Chrome-plated Luger

383 magnum · 07-10-2007, 11:34 PM

I'm bumfuzzled as to why a pimped-out Luger would bring this much. Is there something special about the RAD belt buckle? An original Luger could have been bought for that price. Do some collectors want non-original plated Lugers? I admit that it would be cool to have one for a novelty, but I can't imagine paying that much when I could have another original one in that price range. Just my perspective. If the person who bought it is happy, that's all that really matters.
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...?Item=75315629

Edward Tinker · 07-10-2007, 11:39 PM

not to me. however, minus $200-$300 for the holster, the belt buckle, another $100 (maybe more??), so the nickled luger cost $400-$500

if you think of why these are nickled, then maybe you won't put them in the "pimp" category. They were nickled / chromed because that was the in thing to do at the time after ww2, had very little to do with "pimps"...

383 magnum · 07-10-2007, 11:56 PM

Edward,
If the holster is worth that much, then that's probably a fair price for the Luger. I didn't mean "pimp" literally, that is just recent slang for making something look fancy or "purty." I actually like nickled guns. I have a nickle-plated Colt SAA. If they had made a nickle-plated commercial model Luger, I would buy one, but I'm a stickler for originality.

beachbaker · 07-10-2007, 11:59 PM

Ed, I have to agree with you on this one. The very first luger I ever bought was chrome because my father (a retired army officer) had one in his foot locker aboard ship on the way home after the war. Upon off loading he found that some body had broken the lock on his locker and taken the only real souvenir he came home with in 1946 and that was a chromed luger. Yes, they may not be collector items but they are certainly history as it was the thing to do. I believe they should be looked at in this context, as history. I value my chrome luger in memory of my father but will never add to it as I have more of a collector interest in lugers than a sentimental one. Thanks, Curt

Lugerdoc · 07-11-2007, 11:53 AM

Many years ago, I saw a true "Pimp" gun at a dealer's shop in the Miami area. A nickel plated Colt Govt model with several sexual positions engraved on the slide. TH

pipeman45 · 07-11-2007, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Lugerdoc
Many years ago, I saw a true "Pimp" gun at a dealer's shop in the Miami area. A nickel plated Colt Govt model with several sexual positions engraved on the slide. TH

What did you have to give for it?

Edward Tinker · 07-11-2007, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tacfoley
I have still got the nickel-plated Smith & Wesson Model 29, with the 6.5" barrel, that belonged to a good friend of mine in the Israel Defence Force. ....

But I still have his revolver.

tac

great story Tac, a true hero and I am sure a good friend. I am glad you have his revolver

Navy · 07-11-2007, 09:20 PM

Lugerdoc,

Tom, I have King Farouk's 1902 Colt 38 Auto. It is gold plated and profusely engraved with the classic scenes of erotica from Greek and Roman mythology. It lettered out with Colt as having gone to a Bond Street dealer in 1914. It always drops jaws when I show it. One may question the taste, but the quality of the engraving is something we simply do not encounter today. The provenance ties it to the sale of his famous and mostly purloined coin collection which was auctioned in France and Switzerland. A cool piece.

Tom A

Rod WMG · 07-12-2007, 01:16 AM

Patten reported said that only a "new Orleans pimp" would have pearl grips on his handgun. I have a nickled Triple Lock Smith from WWI converted from .455 to .45 Colt and tricked out with pearl grips. Guess that maks it a pimp gun twice over!

I have an Erfurt Luger which was nickled too. I think it's great to look at and to shoot. I don't care if it ever is collectible, though that would be nice.

Good nickle finishes are terrific.

Edward Tinker · 07-12-2007, 01:23 AM

everyone is different Rod, I too like a nickle finish, especially if it is a piece that a GI did, thinking it made it cool

383 magnum · 07-12-2007, 03:36 PM

The different attitudes folks have on modifications to military firearms is interesting because it seems to depend on when the modification was made and by whom. A hunter who chooses to sporterize a military rifle, even one that is common and not valuable, often gets called "Bubba." But if a vet nickled a bringback Luger back in 1946 it's thought of as "cool." There's really no difference between these two examples because both involve making what are perceived as "improvements," to their personal property.
What if the bringback Luger had been nickled by someone else? If the Luger changed hands multiple times and was nickle plated by someone who bought it in 1970, would it still be thought of as cool? Not trying to start a flame war here on what someone should or shouldn't do with their personal property. These are just some of my thoughts. It reminds me of the "blood pitting," vs. rust debate.

azlaw · 07-12-2007, 04:00 PM

This raises an interesting issue as to the future value of nickled Lugers, the time when you could say "Oh it's nickled, it's worth $400" seems to be past. Perhaps in the future nickled Lugers will start to have differing values from one another. It may turn out to be important as to "who did it" and "when". Perhaps older nickle jobs done either in theater or in the immediate postwar US may start to have a higher value than those "improved" later. The theory here being that in the case of a captured gun, nickled by its captor near the time of capture, the plating perhaps acquires historical significance in an of itself. Obvioulsy issues like underlying corrosion and degree of buffing will matter as well.

If things were to turn out this way, then we would have the complex issue of determining the provenance of the plating job, and setting values accordingly. Supporting documents (especially "capture papers" etc) would obviously help, but probably examination of the plating would be all that was available.

Could be a brave new world. Or not.

H

Pete Ebbink · 07-14-2007, 12:02 AM

Plated AND with a DH on the chamber :

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...?Item=76000759

383 magnum · 07-14-2007, 10:06 AM

I would guess that the Death's Head is fake? If it's real, then someone wrecked a good pistol.

Carl · 07-15-2007, 02:51 PM

I think I told the membership before but I'll repeat it again.

I was at a local auction about 2 years ago. There was a nickle or chrome plated Luger there (miss-matched numbers) . It sold for $1700 ! There was not just one fool there but two! At the time I figured it was a $350 shooter.

Carl

Carl · 07-15-2007, 02:51 PM

I think I told the membership before but I'll repeat it again.

I was at a local auction about 2 years ago. There was a nickle or chrome plated Luger there (miss-matched numbers) . It sold for $1700 ! There was not just one fool there but two! At the time I figured it was a $350 shooter.

Carl

pipeman45 · 07-15-2007, 04:10 PM

Anyhow, it's obvious why the bids went so high - any Luger that belonged to Henry VIII, King of England, just had to be worth a lot of money, eh?

tac [/B][/QUOTE]

It couldn't be the King's pistol. I have it.
Had to get it after missing the George Washington matched pair. I hear some English guy bought them.

zeke1312 · 07-17-2007, 12:30 PM

"Different strokes for different folks". To one who has a collectors knowledge and therefore selects a pistol that meets the collectors group criteria, a good Luger means ( ) fill in the blanks.

To another "stratus" or level of Luger owner or potential owner, especially those who are not into the collector "thing", they pay with somewhat less concern with the "actual" value but with their perceived value of the gun.

Some folks who own "Show & Shine" autos never drive theirs while other S&S like to cruise around.

unspellable · 07-17-2007, 02:29 PM

I've heard plated Lugers referred to rather indiscriminately as either nickel or chrome plated. IÃ¢??ve never encountered mention of a chrome plated gun of any description with a plating job done before the 1960Ã¢??s and even then few and far between.

Are all these plated Lugers nickel plated or is there really such a thing as a chrome plated one? I have GoeringÃ¢??s personal Luger at home. ItÃ¢??s clearly nickel plate. Not a very good job of it though.

07-10-2007, 11:34 PM	#1
383 magnum User Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 120 Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Chrome-plated Luger I'm bumfuzzled as to why a pimped-out Luger would bring this much. Is there something special about the RAD belt buckle? An original Luger could have been bought for that price. Do some collectors want non-original plated Lugers? I admit that it would be cool to have one for a novelty, but I can't imagine paying that much when I could have another original one in that price range. Just my perspective. If the person who bought it is happy, that's all that really matters. http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...?Item=75315629

07-10-2007, 11:39 PM	#2
Edward Tinker Super Moderator Eternal Lifer LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: North of Spokane, WA Posts: 15,935 Thanks: 2,033 Thanked 4,533 Times in 2,093 Posts	not to me. however, minus $200-$300 for the holster, the belt buckle, another $100 (maybe more??), so the nickled luger cost $400-$500 if you think of why these are nickled, then maybe you won't put them in the "pimp" category. They were nickled / chromed because that was the in thing to do at the time after ww2, had very little to do with "pimps"... __________________ Edward Tinker ************ Co-Author of Police Lugers - Co-Author of Simson Lugers Author of Veteran Bring Backs Vol I, Vol II, Vol III and Vol IV

07-10-2007, 11:59 PM	#4
beachbaker Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: california Posts: 135 Thanks: 27 Thanked 106 Times in 29 Posts	Ed, I have to agree with you on this one. The very first luger I ever bought was chrome because my father (a retired army officer) had one in his foot locker aboard ship on the way home after the war. Upon off loading he found that some body had broken the lock on his locker and taken the only real souvenir he came home with in 1946 and that was a chromed luger. Yes, they may not be collector items but they are certainly history as it was the thing to do. I believe they should be looked at in this context, as history. I value my chrome luger in memory of my father but will never add to it as I have more of a collector interest in lugers than a sentimental one. Thanks, Curt __________________ Curt

07-11-2007, 11:53 AM	#5
Lugerdoc Patron LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: POB 398 St.Charles,MO. 63302 Posts: 5,089 Thanks: 6 Thanked 736 Times in 483 Posts	Many years ago, I saw a true "Pimp" gun at a dealer's shop in the Miami area. A nickel plated Colt Govt model with several sexual positions engraved on the slide. TH __________________ Tom Heller POB 398 ST.Charles, MO. 63302 Tel 636-447-3006 [email protected]

07-10-2007, 11:56 PM	#3
383 magnum User Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 120 Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Edward, If the holster is worth that much, then that's probably a fair price for the Luger. I didn't mean "pimp" literally, that is just recent slang for making something look fancy or "purty." I actually like nickled guns. I have a nickle-plated Colt SAA. If they had made a nickle-plated commercial model Luger, I would buy one, but I'm a stickler for originality.

07-11-2007, 09:20 PM	#8
Navy RIP Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Dc 'burbs in Virginia Posts: 2,482 Thanks: 0 Thanked 16 Times in 10 Posts	Lugerdoc, Tom, I have King Farouk's 1902 Colt 38 Auto. It is gold plated and profusely engraved with the classic scenes of erotica from Greek and Roman mythology. It lettered out with Colt as having gone to a Bond Street dealer in 1914. It always drops jaws when I show it. One may question the taste, but the quality of the engraving is something we simply do not encounter today. The provenance ties it to the sale of his famous and mostly purloined coin collection which was auctioned in France and Switzerland. A cool piece. Tom A

07-12-2007, 01:16 AM	#9
Rod WMG User Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: The Edge of Texas Posts: 514 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Patten reported said that only a "new Orleans pimp" would have pearl grips on his handgun. I have a nickled Triple Lock Smith from WWI converted from .455 to .45 Colt and tricked out with pearl grips. Guess that maks it a pimp gun twice over! I have an Erfurt Luger which was nickled too. I think it's great to look at and to shoot. I don't care if it ever is collectible, though that would be nice. Good nickle finishes are terrific.

07-12-2007, 01:23 AM	#10
Edward Tinker Super Moderator Eternal Lifer LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: North of Spokane, WA Posts: 15,935 Thanks: 2,033 Thanked 4,533 Times in 2,093 Posts	everyone is different Rod, I too like a nickle finish, especially if it is a piece that a GI did, thinking it made it cool

07-12-2007, 03:36 PM	#11
383 magnum User Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 120 Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	The different attitudes folks have on modifications to military firearms is interesting because it seems to depend on when the modification was made and by whom. A hunter who chooses to sporterize a military rifle, even one that is common and not valuable, often gets called "Bubba." But if a vet nickled a bringback Luger back in 1946 it's thought of as "cool." There's really no difference between these two examples because both involve making what are perceived as "improvements," to their personal property. What if the bringback Luger had been nickled by someone else? If the Luger changed hands multiple times and was nickle plated by someone who bought it in 1970, would it still be thought of as cool? Not trying to start a flame war here on what someone should or shouldn't do with their personal property. These are just some of my thoughts. It reminds me of the "blood pitting," vs. rust debate.

07-12-2007, 04:00 PM	#12
azlaw User Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 204 Thanks: 1 Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts	This raises an interesting issue as to the future value of nickled Lugers, the time when you could say "Oh it's nickled, it's worth $400" seems to be past. Perhaps in the future nickled Lugers will start to have differing values from one another. It may turn out to be important as to "who did it" and "when". Perhaps older nickle jobs done either in theater or in the immediate postwar US may start to have a higher value than those "improved" later. The theory here being that in the case of a captured gun, nickled by its captor near the time of capture, the plating perhaps acquires historical significance in an of itself. Obvioulsy issues like underlying corrosion and degree of buffing will matter as well. If things were to turn out this way, then we would have the complex issue of determining the provenance of the plating job, and setting values accordingly. Supporting documents (especially "capture papers" etc) would obviously help, but probably examination of the plating would be all that was available. Could be a brave new world. Or not. H

07-14-2007, 12:02 AM	#13
Pete Ebbink User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The USA Posts: 5,919 Thanks: 0 Thanked 6 Times in 4 Posts	Plated AND with a DH on the chamber : http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...?Item=76000759

07-14-2007, 10:06 AM	#14
383 magnum User Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 120 Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	I would guess that the Death's Head is fake? If it's real, then someone wrecked a good pistol.

07-15-2007, 02:51 PM	#15
Carl User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Central PA Posts: 113 Thanks: 0 Thanked 5 Times in 2 Posts	I think I told the membership before but I'll repeat it again. I was at a local auction about 2 years ago. There was a nickle or chrome plated Luger there (miss-matched numbers) . It sold for $1700 ! There was not just one fool there but two! At the time I figured it was a $350 shooter. Carl

07-15-2007, 04:10 PM	#17
pipeman45 User Join Date: May 2004 Location: Kentucky Posts: 539 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Anyhow, it's obvious why the bids went so high - any Luger that belonged to Henry VIII, King of England, just had to be worth a lot of money, eh? tac [/B][/QUOTE] It couldn't be the King's pistol. I have it. Had to get it after missing the George Washington matched pair. I hear some English guy bought them.

07-17-2007, 12:30 PM	#18
zeke1312 User Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 167 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	"Different strokes for different folks". To one who has a collectors knowledge and therefore selects a pistol that meets the collectors group criteria, a good Luger means ( ) fill in the blanks. To another "stratus" or level of Luger owner or potential owner, especially those who are not into the collector "thing", they pay with somewhat less concern with the "actual" value but with their perceived value of the gun. Some folks who own "Show & Shine" autos never drive theirs while other S&S like to cruise around.

07-17-2007, 02:29 PM	#19
unspellable User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Iowa Posts: 768 Thanks: 0 Thanked 19 Times in 11 Posts	I've heard plated Lugers referred to rather indiscriminately as either nickel or chrome plated. IÃ¢??ve never encountered mention of a chrome plated gun of any description with a plating job done before the 1960Ã¢??s and even then few and far between. Are all these plated Lugers nickel plated or is there really such a thing as a chrome plated one? I have GoeringÃ¢??s personal Luger at home. ItÃ¢??s clearly nickel plate. Not a very good job of it though.