Origins Of The Norton .45 Luger...?

[Pete Ebbink]

Can anyone fill in info. regarding the origins of the .45 luger pistol that is now in the Norton gallery.

From what I can gather from the H. Jones book and other info., I understand this pistol surfaced in the early 1960's and was taken out for a great day of shooting by the Jones family, and then eventually was sold (or transferred) to the Norton gallery folks.

Would appreciate more info., if possible, such as :

1. When (i.e. date) did this gun surface ?

2. Where was this gun located when it was rediscovered ? I assume H. Jones was responsible for its location...

3. What "trail of ownership" is known about this luger, prior to its rediscovery in the 1960's ?

4. Who owned it at the time it was rediscovered by H. Jones ?

5. Was/is there any documentation that has survived from DWM to place provenance on this pistol ?

6. What are the theories as to why this luger did not receive any serial numbers ?

7. The History Channel did a special on "Million Dollar Weapons" a few years back (I think in the late 1990's). The folks that put this documentary together excluded this Norton pistol as a surviving .45 luger; only giving credit to the old Abermann pistol # 2 as being a .45 luger survivor. Just wondering why...?

I am not intended to "stoke any flames" regarding this .45 pistol. Just trying to gather, objectively, what is know about this pistol...and to make me a little smarter...

Regards,

Pete... <img border="0" alt="[typing]" title="" src="graemlins/yltype.gif" />