Is this discussed on this forum?

[alvin]

Bought a copy of "Shotgun News" from B&N last night.

Interestingly, there was a series of three articles "Eternal Icon" written by a collector, name Peter G. Kokalis. He complained people had some doubt on a Luger with two matching mags. From the article, it's obvious that he's very upset.

A page of the article is copied here for context remembering and referencing... Is this Luger and mags discussed in this forum? If yes, has a link? Very curious... Thanks

[alvin]

Sorry for the small picture. Hard to read. Enlarge a little bit.

[sheepherder]

Let me just say that I am proud to be an anal member of the LugerForum!!!

(Irregardless of what the discussion is about!)

[alvin]

Hehe... finished reading. Looks like he referred to gunboards.

He got those guns cheap, numerically -- two hundred dollars or three hundred dollars a piece in 1970s. In number, the price is like today's CZ52. USD had higher value back then. But he did not feel spending a few hundred dollars on a pistol being expensive at all in 1970s.

[Edward Tinker]

Peter talked to a number of members on these forums, but he has a mind of his own. He's a good guy who tried hard to tell the wide story of the Luger in three articles.

[Ron Wood]

As it was said in his article, it was proofread by forum members, but he did not accept all editorial remarks...as Ed said, he has a mind of his own. He took on quite a challenge, but could not resist mixing personal opinion and factual commentary. Read the article for what it is worth, there is actually some good stuff in there. Like every other commentary on Lugers, it all boils down to the experiences of the author.

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by Ron Wood

Read the article for what it is worth...

Is it available online somewhere? I subscribe to SGN, but only the once-a-month edition (the article was in one of the other editions).

[DonVoigt]

Interesting that the know's pretty much exactly what they are "worth", wonder why no one else does?

Is calling a "mark" as in inspection mark(ing) a "stempel" something new, old, or just a pompous way of writing?

Most of us would call the marking made by a rubber stamp, just that "a stamp"; the stempel
is the device that does the stamping.

Or am I just in a bad mood?

[alvin]

Peter's estimate of value is probably accurate though. In another issue of Shotgun News, he mentioned he bought Mauser #173766 (Standard C96) with matching stock in 1974 and paid $390. Now it's over $3000. He did not say explicitly, but I guess the gun was the one printed on the cover of that magazine. Over $3000 is normal market price. Another Mauser #499532 (Postwar Bolo) with matching stock, he paid $3000 in 1991. Now it's over $5000. Not bargain price, but still not far away from market reality.

Looks like his Mauser collection is not big, only a few German pieces mentioned, plus a couple of 1980 rebuilds. He has quite a few WWII Lugers. So, I guess his Luger valuation is in similar situation.

[alanint]

Peter is somewhat of a pariah among machinegun shooters. He used to travel throughout the third world, wear local uniforms with his purported local "rank" and write articles on varied ordnance for Soldier of Fortune and other gunzines. He is actually a divorce lawyer, I believe. As mentioned, he is knowledgeable and tries to be thorough, but will go off on his own tangent whenever it pleases him.

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by alvin

From the article, it's obvious that he's very upset.

Why don't you ask/PM him about it???

He's a member here -

Username 'Peter G. Kokalis'

[Edward Tinker]

he originally was 'upset' and part of it was me playing moderator. But we worked it out.

The germans call the markings stempel or at least its used by Goertz that way in his book in German.

You have to buy the article - not sure if you could buy it from the publisher. I bought all three special editions.

Ed

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by Edward Tinker

You have to buy the article - not sure if you could buy it from the publisher. I bought all three special editions.

Ed

I subscribe to SGN, the once-a-month edition. It wasn't in my edition. The three-times-a-month edition seems to be popular among larger gunshops, but there are none in my area. The news-stand edition (with the full-page color front cover) is not sold in my area at all (B&N here closed down some years ago).

SGN does have some articles online, but they omit the pictures.

SGN is a pale shadow of what it once was. The Internet and online shopping have drastically cut their readerbase. Used to be, if you wanted a specific firearm, you went through SGN page by page. Now, you just Google it. <sigh>

The larger suppliers, like Sarco, Hunters Lodge, IMA, etc used to have great graphics. Line drawing caricatures of soldiers, stuff like that. All gone now.

[danielsand]

Originally Posted by sheepherder

I subscribe to SGN, the once-a-month edition. It wasn't in my edition. The three-times-a-month edition seems to be popular among larger gunshops, but there are none in my area. The news-stand edition (with the full-page color front cover) is not sold in my area at all (B&N here closed down some years ago).

SGN does have some articles online, but they omit the pictures.

SGN is a pale shadow of what it once was. The Internet and online shopping have drastically cut their readerbase. Used to be, if you wanted a specific firearm, you went through SGN page by page. Now, you just Google it. <sigh>

The larger suppliers, like Sarco, Hunters Lodge, IMA, etc used to have great graphics. Line drawing caricatures of soldiers, stuff like that. All gone now.

And that's what makes us old! I also miss the days when SGN was THE paper to go to for all your shooting needs. I miss the illustrations, drawings, not to mention prices. Militaria from all over the world, and dirt cheap. I never had the subscription, but as soon as the paper hit the stands, I had to have it. Too bad I didn't save any. I moved too many times in my life, and at one point I had tons of old SGN issues, which I foolishly threw away.

[rhuff]

Originally Posted by Ron Wood

As it was said in his article, it was proofread by forum members, but he did not accept all editorial remarks...as Ed said, he has a mind of his own. He took on quite a challenge, but could not resist mixing personal opinion and factual commentary. Read the article for what it is worth, there is actually some good stuff in there. Like every other commentary on Lugers, it all boils down to the experiences of the author.

I have read these 3 articles, as well as others written by Kokalis. Sometime I can get completely through an article, and sometimes he just "toots his own horn" so much in the article that I have to lay it down. He leaves me with the impression that he believes that everything he owns is extremely rare and nearly priceless, when I know better, especially about the submachine guns that he writes about. I have subscribed to SGN for so many years that I can't remember when I first started. It used to be THE thing to read if you were looking for something. I have purchased a lot of things via SGN over the years.

[Ron Wood]

I miss the old SGN too. I got some of my best guns through their ads.

[alvin]

Originally Posted by rhuff

especially about the submachine guns that he writes about.

Yes. He wrote about submachine guns. I have not read yet. Also has an article on James River Armory AK74 which I have some interest. But this type of rifle is highly restricted here regardless who made it, so just reading.

[Patronen]

SGN and the Gunlist was the thing to read back in it's day. I gave up on reading them about 10yrs ago.