Future of collecting Luger's

Yakman · 09-16-2020, 04:24 PM

We all know things change with time. If someone could have told me, in say 1974, what the situation would be in 2020 I would have said when things get that bad I'll stop collecting. It did, but I didn't. I guess because change comes gradually, like for the frog in the pot of water heating on the stove.

For new collectors, today, even though the pot is now boiling, it's all they know. To them these are the "good ol' days," People collected "antiques" in the eighteenth century, for example, to them those were the "good ol' days". Their stuff is still around and still being collected. So, will Luger collecting continue in the foreseeable future? I think it will.

The guns might not have the same personal connection to their keepers as they do now for us, but as "calibrator" says, they might be looked at more as a commodity. I'm not so sure I don't see mine more that way now. I still have my deep satisfaction in ownership as I ever had, but I don't have a "shooter" as I have no interest or desire to shoot one, and there are certainly no gun shows at which to display them like there once was. Today I'm pretty much relegated to that of a "Closet Collector". The days of the many large and small gun shows predicated on collections displayed and competing for prizes are over.

I know, today, there are many Closet Collectors with large expensive collections. I see that style of collecting becoming more the thing of the future. There are enough super references available today from which exceptional knowledge can be gained while never leaving one's home. In the past most had only Datig, Jones, and Kenyon mainly for references, and knowledge passed by word of mouth from other collectors at gatherings like gun clubs and gun shows. I say that as if Luger collecting began with Datig. My reference is to us. For those, say in the 1930s, Luger knowledge would be even harder to come by.

I guess, to me, the bottom line is, in the not too distant future I will "assume room temperature" ( Rush Limbaugh?) and won't even know how long I lived. But for right now it is my responsibility to preserve those Luger pistols in my care for the next caretaker. Then it will be his responsibility, as I will have no more concern for whatever happens.

But, yes, I think Luger collecting will be around in one form or another for a long, long time.

Jack

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09-16-2020, 04:24 PM	#6
Yakman User Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Indiana Posts: 119 Thanks: 881 Thanked 81 Times in 40 Posts	We all know things change with time. If someone could have told me, in say 1974, what the situation would be in 2020 I would have said when things get that bad I'll stop collecting. It did, but I didn't. I guess because change comes gradually, like for the frog in the pot of water heating on the stove. For new collectors, today, even though the pot is now boiling, it's all they know. To them these are the "good ol' days," People collected "antiques" in the eighteenth century, for example, to them those were the "good ol' days". Their stuff is still around and still being collected. So, will Luger collecting continue in the foreseeable future? I think it will. The guns might not have the same personal connection to their keepers as they do now for us, but as "calibrator" says, they might be looked at more as a commodity. I'm not so sure I don't see mine more that way now. I still have my deep satisfaction in ownership as I ever had, but I don't have a "shooter" as I have no interest or desire to shoot one, and there are certainly no gun shows at which to display them like there once was. Today I'm pretty much relegated to that of a "Closet Collector". The days of the many large and small gun shows predicated on collections displayed and competing for prizes are over. I know, today, there are many Closet Collectors with large expensive collections. I see that style of collecting becoming more the thing of the future. There are enough super references available today from which exceptional knowledge can be gained while never leaving one's home. In the past most had only Datig, Jones, and Kenyon mainly for references, and knowledge passed by word of mouth from other collectors at gatherings like gun clubs and gun shows. I say that as if Luger collecting began with Datig. My reference is to us. For those, say in the 1930s, Luger knowledge would be even harder to come by. I guess, to me, the bottom line is, in the not too distant future I will "assume room temperature" ( Rush Limbaugh?) and won't even know how long I lived. But for right now it is my responsibility to preserve those Luger pistols in my care for the next caretaker. Then it will be his responsibility, as I will have no more concern for whatever happens. But, yes, I think Luger collecting will be around in one form or another for a long, long time. Jack