|
|
10-16-2021, 12:07 PM
|
|
SWCA Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Rhode Island
Posts: 6,712
Likes: 27,026
Liked 37,122 Times in 4,575 Posts
|
|
Vintage Ammo Value
I dragged out 6 -50 cal ammo cans today just to take a look at what I have, and it amazed me. These cans have not been opened in probably 40 years, but they are indoors and sealed. Over a 1000 rounds of 38 hardball, 45acp, components, S&W 44 mag ( 5.98/box), 22 ammo 2.00/hundred, Super Vel 9mm and 38, and the list goes on.
25 round box of OO 12ga buckshot.
I also found a full box of the picture below. I know they are pretty old, and there must be some ammo collectors here. Any specific value to this box of 30-06?
__________________
Pete
I ain't no fortunate son
|
The Following 7 Users Like Post:
|
|
10-16-2021, 01:05 PM
|
|
US Veteran
|
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: South-Central PA
Posts: 3,914
Likes: 19,188
Liked 6,502 Times in 2,034 Posts
|
|
Nice box of -06. I would have that on display somewhere.
As for collectability, there are lots of people specializing in ammunition now at the gun shows. They talk among themselves about spending $1500. for an old brick of .22 short, etc. I leave the conversations soon after they start. In my (limited) experience with collectible ammo, what interests me most is the eye appeal of the older boxes with eye appealing graphics. Go online and do a search - there are clubs/associations that do nothing but collectible ammunition.
__________________
NRA Endowment Member
|
The Following 2 Users Like Post:
|
|
10-16-2021, 01:37 PM
|
US Veteran
|
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Missouri
Posts: 370
Likes: 4,886
Liked 1,492 Times in 246 Posts
|
|
I do not know the value but I like it. I bought some ww 2 ball ammo 30/06 and payed about $55 for it after shipping.
|
The Following User Likes This Post:
|
|
10-17-2021, 10:36 PM
|
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 17,800
Likes: 7,843
Liked 25,708 Times in 8,687 Posts
|
|
My findings after years of collecting vintage ammo and boxes.......
When you are a buyer - everything is worth a small fortune.
When you are a seller, they are not worth squat.
LOL - but that always seems to be the case.
|
The Following 8 Users Like Post:
|
|
10-17-2021, 11:03 PM
|
|
US Veteran
|
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: East of Stick Marsh, Fla.
Posts: 9,534
Likes: 4,991
Liked 21,262 Times in 6,421 Posts
|
|
__________________
USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.
Last edited by AJ; 10-17-2021 at 11:08 PM.
|
The Following User Likes This Post:
|
|
10-17-2021, 11:59 PM
|
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: South Texas & San Antonio
Posts: 33,606
Likes: 240
Liked 29,113 Times in 14,076 Posts
|
|
As a very general rule, if the ammunition is from post-WWII it is unlikely to have significant collectible value unless it is a full box and the box is in pristine condition, or is in a very unusual or scarce caliber which is no longer available. Otherwise you can assume it is probably not worth much, if any, more than present-day prices for similar new ammunition.
Ammunition made between WWI and WWII, in a full box and in reasonably good condition will probably have some collector premium, depending upon caliber and box condition.
Very old ammunition, say mid-19th to early 20th Century, in full boxes in reasonably good condition may well have significant to very significant collector value, depending upon the maker and caliber.
Common Military small arms ammunition from WWI and WWII, any country, will generally not bring high prices as so much of it was made.
The box of Winchester .30-'06 ammunition previously shown is probably not greatly overpriced, as it is from pre-WWII and would be an attractive period companion piece to anyone who had a collection including early Winchester Model 70 .30-'06 rifles.
Last edited by DWalt; 10-18-2021 at 12:10 AM.
|
The Following 3 Users Like Post:
|
|
10-18-2021, 10:29 AM
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Mountains of Colorado
Posts: 2,811
Likes: 2,428
Liked 6,630 Times in 1,832 Posts
|
|
I have collected vintage ammo for more decades than I care to mention. I find these style post war boxes at gun shows and estate sales quite often. I seldom pay more than $20 for such a box. However yours is in very good condition and if the ammo is untarnished and new another $10 to $15 would not be unheard of. Finding some collector to buy it is the rub, most of us collectors already has some. Selling antique ammo is different. I acquired several cases of pre 1960 Winchester 30-30 ammo loaded with full metal jacket bullets. The cases have a shipping label that states their destination as Sing Sing prison. This ammo and boxes are beyond pristine and with history. Yet when I sell a box or 2 I get only $25 per box. About the same as you would buy new ammo at Walmart.
|
The Following 2 Users Like Post:
|
|
10-18-2021, 01:45 PM
|
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: South Texas & San Antonio
Posts: 33,606
Likes: 240
Liked 29,113 Times in 14,076 Posts
|
|
I once ran across some .30 Remington ammo which was specially loaded for the FBI in the immediate postwar period. For some reason, the FBI once used a light .30 Rem load to use in their special Remington Model 81 rifles, not sure why. Allegedly the FBI Model 81s used a somewhat lighter recoil spring to match the load. I also found some Remington white box .30 Remington ammo from, probably, the 1960s loaded with FMJ bullets, which also could have been made for prison use or by some LE agency. The Remington Models 8 and 81 rifles in .30 Rem did have some popularity in LE circles in the 1930s-60s. I have five boxes of it. That's the sort of old ammo that can be very desirable to the right purchaser.
Last edited by DWalt; 10-18-2021 at 01:50 PM.
|
The Following User Likes This Post:
|
|
10-19-2021, 02:36 AM
|
US Veteran
|
|
|
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: New Iberia, Louisiana
Posts: 4,588
Likes: 25,427
Liked 3,380 Times in 1,736 Posts
|
|
Cartridge collections, Most of what I have is american military,one box is sporting caecridges and the remaining one is for foreign military.The U.S. one is 30-06 ammo,grenade launching blanks and the third is just sporting rifle cartridge. Frank
|
The Following User Likes This Post:
|
|
10-19-2021, 10:15 AM
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Mountains of Colorado
Posts: 2,811
Likes: 2,428
Liked 6,630 Times in 1,832 Posts
|
|
DWALT and I both have some unusual fmj ammo. I always carry a handful of fmj ammo in whatever gun I have. Turkeys and coyote are perfect game for fmj bullets fired from a high power rifle. You never know when you might sneak around the corner and find an elephant in the tulip patch.
|
The Following 2 Users Like Post:
|
|
10-19-2021, 10:45 AM
|
|
US Veteran
|
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: East of Stick Marsh, Fla.
Posts: 9,534
Likes: 4,991
Liked 21,262 Times in 6,421 Posts
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by 30-30remchester
DWALT and I both have some unusual fmj ammo. I always carry a handful of fmj ammo in whatever gun I have. Turkeys and coyote are perfect game for fmj bullets fired from a high power rifle. You never know when you might sneak around the corner and find an elephant in the tulip patch.
|
Unusual?? This is FMJ!
__________________
USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.
|
The Following 3 Users Like Post:
|
|
10-19-2021, 11:43 AM
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Mountains of Colorado
Posts: 2,811
Likes: 2,428
Liked 6,630 Times in 1,832 Posts
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by AJ
Unusual?? This is FMJ!
|
I believe I had a Deringer that fired that round.
|
The Following User Likes This Post:
|
|
10-19-2021, 11:47 AM
|
|
US Veteran
|
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: East of Stick Marsh, Fla.
Posts: 9,534
Likes: 4,991
Liked 21,262 Times in 6,421 Posts
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by 30-30remchester
I believe I had a Deringer that fired that round.
|
That is a round for a 37 MM Hotchkiss revolving cannon. Dated Jan. 1891.
__________________
USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.
|
The Following 2 Users Like Post:
|
|
10-19-2021, 08:01 PM
|
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: South Texas & San Antonio
Posts: 33,606
Likes: 240
Liked 29,113 Times in 14,076 Posts
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by 30-30remchester
DWALT and I both have some unusual fmj ammo. I always carry a handful of fmj ammo in whatever gun I have. Turkeys and coyote are perfect game for fmj bullets fired from a high power rifle. You never know when you might sneak around the corner and find an elephant in the tulip patch.
|
Back in the "Old" days of the early 20th Century, the factories offered lightly loaded ammunition with lighter weight bullets in some of the popular rifle calibers of the time (.30-30, .303 Savage, etc.) specifically for the purpose of use on smaller game at close range, and also for finishing shots on larger downed game, so as not to spoil much meat. Still not a bad idea.
Last edited by DWalt; 10-19-2021 at 08:07 PM.
|
The Following User Likes This Post:
|
|
10-20-2021, 08:03 AM
|
|
SWCA Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Rhode Island
Posts: 6,712
Likes: 27,026
Liked 37,122 Times in 4,575 Posts
|
|
Thanks for all the input. Cartridge collecting is not a world I ever want to head into. I know nothing about it. I have looked at the wards. The box of ammo in my original post id full of ammo. I have a couple full boxes of 45 Colt like that also
__________________
Pete
I ain't no fortunate son
|
The Following User Likes This Post:
|
|
10-20-2021, 09:12 AM
|
|
US Veteran
|
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: East of Stick Marsh, Fla.
Posts: 9,534
Likes: 4,991
Liked 21,262 Times in 6,421 Posts
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Narragansett
Thanks for all the input. Cartridge collecting is not a world I ever want to head into. I know nothing about it. I have looked at the wards. The box of ammo in my original post id full of ammo. I have a couple full boxes of 45 Colt like that also
|
No need to head in to the world of cartridge collecting. It is not for everyone. I have two rooms of "stuff", so I consider myself an accumulator. If you have an area like that then display them. If you don't want to do that then the options are yours. A dealer will not give you hardly anything for them, so if you decide to sell them, then sell them to a collector. Guns shows are a good place to get rid of things that you no longer want. There you can buy, sell & trade to your hearts content. Good luck.
AJ
__________________
USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.
|
The Following 4 Users Like Post:
|
|
10-20-2021, 12:09 PM
|
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: South Texas & San Antonio
Posts: 33,606
Likes: 240
Liked 29,113 Times in 14,076 Posts
|
|
For those who may be interested in collecting ammunition, a good place to start is on the International Ammunition Association (IAA) website and forum. It's a different world.
|
The Following 2 Users Like Post:
|
|
10-20-2021, 12:18 PM
|
|
US Veteran
|
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: East of Stick Marsh, Fla.
Posts: 9,534
Likes: 4,991
Liked 21,262 Times in 6,421 Posts
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by DWalt
For those who may be interested in collecting ammunition, a good place to start is on the International Ammunition Association (IAA) website and forum. It's a different world.
|
Been a member there a long time. If you have a question about virtually any ammo, someone there has an answer!
__________________
USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.
|
The Following User Likes This Post:
|
|
10-20-2021, 04:37 PM
|
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: South Texas & San Antonio
Posts: 33,606
Likes: 240
Liked 29,113 Times in 14,076 Posts
|
|
Indeed they do. It has been my experience that almost any esoteric question about ammunition asked in the forum will get several good responses quickly. And no limits - any ammunition from a .22 Short to a 16" naval rifle, plus rockets, torpedoes, bombs, grenades, and nukes is fair game. But I have stumped the experts several times. It is a very professional no-nonsense organization, many of the members (who are from all over the world) have extensive first-hand experience in the ammunition (or munitions) field. IAA also publishes a very informative bi-monthly journal, and I have written several articles for it.
Last edited by DWalt; 10-20-2021 at 05:01 PM.
|
The Following 3 Users Like Post:
|
|
10-20-2021, 07:22 PM
|
Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Mountains of Colorado
Posts: 2,811
Likes: 2,428
Liked 6,630 Times in 1,832 Posts
|
|
Since we are talking vintage ammo, I am asking fellow member to look around their house for a single 1" Bomb Lance for my Cunningham & Cogan whaling gun. Since I purchased this harpoon gun I have missed the few rounds of ammo that have come up for sale. Only see a round every 4 or 5 years and I am always a day late and a dollar short.
|
The Following User Likes This Post:
|
|
10-20-2021, 07:59 PM
|
|
US Veteran
|
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: East of Stick Marsh, Fla.
Posts: 9,534
Likes: 4,991
Liked 21,262 Times in 6,421 Posts
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by 30-30remchester
Since we are talking vintage ammo, I am asking fellow member to look around their house for a single 1" Bomb Lance for my Cunningham & Cogan whaling gun. Since I purchased this harpoon gun I have missed the few rounds of ammo that have come up for sale. Only see a round every 4 or 5 years and I am always a day late and a dollar short.
|
Will keep you in mind if I see one. The LGS gets some odd stuff in from time to time. I picked up three rounds of 37 MM there once, two French and the Winchester that was pictured.
__________________
USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.
|
The Following User Likes This Post:
|
|
10-21-2021, 07:59 AM
|
|
SWCA Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Rhode Island
Posts: 6,712
Likes: 27,026
Liked 37,122 Times in 4,575 Posts
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by AJ
No need to head in to the world of cartridge collecting. It is not for everyone. I have two rooms of "stuff", so I consider myself an accumulator. If you have an area like that then display them. If you don't want to do that then the options are yours. A dealer will not give you hardly anything for them, so if you decide to sell them, then sell them to a collector. Guns shows are a good place to get rid of things that you no longer want. There you can buy, sell & trade to your hearts content. Good luck.
AJ
|
I live in RI, next to MA and CT. I will never live long enough to see a gun show here
__________________
Pete
I ain't no fortunate son
|
10-21-2021, 08:03 AM
|
|
US Veteran
|
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: East of Stick Marsh, Fla.
Posts: 9,534
Likes: 4,991
Liked 21,262 Times in 6,421 Posts
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Narragansett
I live in RI, next to MA and CT. I will never live long enough to see a gun show here
|
Very sorry to hear that...........Time to move?
__________________
USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.
|
The Following User Likes This Post:
|
|
10-21-2021, 11:17 AM
|
|
SWCA Member
|
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Rhode Island
Posts: 6,712
Likes: 27,026
Liked 37,122 Times in 4,575 Posts
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by AJ
Very sorry to hear that...........Time to move?
|
Like a fool I came back. Salt water in my veins, and aging family.
Prior to coming back I was 13 years in PA, but not bullet shooting. Very heavy into the trapshooting circuit, so gun shows meant nothing to me, and I did not need any trap guns.
__________________
Pete
I ain't no fortunate son
|
|
Posting Rules
|
|
|
|
|