My Weekly Editorial

Well guys here is my weekly(not weakly) editorial from the mind and nimble fingers of this Luger Collector. There has been some very good discussion this week (Thank You Sam!), regarding the die making outfit, that is currently producing the dies for unscrupulus dealers and collectors to intentionally add proof marks, toggle stampings, and more or less take an ordinary P08 and make a very highly collectable out of it. What should we as Luger Collectors do to protect our own interests and more importantly protect the respectability of this hobby? First of all, and formost, forgery in any form is against the law, especially when it involves guns. We as collectors, have enough problems without having to disect every Luger for fakes and forgeries. The first step is to allert the BATF that there is someone out there who is INTENTIONALLY FAKING Lugers, and allert them to the company making the dies. The BATF will certainly get a list of his customers and hopefully put an end to this. Hey guys and Gals as someone stated earlier, there is allot of money to be made, creating rare and highly desireable collector grade guns, especially Lugers. Some may say Caveat Emptor, POPPYCOCK(no I'm not Brittish, even though there is nothing wrong with the Brits). It is high time that we as collectors, hold those from whom we buy things, accountable for their authenticity and described condition(original,re-done, refinnished, etc.) Any thing less is unacceptable in my book, and should be in yours if you truly care about this hobby as I do. Dealers that sell fakes and forgeries should be revealed to everyone, including the BATF. Mistakes happen, but these instances are totally separate. Yes, degree of finnish, and condition, differ from person to person. The buyer should ALLWAYS have the option to terminate the sale if not satisfied with the product. Further, and lastly, let's help each other, by exposing the people behind this deciet. It's not fair to the beginning collector, and will ruin interest in this area of collecting if allowed to continue.


Till Next Time,

Good Collecting!


Timothy Canney