Yet another Newbie with...

[Magic Jar]

...my apologies up front for having to ask a question.

DISCLAIMER: I'm not a collector, per se, but I do enjoy having a few firearms in my possession. I'm an upland game bird hunter for the most part, so my 'collection' consists mainly of shotguns, and those are SXSs with the insertion of two O/Us as 'loaners' for those who prefer a single barrel.

I have only a few handguns, all have unimpeachable provenance owing to the fact that they have come down through family lines. One of those is a 1911 (1918 production) Colt .45 that has all the extras, i.e. magazines, holster, belt, magazine holder, and even a first-aid kit.

I've had a long-time admiration of the Luger and I have an opportunity to acquire one. The price would be in the $1K range. I say 'range' because this acquisition will be a trade that involves an item which I hold to be worth about that much.

I'll try to describe the Luger. I know a picture is worth a thousand words, but I don't have my camera handy at the moment, and I'll need to have an answer about the trade by tomorrow afternoon.

LUGER IDENTIFICATION

SIDE PLATE: -“80” stamped on bottom

FRAME: -“480” stamped above trigger guard
-“GESHIRT’ stamped beneath thumb safety
-(thumb safety has a grooved and raised knob)
-trigger has “80” stamped on left top
-“GERMANY” stamped at rear
-inside above trigger housing “N” inside a circle and a letter “J” at right angle to the “N”.

TOGGLE: -“80” stamped on rear
-“DMW” in stylized script on top
-“N” with crown above on left side of toggle arm

BARREL: -has a “witness” mark that appears to match that on the extension
-has “480” stamped with a cursive “k” beneath (i.e. between the “480” and the “witness” mark
-extension has “A” stamped on front right side next to lobe that slides into frame
-extension has “N” with crown above stamped on front left

SAFETY: -has “80” stamped on it

The gun has a holster (Ehrhardt 1937), no tool, but two extra magazines, none of which has a number matching those on the gun, and judging by some of the photos I've seen on this forum it would be considered in excellent condition. It has the wear you would expect, but no graffiti, tears, or other wounds.

The gun, itself, is in good shape. A little holster wear on the tip of the muzzle. The grips look original, i.e. not new, a bit worn and smoothed in places, and have no "million-dollar" chips that I read about.

I have spent several hours today searching for information on this forum and, quite honestly, am overwhelmed by depth and breadth of what's contained here.

My question is a general one. Am I making a mistake swapping an item that I "think" has a value of around (yet another variable) US$1,000.00 for this gun?

If you've taken the time to read this, many thanks. If you offer me your opinion and advice, thank you in advance.

Should I make this swap, I'll become an avid member of this forum and will endeavor to learn as much as I can about the Luger.

James