Hi, I just inherited my family's Luger collection

[Ron Wood]

Her husband might have a harsh word or two to say about your proposal!

[SS109]

Very nice collection & good to see someone who appreciates them.

[CROLUGER]

Is this thrue, it's too mutch for me - SF. I will have night mare, I can't sleep.
EXELENT!

[StarOfTheWest]

Thanks again to all who posted.

Yes, I DO appreciate these fine guns, and have waited all my life to own them.
They are not for sale at this time, but one never knows what the future brings, now, do we?

I appreciate that my family member lived on a shoestring, so that I could inherit this collection intact, when it would have been very easy for them to sell one or two off the top to ensure them a comfortable old age.

This kind of family loyalty is unheard of these days, and I respect it beyond words.

I look through these guns, and I see history....of my family, as each was brought home and rejoiced over...of Germany, as wars came and went and were lost... and of the makers and proof stampers, whose work is memorialized forever in these magnificent pieces of art and function.

Yes, Lugers are truly "history written in steel" for all those wise enough to read the steel.

Thanks to all for the kindness shown.

A post will be made to the appropriate area on that Simson for Mr. Tinker soon.
It is a honey.

[Edward Tinker]

Thanks, will anxiously await the information, along with any other information you care to share



Ed

[Lugerdoc]

Anna, You are truly a "Star". Any woman who appreciates the "history in steel" and knows how to maintain them, get my vote as the perfect mate. You may want to get a formal written appraisal for insurance purposes on this wonderful collection. Those experienced enough to do that, can probably also tell you the meaning of markings, in which you are in doubt. I'm in the St.Louis, MO. area if I can be of assistance. Lugerdoc

[StarOfTheWest]

Thanks, LugerDoc.

I have always been a Gun Girl.
I am an NRA Instructor in 4 fields, and love collecting as much as shooting.

Most of the proof marks read like a novel to me, tales of intrigue and travels of that particular gun.
But there are a few in this collection that are marked "one of a kind" in the list, which would normally raise a few red flags for me, but then checking the page references in Jones and Datig, it turns out that in at least one case, this is THE gun pictured in the book.

Like, say, an early Krieghoff marked on the *back* above the lanyard loop.
Never heard of such a thing, but it seems to have good provenance in 2 books.

Also a cased 1906 presentation with elaborate factory initials over the chamber of HPC or PHC or some combination of that... Hugo Panzer Co.??
No idea.

That kind of thing.

Going to have to work on photographic skills a bit, I can see.
Maybe just toss em into the scanner?

If I do that, the files with be huge and I will have to host off site though.

I may need to PM you for a few ideas on repair or install of stuff like grip safety return springs and such.
We are missing a few of those.

And I have a 1900 that no mag will fit smoothly into or out of...binds like a beast, so it is sitting magless for the moment.
Ya, I pulled the grips, tried several mags, mag release appears to be working smoothly...no dice.
Something is evil in there.

Thanks again.

[Dwight Gruber]

Anna,

Photography will work better than scanning for some of the markings that people will be interested in (the back-frame Krieghoff, for me, for one). Also, it is best to upload pictures to the Forum, for any number of reasons.

When you get to it, you will find a number of people here willing an able to help you with file sizes and other photo posting matters.

--Dwight

[Edward Tinker]

Anna, ylou might want to try and buy newer books, Datig and Jones are nice, but they are 50 years out of date

If you just have the one Kreighoff, you may not want to buy Gibson's book on Kreighoff or the Simson Luger book for the one Simson, but I'd look for either Imperial Lugers (out of print) by Jan Still or his new book coming out very soon Central Powers. he also wrote Weimar Lugers and Third Reich Lugers (seperate books).

Ed

PS: a scanner works "ok" but not wonderful. It can give an idea and sometimes fairly clear pictures. Resolution can be set to say 70 or a 100 and then crop down the photo.

[StarOfTheWest]

I have 3 of Jan's books, and some more current ones by other authors as well.
The collection was referenced to Datig and Jones on this particular gun though, so I am glad to have the older ones too.
I have 3 Krieghoffs, so may look for that book.
Just the one Simson though.

[Ron Wood]

Anna,
If your 1900 is a very low serial number (under 1000) there is an outside chance that it is one of the surviving early unrelieved frame Lugers that requires a special "flat button" magazine. Many of the unrelieved frames were later modified to accommodate the raised button magazine, so surviving unrelieved examples are scarce (there weren't too many to begin with!).

[StarOfTheWest]

Thanks Ron, I will go check that right now.

[StarOfTheWest]

You were right, Ron.
Will post about this gun in the Early Lugers Forum.

[Ron Wood]

Yahoo!

[StarOfTheWest]

Well, oopsie...I looked at the pics from the wrong side.
Post is up on Early Lugers though.
Still a weirdie.

[Ron Wood]

I retract my "Yahoo"...for now.

[Big Norm]

Ron,
I will never cease to be amazed at your knowledge and photograghic abilities. Here's a big 'YAHOO!' for you.
Big Norm

P.S.
Are you absolutely (fersure) sure that she's married?

[Big Norm]

Just an after thought. After straining my eye balls looking at this one picture, someone on this forum should make some effort to have this collection properly photographed and placed in an appropriate location on this website. It looks just too magnificent to be placed helter skelter in the various, although proper, locations here.
Big Norm

[StarOfTheWest]

Thanks, Big Norm, I will attempt to do some good photos after the New Year...although it might even be a bit after that, as my business is in High Season, and residual biz continues through January.

You are very kind to suggest that my little collection deserves such a spot of honor, but I am sure there are folks here that have many more awesome pieces to display.
But we will do our best.

And a PS to ya Norm, yes, sorry, happily married for 36 years now, and Honey is a gun person too, but has wisely not strayed into my field of experience.
We like different guns, and that makes it all work.

[TzDreamer]

very piece has something to say! You just never know who will be able to read it!