I went to the Ohio Gun Collecoters Assn meeting yesterday. Beautilful day for a gun show but attendance was low, probably because there was road work on a road leading from I-75 to the Ohio turnpike. A lot of Michigan guys may have decided to stay home.
I got interested in two Lugers. Both were being sold by a guy who had maybe ten guns on his table. These were the only Lugers that he had. His father died and neither he or his brother wanted the fathers collection. So there he sat with a brand new blue book on his lap waiting for an appraiser to help him decide a price on his guns. He could not give a price until he talked to the appraiser. I was salivating. This is the situation that I search for.
The first gun was a 1915 DWM P-08, all matching with a matching mag. Decent holster with a tool. This is the gun that I wanted but some guy beat me to it for $750 by a few minutes. I was upset because I was trying to watch the table but got distracted because my good friend Ken Karsted came by and we took a pop break together.
The second gun was an early 1937, 95% plus original blue with 98% original straw, two non matching alum mags. The bore has some light pitting in the first inch but was otherwise excellent, the grips are numbered to the gun and near mint. A 1936 Sebruder Klinge Dresden holster that someone had cut a little around the opening to help get the gun out. But otherwise in good shape. Also a tool in the holster.
I was a little upset because some big tall collector/dealer from Kentucky physically tore the gun apart to examine it and was negotiating with the seller for a long time. He offered $1000 but the dealer tightly gripped is brand new blue book an refused the offer. Perhaps he saw me standing there and knew I was interested. When the collector walked away, I walked up and offered $1100 and got the gun. When I got home, I took the gun apart and found that the gun is all matching except for the hold open which is one number off. I am not too upset about that.
I rest of the show, though, was upsetting. I found two navies. One was at Cosiers table and it was just sold so I couldn't look at it. Richard was talking to some guy for hours and his wife didn't want to bother much with a customer so I couldn't look at an artillery that was there. I did see the price tag on the navy and it said $4795. Must have been some navy.
So I went over to my favorite table at FGS. They had only one navy and it was a 1906 navy 1st issue altered that I had seen a few shows ago for $2900. I don't want it then for any price but now it was $4395. Good marketing strategy. If you don't sell it at first then up the price by nearly $2000.
Saw some so-so artilleries that the dealers had for $2400. Saw a garbagey 1917 for $1800. I personally thought the prices were rediculous.
I met Charlie Justmann of Riverbend Sports and took an instant dislike for the guy. He was selling P-38 magazines to dealers and I asked him if he had any Luger magazines. He said yes and I asked him if he had a list of the serial numbers. He then went into a temper tandtrum and said he he did not have the time and this is all business and yahda, yahda, yahda. If I wanted to go through his magazines then I should drive up to Wisconsin and go through his inventory myself. He is a very uptight, type A personality. I guess that he has not heard about making up inventory lists on computer.
So I went to the coffee room to calm down and re-focus on the gun that I eventually bought. I got into a conversation with another collector. I told him that a dealer by the name of Feit was at the show and he had about 10-15 Lugers and that there was a nice 1941 Mauser Banner there but that it did not have a matching magazine. The collector perked up and told me that he had sold a very nice Luger to Feit some time ago with a matching magazine. At the next gun show, he saw his gun on the table but it did not have the matching mag. It seems that when Feit buys a gun he just throws the mag in a box with other mags. When you buy a gun, he just reaches into the box and grabs whatever he grabs. As a collector, that sorta bugged me.
But I though the show was OK. I got a nice Luger and met a bunch of good people. Shocked by the prices of Navy Lugers but happy that I already have a bunch of them. Met that tall guy that almost bought the gun that I eventually bought and he was a real gentleman and I encourged him to join the forum. He had never heard of us. I only paid a $1.30 for gas in Ohio. But most of all, I managed to keep this post short. As everyone knows, I am normally a pretty quiet guy. Yah right!
Big Norm