Harley, you got up too early and missed the century on the Mauser. Y2K, I guess...
Skip: Yeah, do a lot of reading. Get a handle on which guns, and on their general pricing.
Focus on some specifics: How high a quality, do you want the variants (standard Garand or Sniper version or both; any manufacturer, or more than one, etc.) and how many countries? Long guns only, or handguns also?
Doing some homework before laying money on the table will save you a lot of money!!!
A couple of hundred dollars on books can save thousands in a collection.
Good luck and have fun! Art