LUGER 'MYSTERY"

[Dwight Gruber]

Dok's comments have crystallized some thoughts which have been in my mind, given me a bit of an epiphany.


A lot is made here differentiating between shooter prices and collector prices. It seems to me that really, there are only Luger prices, and owners/buyers with different interests and intent.


There are people who only own one Luger. They might be casual owners, inheritiors, or they might shoot their guns. Anyone who owns more than one Luger, or who is pursuing the purchase of their second Luger, is a collector.


Its the broad range of interests, and the availability of so many different Lugers, which makes it seem like there is a true differentiation. Some collectors specialize in the most original Lugers available. They evidence little interest in shooting, either by their natural procilvities or by the rarity and value of their Lugers. Other collectors are more interested in the usefulness of their guns, and are interested mostly conceptually in Lugers which should be handled little and shot not at all. There are collectors who are capable of and willing to pay high prices for rare Lugers, and there are collectors who are not willing or able to pay those prices.


We are all blessed by the fact that the range of Lugers matches the range of our interests. With all of the focus on original condition, matching serial numbers, and marking minutia, I'm amused to note the almost "guilty pleasure-ness" in the coy acceptance of nickel-plates and "pimp guns" which has shown up in some quarters here. This is really on the fringe of the thesis, however: there are very expensive Lugers, and people who are not inclined to shoot them; and very much less expensive ones, and people who are.


Although it seems too prosaic to the romanticism of Luger-ness, what we come down to is the commodity value of these guns. Dok's comment which started this train of thought was that the nickel-plated gun under discussion has no value to a collector, but $300-$600 value to a shooter. What is really being said here (if Dok will be so kind as to allow me to reinterpret) is that this gun is worth somewhere between $300 and $600 dollars, but there is a fair number of people who have no interest in owning such a Luger. The difference of focus makes it easier to determine what Lugers are worth, irrespective of the shooter-vs-collector distinction.


It may seem obvious to say that a Luger is worth what someone will pay for it. In my brief experience, however, it seems that the Luger market is a seller's market, and that a Luger is actually worth what someone is willing to take for it. Its also interesting to note that this seems to be an issue in the lower part of the market, that the more rare and expensive Lugers seem to have fairly well established values. Conventionally, it is the legendary "$250 shooter" which suddenly is up to $350 and can't be bought for less than $400, and $600-$900 is suddenly an acceptable low-to-moderate range.


The conclusion I draw from this is that the low-cost range of Lugers are a good investment, that any Luger which is working and not physically deteriorated will drastically increase in value over the next few years, regardless of its provenance. I have also noticed, in descriptions of Lugers for sale in various places on-line, that sellers are beginning to promote "restored" guns as having added value. I think that this is going to become more and more prevalent, and restoring an all-matching and otherwise sound Luger will be a good idea. It will take longer to realize the additional investment, of course, and there will still be a philosophical collector's view that these guns' values are damaged thereby, and collectors who will not be interested in buying them. The fact is, there are thousands of haphazardly refinished Lugers out there whose value will only be enhanced by restoration.


This brings us back around to the subject of "flash" guns. They will always have value, as demonstrated by the fact that there are even people here who are interested in them, and that value will not be at the very lowest end of the spectrum simply because of their relative rarity. And, will all respect due to Thor's artistry, I include his TDJ Lugers in this category. Not by any means that they are cheap or tawdry, quite otherwise: the difference is the respect with which he treats the artifact, the idealization of the Luger which is the intended result. The fact is that it is intended to delight the eye and mind. They will be valuable because they are "cool", they will be more valuable because they are respectful.


This is not where I intended to end up, so let me conclude by simply reiterating that there is only one price range for Lugers, that the distinction between "collector" guns and "shooter" guns is unnecessary because of the wide range of collectors' interests.


And now, a disclaimer:


The foregoing has no intent of insulting anyone or starting an argument. I recognize that it is a very simplified description, this was necessary in order to be clear. The actual range of what I describe is very great; any one of you reading this might feel that it is insufficiently descriptive to describe you or your interests; thats good. Please don't feel offended or slighted, it just goes to show that the subject is very broad.


If you simply write this off as me simply projecting my own values and interests, I won't argue and I won't be offended. I had no intention of writing a personal manifesto, but these are my conclusions.


If I am too new here, and am simply rehashing old ground, then I apologise and beg your indulgence; something within me compelled me to write this.


--Dwight