Everyday, the Baltimore police try to stop and catch criminals. Like every big city, police stay very busy trying to get guns off the streets. However, not very often do they come across a suspect with a vintage Luger pistol.
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On Nov. 28, 2018, Baltimore police announced on Facebook that they had arrested a suspect in possession of drugs and a loaded handgun. They discovered the 16-year-old suspect in the 3400 block of Edmondson Avenue, located in the Southwest District of the city. Police charged Robert Crawford as an adult. However, at no point did police seem to realize the significance of the pistol they discovered.
Vintage Luger Pistol
Georg Luger designed the Luger pistol as an improvement of the Borchardt Automatic Pistol. It is considered a toggle-locked, recoil-operated semi-automatic pistol. Also known as the Parabellum Automatic Pistol, numerous companies produced various Luger models over the years, starting around 1900. Companies actually produced it in various calibers, but it is best known for being the first pistol to fire the 9mm Luger round.
Germany adopted the pistol early, using it in both World Wars. The United States also considered the Luger at one point, but instead choose the 1911 in .45 ACP. However, American soldiers greatly desired the Luger because of its uniqueness. Lots of soldiers brought them home from the wars.
Today, shooters consider Luger pistols to be collector items, particularly vintage Lugers produced in the early 1900s. These guns are actually quite hard to find. Additionally, Lugers command high prices. Even pistols in poor shape can cost $1,000 or more. Guns containing lower serial numbers can cost more than $10,000.
Now it doesn’t look like the Baltimore PD knows what it has in evidence. Nor, did the young suspect realize that the gun he was carrying was valuable. Even in the poor shape shown in the photo, that handgun could have been sold for a decent amount of money. Also, it is kind of sad that this piece of history will probably be destroyed. Hopefully, police will find the owner, or auction this vintage Luger for collectors.
