Having had a hand in the 'rescuing' of the literal serial number 1 Krieghoff-manufactured Luger back in the late 1990's, the police to whom it had been handed in having not the foggiest notion of the true value of this legendary pistol, nothing really surprises me any more where guns and the country's constabulary in general are concerned.
An American collector of my acquaintance has a cheque for half a million dollars to buy it, if it ever comes up for sale.
Add to that the unfired, cased and profusely engraved Colt Paterson that was found in a house clearance in Tyneside some years back, that eventually sold for around $300K, that too was minutes away from the cutter's torch when somebody thought, uhoh, I wonder if this might be worth anything?
D'oh.
tac