Luccese boots are cheaper now than back when they were custom built only, worn by presidents, and not owned by a conglomerate. It's the same with hats. American Hat started buying up all the makers years ago, Stetson, Baily, Charlie 1 Horse, et al. Quality changed, prices fell for a bit and now they are increasing. Blue Bell owns a bunch of boot makers now, Luccese included. I don't think one can buy a custom built pair of Luccese any longer. "Handmade" boots means the same for boots and pipes these days, machines and some handwork. There are still a few quality custom carvers, boot makers and hatters.
A sad state of affairs for boots and hats. Custom pipe carvers seem to be thriving though. I doubt any are getting rich but, there does appear to few "artists in briar" out there.
A word of caution for cowboy hat buyers: 100X, 10X, etc all mean something different to hatters. Only 100% Beaver means anything and then you are looking for the belly of the beaver if you insist on top quality. Heck, I've seen ads for 1000X but, there was not a claim that such was 100% beaver.