Japanese Luger Story in AutoMag... - Page 2

Pete Ebbink · 03-06-2003, 12:21 PM

Interesting Japanese luger story was written about in this month's NAPCA AutoMag newsletter. AutoMag is copyrighted; so I will try to paraphrase the article written by a Mr. Frank Allan (for folks here that may not subscribe...) :

Mr. Allan apparently has written a previous article about Japanese lugers with their "chrysanthemum" chamber markings. I gather his article was to forewarn folks of the fakery of such Japanese lugers.

Mr. Allan, in the current AutoMag article, reports receiving a letter from a writer who many years earlier met Harry E. Jones at a California gun show. This fellow asked Jones if he did, indeed, fake, the photo of the Japanese luger in the Jones book, Luger Variations, on pages 208-209.

This fellow reports that Jones said "yes" he did and that it took sometime for him to get the superimposed negatives right for the photo in the book. The flower photo coming from a a rifle with the MUM flower.

This fellow then went on to ask Jones how long after the Jones book coming out, did fake Japanese lugers start showing up. Jones is reported as replying "about six months".

So, here are my questions :

1. Is this story true ? Is it well known that Jones did "doctor up" this photo to create a Japanese luger ?

2. The photo credits in the Jones book on pages 208-209 is given to a collector named Mr. Russ Storer. Was there, then, not a real Mr. Storer ? Or was Mr. Storer surprised to see his "enhanced" luger show up as a Japanese luger in the book ? Or did both Mr. Jones and Mr. Storer just play a trick on the luger collecting community, as a practical joke ?

3. Finally, are there such things as authentic Japanse lugers that do have the MUM chamber crest ?

Sam Costanzo in his book, "World Of Lugers - Proofmarks" on page 197 written in 1977 states "Watch for fakes, only 2 originals have been authenticated...". Are these 2 lugers still thought to be real Japanese lugers, i.e. captured Dutch lugers that had a chamber marking added by the Japanese ?

Regards,

Pete... <img border="0" alt="[typing]" title="" src="graemlins/yltype.gif" />

03-06-2003, 12:21 PM	#1
Pete Ebbink User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The USA Posts: 5,919 Thanks: 0 Thanked 6 Times in 4 Posts	Japanese Luger Story in AutoMag... Interesting Japanese luger story was written about in this month's NAPCA AutoMag newsletter. AutoMag is copyrighted; so I will try to paraphrase the article written by a Mr. Frank Allan (for folks here that may not subscribe...) : Mr. Allan apparently has written a previous article about Japanese lugers with their "chrysanthemum" chamber markings. I gather his article was to forewarn folks of the fakery of such Japanese lugers. Mr. Allan, in the current AutoMag article, reports receiving a letter from a writer who many years earlier met Harry E. Jones at a California gun show. This fellow asked Jones if he did, indeed, fake, the photo of the Japanese luger in the Jones book, Luger Variations, on pages 208-209. This fellow reports that Jones said "yes" he did and that it took sometime for him to get the superimposed negatives right for the photo in the book. The flower photo coming from a a rifle with the MUM flower. This fellow then went on to ask Jones how long after the Jones book coming out, did fake Japanese lugers start showing up. Jones is reported as replying "about six months". So, here are my questions : 1. Is this story true ? Is it well known that Jones did "doctor up" this photo to create a Japanese luger ? 2. The photo credits in the Jones book on pages 208-209 is given to a collector named Mr. Russ Storer. Was there, then, not a real Mr. Storer ? Or was Mr. Storer surprised to see his "enhanced" luger show up as a Japanese luger in the book ? Or did both Mr. Jones and Mr. Storer just play a trick on the luger collecting community, as a practical joke ? 3. Finally, are there such things as authentic Japanse lugers that do have the MUM chamber crest ? Sam Costanzo in his book, "World Of Lugers - Proofmarks" on page 197 written in 1977 states "Watch for fakes, only 2 originals have been authenticated...". Are these 2 lugers still thought to be real Japanese lugers, i.e. captured Dutch lugers that had a chamber marking added by the Japanese ? Regards, Pete... <img border="0" alt="[typing]" title="" src="graemlins/yltype.gif" />