Re: 1900 Luger (Con't - for Bill)

Johnny Peppers · 09-08-2001, 04:31 PM

I find it unusual that as collectors we would accept one shred of evidence as being the deciding factor that a test pistol would not be correct if it fell one number out of the range quoted in an accounting notation. To do this, all other evidence to the contrary is summarily dismissed. It is just as incumbent to prove that all evidence presented is either false or not worthy of consideration.

The discussion involved only the 1900 Test Trials Lugers, and any other Lugers sold by Bannerman have absolutely bearing on this discussion. I personally have never seen evidence of Bannerman selling the Model 1900 commerial model at the same time they were selling the test trials pistols.

Whether the pistols were sold as scrap or as surplus still has no bearing on the serial number range. The result is still the same.

The total shipment of Model 1900 Test Trials pistols totaled 1000, and I fail to see how the government trading 50 of these pistols changed the original order of 800 (assumed). You completely misunderstood my statement about the pistols being shipped in blocks of consecutive numbers. When the pistols were sold to Bannermans they were in two consecutive blocks of 30 pistols and 748 pistols and these blocks were 265 numbers apart. What happened to these 265 pistols? Where is the evidence that the government destroyed any pistols? It would seem strange that 748 pistols could remain consecutively numbered with this representing 75% of the pistols purchased, and have none of these pistols destroyed. The pistols that were brought back in were put up for auction as one lot, and Bannerman was the winning bidder.

Nowhere in my posts have I said it is either black or white with no shades of gray, but to accept the range of 6099 to 7098 is basing everything on what even Michael Reese calls evidence, as opposed to a document.

If you will look at Charles Kenyon's early writing he accepts the 6099 to 7098 range as being correct. Now jump ahead and look at his "Luger: The Multi-National Pistol". In it he indicates that the range of the first 900 pistols is in the 6100 to 7100 range, and that the second shipment is in the 7200 range. As Charles Kenyon is one of the leading experts in the field of Lugers, he as apparently changed his mind due to new evidence being provided. Michael Reese wrote a great little book on the Test Trials pistols, but none of his evidence is written in stone. I guess we believe what we want to believe, and disregard anything contrary to our opinion.

09-08-2001, 04:31 PM	#1
Johnny Peppers User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Calion, Arkansas Posts: 1,042 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: 1900 Luger (Con't - for Bill) I find it unusual that as collectors we would accept one shred of evidence as being the deciding factor that a test pistol would not be correct if it fell one number out of the range quoted in an accounting notation. To do this, all other evidence to the contrary is summarily dismissed. It is just as incumbent to prove that all evidence presented is either false or not worthy of consideration. The discussion involved only the 1900 Test Trials Lugers, and any other Lugers sold by Bannerman have absolutely bearing on this discussion. I personally have never seen evidence of Bannerman selling the Model 1900 commerial model at the same time they were selling the test trials pistols. Whether the pistols were sold as scrap or as surplus still has no bearing on the serial number range. The result is still the same. The total shipment of Model 1900 Test Trials pistols totaled 1000, and I fail to see how the government trading 50 of these pistols changed the original order of 800 (assumed). You completely misunderstood my statement about the pistols being shipped in blocks of consecutive numbers. When the pistols were sold to Bannermans they were in two consecutive blocks of 30 pistols and 748 pistols and these blocks were 265 numbers apart. What happened to these 265 pistols? Where is the evidence that the government destroyed any pistols? It would seem strange that 748 pistols could remain consecutively numbered with this representing 75% of the pistols purchased, and have none of these pistols destroyed. The pistols that were brought back in were put up for auction as one lot, and Bannerman was the winning bidder. Nowhere in my posts have I said it is either black or white with no shades of gray, but to accept the range of 6099 to 7098 is basing everything on what even Michael Reese calls evidence, as opposed to a document. If you will look at Charles Kenyon's early writing he accepts the 6099 to 7098 range as being correct. Now jump ahead and look at his "Luger: The Multi-National Pistol". In it he indicates that the range of the first 900 pistols is in the 6100 to 7100 range, and that the second shipment is in the 7200 range. As Charles Kenyon is one of the leading experts in the field of Lugers, he as apparently changed his mind due to new evidence being provided. Michael Reese wrote a great little book on the Test Trials pistols, but none of his evidence is written in stone. I guess we believe what we want to believe, and disregard anything contrary to our opinion.