G Date S-42 Luger

When a person buys a mismatched Luger, often they understandably want to know as much history as possible on the basic pistol. I bought a 1914 Erfurt LP08 with a DWM toggle. The fact that it had a mismatched toggle did not make me less interested in finding out all I could about 1914 Erfurt artilleries. I am just as interested in information about my $695 pistol as is the new owner of a $2,000 El Perfecto artillery.


People new to the LugerForum see posts where "shooter" Lugers are claimed to have no more than $300 to $350 value if one part is mismatched. I note "advanced" collectors are willing to overlook the fact that the magazine is mismatched since much of their collections would otherwise be lowered to "shooter" status.


Then when a post is made requesting information and it is answered with a brief "you only have a shooter" type of reply, it is natural to infer (although possibly incorrectly) that the intent of the post was to imply "you have a $300 pistol and you paid twice what it is worth."


It would suit me just fine if I never saw the word "shooter" again. Everybody knows that (original) matching numbers increase value just as does a high percentage of original finish, no question about it. But the artifical distinction between "junk" shooters and collectable Lugers is a distinction that is not a firm line that can be drawn at some point. A mismatched or unmarked firing pin does not necessarily reduce value to $300 or even $450. Otherwise, all Lugers with mismatched magazines would be $300 junk shooters.