Nickel or Chrome Plated

[zeke1312]

OK, novice questions but I wanted to make sure my understanding was correct.

1. There were never any Lugers ever manufactured from any licensed source that were chrome or Nickel plated. All such guns are done by or for their owner and mainly done in the US.
2. Some cautions to look for (generally speaking) are:
A. So called "papers" with a Luger. Are they real?
B. Guns with their holster and cleaning tool add to their value.
C. Lugers with matching S/N obviously more valuable.
E. The comment "it was re-blued, chromed or nickle plated
was because there were blood stains on the gun" (sounds
really suspect to me).
I know there are other things to look for but tell me, are my assumptions correct? What exceptions to the items I've listed are there? Is this not a true statement: When Lugers were initially brought back from WWII their true value was not realized?
Thank you

[Edward Tinker]

SEE BELOW

1. There were never any Lugers ever manufactured from any licensed source that were chrome or Nickel plated. All such guns are done by or for their owner and mainly done in the US YES AND NO, MANY WERE DONE IN GERMANY BEFORE COMING HOME, SO A BIT OF BOTH, BUT THE FEW DONE FOR PRESENTATION PURPOSES IS SO SMALL AS TO NOT COUNT.
2. Some cautions to look for (generally speaking) are:
A. So called "papers" with a Luger. Are they real? THERE ARE FAKES OUT THERE, AND EASY TO FIND THE FORM, OLD TYPEWRITER OR OLD PAPER
B. Guns with their holster and cleaning tool add to their value. YES OF COURSE, THEY ARE WORTH THEIR VALUE, BUT WHEN BUYING AT A SHOW, I WILL PAY ONLY A BIT MORE FOR A HOLSTER, TOOL OR MAG, I AM MORE CONCERNED WITH THE GUN
C. Lugers with matching S/N obviously more valuable. YES - BUT BE CAUTIOUS, AND REMEMBER THAT YOU WILL FIND MANY MORE POLICE LUGERS WITH MATCHING MAGS THAN ARMY
E. The comment "it was re-blued, chromed or nickle plated was because there were blood stains on the gun" (sounds really suspect to me). YES AND THE STANDARD OF WHY IT IS RUSTED IS BLOOD IS SUSPECT, IF LEFT ON A GUN, SURE, BUT OTHERWISE, MOST OF THE TIME IN MY OPINION IS THAT IT WAS DAMP OR WET AND PUT AWAY OR GOT WET AND NEW OWNER DID NOT REALIZE

Is this not a true statement: When Lugers were initially brought back from WWII their true value was not realized? UH, YES, BUT THEY WERE JUST GUNS AND THERE WERE TENS OF THOUSANDS, NOT JUST LUGERS BUT ALL KINDS OF GUNS, HELMETS ETC, MANY SOLDIERS PICKED UP STUFF AND NEVER, EVER LOOKED AT IT AGAIN AFTER GETTING HOME....

[zeke1312]

Originally Posted by Edward Tinker

SEE BELOW

1. There were never any Lugers ever manufactured from any licensed source that were chrome or Nickel plated. All such guns are done by or for their owner and mainly done in the US YES AND NO, MANY WERE DONE IN GERMANY BEFORE COMING HOME, SO A BIT OF BOTH, BUT THE FEW DONE FOR PRESENTATION PURPOSES IS SO SMALL AS TO NOT COUNT. But my key question is whether or not any Luger was chromed/nickle plated at the factory and not "just" chromed/nickle plated by or for an individual in Germany, US or wherever. Does the plating make it more valuable than the original non-plated gun? Now I can see an exception if, for an example a pistol was plated for Nazi (fill in the rank, etc) and could be proven.
2. Some cautions to look for (generally speaking) are:
A. So called "papers" with a Luger. Are they real? THERE ARE FAKES OUT THERE, AND EASY TO FIND THE FORM, OLD TYPEWRITER OR OLD PAPER
B. Guns with their holster and cleaning tool add to their value. YES OF COURSE, THEY ARE WORTH THEIR VALUE, BUT WHEN BUYING AT A SHOW, I WILL PAY ONLY A BIT MORE FOR A HOLSTER, TOOL OR MAG, I AM MORE CONCERNED WITH THE GUN
C. Lugers with matching S/N obviously more valuable. YES - BUT BE CAUTIOUS, AND REMEMBER THAT YOU WILL FIND MANY MORE POLICE LUGERS WITH MATCHING MAGS THAN ARMY Yes, point well taken.
E. The comment "it was re-blued, chromed or nickle plated was because there were blood stains on the gun" (sounds really suspect to me). YES AND THE STANDARD OF WHY IT IS RUSTED IS BLOOD IS SUSPECT, IF LEFT ON A GUN, SURE, BUT OTHERWISE, MOST OF THE TIME IN MY OPINION IS THAT IT WAS DAMP OR WET AND PUT AWAY OR GOT WET AND NEW OWNER DID NOT REALIZE
Yes, I agree that a gun that was damp/wet is the primary reason for such rust marks. The idea that a gun had rust/blemishes on it due to blood is of course valid but really, how many pistols had/have rust due to blood?
Is this not a true statement: When Lugers were initially brought back from WWII their true value was not realized? UH, YES, BUT THEY WERE JUST GUNS AND THERE WERE TENS OF THOUSANDS, NOT JUST LUGERS BUT ALL KINDS OF GUNS, HELMETS ETC, MANY SOLDIERS PICKED UP STUFF AND NEVER, EVER LOOKED AT IT AGAIN AFTER GETTING HOME....

I guess I'm cautious when a gun owner, typically one who was given or purchased the gun from a previous owner and was told the pistol "was taken from a dead German soldier, captured German captain, etc". I remember a seeing a video that showed a pile of Lugers and I mean a huge pile ready to be trashed. I could see a "few" bring backs from such piles more so than the exciting "I took it from a German". Being a true novice on the subject I thought I'd get information regarding my questions. Thanks!

[Edward Tinker]

not sure on your answer?

I think the vast majority of lugers brought back were not captured after combat. In my books, I have numerous stories of things brought back, and lots were just found or picked up.

A 1939 Mauser that I got from a close friend, he traded for it for 2 cartons of cigarettes....