LugerForum Discussion Forums - View Single Post

Kyrie · 02-10-2001, 11:59 AM

Hi Folks!

I took a look at the classified sections and was a bit unsettled by all the requests for parts with specific numbers. I think we may need some background here.

The numbering of parts, and especially small parts, was a necessity rather than a luxury. Firearms like the Luger and C96 "Broomhandle" predate fully interchangeable parts. There was a lot of hand fitting that went on in final assembly, and a part from one completed firearm might not work in another firearm.

Collectors, who value originality and are willing to pay a premium for a firearm with all original parts, were quick to notice this. That's the origin of the collectors' question, "Is it matching?" asked before making an offer on any firearm he is thinking of buying. The answer to the question will dictate the price he is willing to pay.

Forgers, who are interested in making a quick buck with minimum effort, were quick to notice that serial numbers repeated. They found it was relatively easy to take two mismatched firearms of the same make and model that happened to have the same last two or three digits in otherwise different serial numbers, and make up a firearm that appeared to be matched. This turned two relatively cheap firearms into one relatively cheap firearm and one very expensive faked firearm.

New collectors, who don't yet understand that in collector circles the term "matching" is verbal short hand for "it has all original parts", also noticed that serial numbers repeat. As they don't understand the situation, they think they can make their mismatched shooter grade pieces into collector grade pieces by swapping parts until all the numbers "match." For the most part new collectors don't do this for profit - they do it to have a â??matchingâ? piece.

Alas, what they produce is not a matching piece, but a faked firearm :-(

Worse yet, they create a booby trap for other collectors. The firearm they have unknowingly faked eventually leaves their hands - by estate sale at their deaths if not before. It takes an advanced collector to pick up on what was done, and to recognize the firearm is a fake. Newbies, and less advanced collectors, are taken in and cheated out of hard earned CollectorBucks.

All of this is why parts swapping is viewed with disfavor by collectors. By the time a newbie shows an advanced collector his prized and very expensive fake and finds out he has been taken no one knows or cares how it came to be faked.

I strongly recommend anyone considering parts swapping abandon the idea. Swapping parts does not (except in very, very rare cases) produce a matching firearm - it only produces a fake. It can also produce a firearm that either doesnâ??t work at all or is very dangerous to shoot.

I hope this helps understand the situation, and that I've not given offense.

Best regards,

Kyrie

02-10-2001, 11:59 AM	#1
Kyrie User Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 757 Thanks: 0 Thanked 212 Times in 101 Posts	New collector pitfalls Hi Folks! I took a look at the classified sections and was a bit unsettled by all the requests for parts with specific numbers. I think we may need some background here. The numbering of parts, and especially small parts, was a necessity rather than a luxury. Firearms like the Luger and C96 "Broomhandle" predate fully interchangeable parts. There was a lot of hand fitting that went on in final assembly, and a part from one completed firearm might not work in another firearm. Collectors, who value originality and are willing to pay a premium for a firearm with all original parts, were quick to notice this. That's the origin of the collectors' question, "Is it matching?" asked before making an offer on any firearm he is thinking of buying. The answer to the question will dictate the price he is willing to pay. Forgers, who are interested in making a quick buck with minimum effort, were quick to notice that serial numbers repeated. They found it was relatively easy to take two mismatched firearms of the same make and model that happened to have the same last two or three digits in otherwise different serial numbers, and make up a firearm that appeared to be matched. This turned two relatively cheap firearms into one relatively cheap firearm and one very expensive faked firearm. New collectors, who don't yet understand that in collector circles the term "matching" is verbal short hand for "it has all original parts", also noticed that serial numbers repeat. As they don't understand the situation, they think they can make their mismatched shooter grade pieces into collector grade pieces by swapping parts until all the numbers "match." For the most part new collectors don't do this for profit - they do it to have a â??matchingâ? piece. Alas, what they produce is not a matching piece, but a faked firearm :-( Worse yet, they create a booby trap for other collectors. The firearm they have unknowingly faked eventually leaves their hands - by estate sale at their deaths if not before. It takes an advanced collector to pick up on what was done, and to recognize the firearm is a fake. Newbies, and less advanced collectors, are taken in and cheated out of hard earned CollectorBucks. All of this is why parts swapping is viewed with disfavor by collectors. By the time a newbie shows an advanced collector his prized and very expensive fake and finds out he has been taken no one knows or cares how it came to be faked. I strongly recommend anyone considering parts swapping abandon the idea. Swapping parts does not (except in very, very rare cases) produce a matching firearm - it only produces a fake. It can also produce a firearm that either doesnâ??t work at all or is very dangerous to shoot. I hope this helps understand the situation, and that I've not given offense. Best regards, Kyrie