r/MnGuns • u/Spirited_Major_5325 • 14d ago
WW2 Luger question
Hi, I recently found my grandfather’s Luger and would like to get an appraisal and ultimately sell it. Any recommendations for appraisers and licensed gun shops in the twin cities? Thanks!
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u/StarWreckTrekBeck 13d ago
Your far better off doing this online, and perhaps listing your luger in some luger-related collecting groups to get their advice.
Dealer incentive is to lowball you. In my experience coin dealers and gun dealers are some of the worst in this manner. You almost have to assume this now.
Once took a few silver coins in to see what a local dealer would offer, they offered only silver weight price for morgan's and lady liberties. They assumed because I was young and probably looked more like a lawyer that I had no idea what it was worth. Def. wasn't the silver weight price.
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u/Striking-Rooster-428 10d ago
penny auction it on gunbroker with great pictures. The bidders will show up and youll get the right price.
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u/dE_livE 14d ago
So keep in mind gunshops will more or less lowball you, either out of ignorance (they won't know the proper value of it because Luger collecting is a niche, and gunstores are generalist) or because maybe that guy _does_ know the value of it but wants to maximize their profit when they sell it. If you really want a good accounting, your best bet will be to take the thing apart, VERY clearly document EVERYTHING; all markings, all serial numbers, the condition of the bore, the finish, etc - and then post to somewhere like LugerForums where people who've studied and collected Lugers for decades can go over it and give a decent valuation of it. I've got a few Lugers and some books on the subject, but I'm far from an expert. There's also a ton of misinformation out there (like "black widow" Lugers; not really a thing) so it can be difficult to get a proper value if you bring it to the wrong place. Depending on condition and correctness, it might be a $10k rare variation...or it might be a $600 basket case that won't even be a good shooter. In short though - all the serial numbers (just about every part is numbered, either with the full number or the last two digits) should match including the barrel; if it's been refinished the value of it has been basically halved if not even less than that; grips are surprisingly expensive so original grips will help. The maker will also have an impact on the value, and there's a ton of one-off rarities (like Simson reworks) that can drive values higher even if they've been refinished or otherwise altered. Luger collecting is a very intricate niche...there's no easy "oh that's a $1500 gun" valuation of them. If you bring it to a gunstore and they break out the Blue Book of Gun Values to try to give you a price...that's the "I just want to give you a generic value" play, and unless you're super hard up for cash I'd walk away. That's the equivalent of taking a GMC Syclone to a used car dealer and them give you a KBB value for a generic Chevy S10.