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Many returning GI's dressed up these pistols in an effort to create a more impressive war trophy.
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The few WWII vets I've known (includng my father) who owned or brought back trophies kept them to themselves, and generally didn't show them off or talk all that much about them.
A few vets who had WWII bring-backs plated, simply did it because they didn't consider the weapons in question "collectibles"; they just wanted a nickel-plated gun. (I recently saw a P-38 like that; the seller was looking for a premium price, but there were no takers.)
Guys from the WWII generation weren't much into bragging. Many of the combat vets I've known won't do that... (I'm a Vietnam era vet who never saw combat; a couple of my close friends saw a lot of combat, and they'll only talk about their combat experiences with other combat vets whom they know UNDERSTAND.)