Known vs. Found Lugers

[Jasta2]

I am planning on adding another Luger to my small collection. I don't know why, but I am hoping to get a "Found" Luger vs. a "Known" Luger. By "Known" I mean getting one from a collector, forum member, or online auction site. Online auctions are most likely well searched by many Luger collectors. To get a "Found" Luger my best bet I take would be word of mouth, placing a ad in the wanted sections of local newspapers, pawn shops and gun shows. Looks as if most gun/pawn shops already have a list of Luger collectors they notify when a new Luger comes in, but I might luck out, so I do check the pawn shops. Local gun shows might be best as major ones most likely have Luger collectors shopping. Anyone had luck with placing "Want Ads" looking to buy Lugers? My risk with found Lugers is I am not expert enough to pick out hidden faults and might get taken for a ride. In the end I just might be better off posting my "Wants" on the Forum to see what's out there.
Bill

[wlyon]

I recommend starting with the luger forum. State exactly what you want and price range. The price is fairly important. You don't need to see $2500 lugers if your budget is $1000. If you are not real sure what you want at least try WW1 or WW2. Are you after a shooter or a collectible? I rarely have luck at gun shows or pawn shops. They are generally overpriced. Never hurts to look. I would place a wanted on Jan's site as well. Good luck Bill

[Edward Tinker]

I would not count on line auctions as trustworthy as forums or known dealers w good reps. On line auctions can be sketchy or great places to find lugers.

[lugerholsterrepair]

My risk with found Lugers is I am not expert enough to pick out hidden faults and might get taken for a ride.

Buy books, study. KNOW what you're looking at when it's found. Knowledge is the only way to protect yourself. Without lots of info you can look but not see and it could cost you.

[Sergio Natali]

I completely agree with Jerry, I've been collecting guns for about 15 years, and I do not rate myself an expert, especially on Lugers, but if I can give you a good advice I would start with the luger forum, and state what you are looking for, it's important to have clear ideas, and try to read, read a lot, you'll see that the day you'll think to know things you'll realize how much there is still to learn.

[alvin]

There is a reputable auction house "Amoskeag Auction Company" in Manchester NH (not too far away?). They carry Lugers and Mausers in almost every session. You can join their preview session, holding the guns in hand and look, no obligation to buy anything. But you will see more, making notes, and gradually align your view with their appraisers. After join many those sessions, gradually, you will be more critic, even disagree with certain professional's opinions on something. The only cost is time and gas.

I still search local stores... but not for Lugers and Mausers, only search cheap ammo, cleaning rod for Romanian AK, etc. They are good source on those. In this way, we can still keep our searching fun.

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[Edit] In old collector publications, we saw gun shows were an important facility to play this role. Nowadays, we saw people selling sniper rifle scopes, gun safes, knives, crystal stones, even cured meat in gun shows....well, to be fair, there are some Lugers in gun shows, but the crowd environment is far less comfortable than auction preview sessions. And, for new collector, those are "Lugers at Random", not a good starting point anyway.

[John Sabato]

One more approach that I doubt many of you have tried. Make yourself some flyers or business cards on your computer and keep them in your car.

Put good graphics of the type of guns you are considering on the flyer to grab attention (Lugers/Walthers/Browning etc.) with a title on the flyer that says "VETERANS--Did you bring home a War Trophy? Where is it now?"

Many old vets don't even think about the stuff they brought back decades ago, and really don't have plans for where it will go when they die, especially if their children have no interest in firearms... or their wife wouldn't want it in the house when their gone. The flyer will give them cause to think about it.

Post the flyers on local bulletin boards, AMVETS, ELKS lodge, MOOSE lodge, American Legion halls, and if you know of any military unit conventions in your area, put a stack on their registration table (with permission of course). You can also leave them in every gun store you ever visit.

Your narrative on the flyer should be something like:

"Local military antique collector looking for war trophies like yours to add to a personal collection. Your souvenier could be worth hundreds of dollars or more to you if it is just sitting in your attic, in a drawer or on a closet shelf.

If you have a war trophy (rifles, pistols, bayonets, etc.) and would like to place it in the hands of someone who will be proud to add it to his personal collection, and put some money in your wallet at the same time , please contact me by email or phone:"

...and add your FIRST NAME ONLY at the bottom... I would recommend only a phone number/email address... not where you live.

I know of a member of my later father's WW2 unit, who responded to my flyer like this, but only to tell me that if he had known I had an interest he would have asked me first, but he had already sold his war trophy KRIEGHOFF Luger to his dentist (who he had happened to mention it to while discussing personal history), so he would have enough money to travel to Normandy for the 50th anniversary of his landing at on the beach.

How many more stories do you think there are like that one? I would tell you what the dentist gave him for it, but I don't want to make you cry.

We lose between 1200 to 1800 World War 2 veterans A DAY.

All are at least in their late 80's and early to mid-90's, and we won't have them with us much longer... a decade at most.

If you "FIND" a gun or war souvenier this way, then do the right thing and give the Vet a fair market price. He earned it preserving our freedom.

Good Luck and let us know if this approach works for you!

[Sergio Natali]

John, I think you are really great!

Too bad I can't do the same here, otherwise both the seller AND the buyer would have to repeat the whole story in front of a Police officer at the Police station! :-)

[mystical_tutor]

Jasta2;

Well you got a lot of advice, thats for sure.

My suggestion is to look at your long range goals in wanting a Luger. Try and nail down why you want one (another one) at all.

Books and learning are my joy but really, if you bought all the most up to date books on Lugers you would have spent enough to buy a nice Luger. The time needed to digest them all is no small thing and even then you are still not an expert. Only knowledgable without experience.

Trusting the forum contributors (some of which have written those books mentioned above) is much wiser than trying to catch up with them, Talking here about the established members, not the trolls.

for the joy of discovery, what John Sabato suggests is tops. Of course you will get a rash of "I'v got this Luger my grandpa took off a German general at Bastone......." Just like I do at gun shows. If you deal with the actual vet you may end up with a wonderful lifetime experience as well as a historic masterpiece. Do minimum personal contact info, just like he suggests and don't put anything in emails that you don't want in the national archives.

Go to gun shows, look and think--just don't buy anything across a table (even from me). Troll the online offers, If you see something you like, ask here. You'll get good poop.

Gary

[John Sabato]

I also recommend you set up a "free" email account just for this type of contact... keep the spam out of your REAL email box.


...and if this method turns up any long forgotten machine guns... advise the vet to disassemble it, dispose of the parts with a big hammer, and run, don't walk, the other way...


...another war trophy machine gun amnesty like they had in 1968, is likely to never happen again...

[Jasta2]

Thanks all for your great advice! I do have my preferences in Lugers. Mostly American Eagles and WW1 era, but ANY Luger I can find that is correct might provide funds for my wants. I am retired military and would offer a fair price for a Vet's Luger. If they have a treasure I could not offer a fair price for, I'd advise them of it's real worth and the best way to get a fair price for it. As far as books go, I have a 1st edition of "Lugers at Random" and a small paperback book
"The Luger Handbook" by Aarron Davis (1997) at hand.
Not sure as to what general current Luger book to buy now, but I do want a up to date one. Suggestions?
Thanks again!

[John Sabato]

Just my $0.02... but I consider Aaron Davis's books to be unreliable, and full of inaccuracies and threw mine away years ago... I wouldn't even pass them on to others.

[Ron Wood]

The "dendritic" or "flow chart" at the beginning of Aaron Davis' book is a super tool for a novice to identify the make and/or model of a Luger. Once identified it is best to go to a more reliable source to find out detailed information and possible value. Davis' descriptions and values are, as John pointed out, woefully inaccurate with much of the information "cut and pasted" from other model descriptions which are totally inappropriate. It is too bad because the books had great potential for gun show ID.

The "Lugers at Random", although outdated and having less than optimal photos is still one of the best general references for the new collector. It gives a broad brush look at many variations and serves as a basic entry level tool. Once the Luger "bug" has bitten it is best to quickly move up to a more current publication that targets your specific interests. I can highly recommend Jan Still's "Central Powers Pistols" (currently the most comprehensive and affordable reference on the market IMO), Vittorio Bobba's "Parabellum" which is a marvelous treatise on Swiss Lugers, Martens & de Vries "The Dutch Luger", and the list goes on. Each resource goes into considerable depth and detail but some are a bit expensive and difficult to find. So it is a good idea to initially zero in on a narrow category of Luger interest to minimize up front cost. But every dollar spent on books will eventually be rewarded.

[Jasta2]

Recommendations as to a general info Luger book and not one that covers just one facet of Luger collecting and not just say "Police Lugers"?