Back in the early-mid 1950s, the basic Model 90 O/U sold for around $95 - fairly expensive for that time vs. other shotgun types, would probably be close to $1000 in today's money. They also offered a little fancier version for $125. The basic (Belgian) Browning O/Us were selling for around $250 then, so the Marlin was a relative bargain for the man who wanted an O/U. The only problem I can think of for the Marlin is if an internal part broke, finding a replacement part would probably be very difficult.