Fakes and Newbie's

[bill m]

Hello,

As a collector I have been worried over the last few years about all the fakes and counterfiets that are floating around. I wondered why people kept dealing with people who have been labeled as "bad news", and how they continue to keep in business. Well, after the posts about Midwest I tried to contact some of the people who stated how happy they were with there new prizes. Only one person responded and sent me a picture of a K-date which was suppose to be a Navy model, refinished with reproduction grips. After looking at the picture, the K-date is a fake. This is the 4th one I know of from these guys. I examined two in person. The thing that kinda disappoints me is that the new collectors are not spending a few dollars to buy the books, nor spending the time to read them and examine the pictures. They are not going to knowledgeable people and asking questions, getting opinions, and asking for help. Instead they are falling prey to a good line of "salesmanship" and they believe it. They state that they are going to contact an author and have their new variation added to books and data sheets. For some reason they actually think they have a rare variation that long time collectors have missed out on. The fakers are using the books and serial numbers to make there counterfiets, with property numbers and serial numbers in the correct range. Two of the Navy Lugers had Navy property numbers that were already recorded to other guns. I'm sorry, but all of these fakes, counterfiets, reproductions, and restorations really bother me at times, because very few of these craftsmen are marking there products and everyone knows that they are being peddled down the road by the next guy as originals. I know the people here on the Forum have good intentions, but everyone needs to mark there products like Thor does, and keep the next guy from hurting some new collector. There is nothing wrong with making products if they are represented for what they actually are. Without the new collectors and new shooters, our Luger collecting days are going to be short lived. We will be just a very few trading between ourselves if we do not bring in and help new collectors and shooters. Each time these crooks take a new collector, more than likely we loose him forever. We can all help rid our hobby of these crooks if we will work together and spread the word of who is messing things up. Everyone is afraid of getting involved, but unless we all get involved we are actually going to slowly destroy our own hobby. A few years ago I bought what was suppose to be a rare Luger and had it about 4 years before I showed it to anyone. It was pointed out to me that it was a fake and I was shown why. I contacted the seller, which did not want anything to do with me or the gun stating I had a 3 day inspection and this was years later. I got a lawyer, contacted the guy saying he represented the gun as being original and as issued, and we were prepared to take the guy to court, turn him in for counterfieting, and publish his name in every gun magazine around unless I was paid in full, plus expenses. I had my money in a couple of days. The point being that we do not have to take this crap, but we do have to have enough guts to go after the crooks. Just my thoughts. Sincerely, bill m