-worthiness in any condition--1904 Navy fall into this category, as do Russian (crossed-rifle) and Cartridge-Counter Lugers among others.

One can point to many other specific variations, I hope this lot will suffice.

It is worthwhile to note that a Luger's collection-worthiness may not bear any relation to its monetay value. An authentic 1917 Navy with no original finish and poor grips may not be worth much money; a beat-to-hell Test Eagle might not bring much either; but both are still collection-worthy Lugers--this is in my experience. I recently saw a buffed-and-blued Vickers sell for very little money, and recently a correspondent on an online forum considered buying a "sanitized" 1908 Bulgarian to shoot. Very often a gun like this will serve as a 'place-holder' in a collection until a better version can be obtained, but note, it serves as worthy in the collection.

There is an opposite side to the examples noted above. There are varieties of Lugers which are so common, or attract so little interest, that only the most pristine examples are worthwhile for a collection. The Alphabet Commercial Luger is the most egregious example of this, although the most common WWI and WWII Lugers might be considered here as well. Lugers in these categories, in very fine condition, are often considered sufficiently utilitarian to shoot.

Luger collecting is an evolving hobby, and the TR/RC K-98 examples you mention in your first post have a direct analogy in Luger collecting.

The East Germans ended up with thousands of Lugers which they reworked, re-marked, and refinished for issue to the Volkspolizei. Many of these guns have ended up in the US, where they were sold, and bought, as Lugers suitable only for shooting. In the last few years, however, some collectors have come to recognize these guns as a distinct variation, and believe that they might have a place in a general or a Police collection. It is too early to tell if Russian reworked Lugers will follow suit; I wouldn't want to bet against it.

There is another consideration with condition and the collection-worthiness of Lugers. The Luger market is rife with skillfully refinished Lugers masquerading as original, and outright forgeries of more rare or desirable guns. It is hard not to view high-condition guns with scepticism sometimes bordering on outright disbelief. In the face of this, some collectors have expressed the preference of owning a Luger which shows honest wear and condition commensurate with its age, which can be confidently considered an authentic example of whatever Luger variety they collect. I suspect this attitude will become more prevalent in the future.

Bob, I think I'm done here. These are the opinions of one collector; I know that I have said some things with which others will not agree, but you did ask. I hope that this has in some way illuminated your question (I don't presume to have simply answered, that would have been too...simple). If its too much late-night-at-the-keyboard I apologise (to you and to everyone else).

--Dwight