Is the Mark23 worth $1500?  you could buy three nice pistols for that much.. or atleast two nice ones.

From the reviews of the pistol when it was first introduced, the &1500 is well worth the price.  The gun is supposed to shoot as well as a custom 1911, and those can cost much more.  I think that it is all in your preference on size of the gun and collection status.  

Just my .02

It's a big ol' fistful of pistol, and because of military contract requirements the controls are unlike any of the USPs out there.

Pro: Big cool factor.

Con: High-dollar, Oversized.

I went with the Tactical, which was HK's way of bringing the pros of the MK23 to the civilian market while eliminating some of the cons. The controls and frame are the standard USP setup, but you get the O-ringed, threaded barrel and match trigger pack. I picked mine up for $850 and you can find them a bit cheaper some places.

Get two Tacticals for the price of one MK23, unless the huge cool quotient is the deciding factor.

***Edited to add 1GUNRUNNER's pic of me with my Tactical. That's me in the middle with the thread protector on the muzzle and the HK tee shirt.***

YEAH BABY!!