Younger collector in need of some help.

[ithacaartist]

Originally Posted by DavidJayUden

I understand. Sort of. I just won't spend lots of money for markings that may, or may not, be genuine.
But take a step back here. We spend hours and hours agonizing over whether a gun has original finish, or may have possibly been properly and correctly refinished at some time in the last 100 years. We look for halos, blued toggle pins, re-stamped magazines, etc, etc, etc. We conjur up images of highly skilled craftsman "boosting" Lugers for an extra buck. (AKA, Death's Head.)
But come up with a gun with crude, X'ed out, crooked unit markings, and it's "Katie, bar the door while I break the cookie jar for my next Luger..."
I'm just sayin'...
dju

The entire concept of collecting is, strictly speaking, irrational. The thing that makes collectibles valuable is all in our heads. In a sense, we're ALL "buying the story, not the gun". There is no real reason why one arrangement of steel parts is worth more than any other, except that it might serve a purpose better--in this case, it's to deliver a projectile to a desired location. Bottom line, we're all nuts, and wasting our time and money. Gotta love it!