Announcing a major policy change...

[Krogen]

I could put up with unfired, NIB guns if they would just quit whining and begging to be taken to the range. The voices! They wait for me to drift off to sleep and they call to me! It doesn't stop until they've been satisfied. How could they be so ungrateful? Having a nice, dry, clean home to live in? Nooooo.... They want to be subjected to cold, rain and horror of horrors .... powder fouling! Sheesh!

(It's a joke, son... it's a joke.)

 

[Xfuzz]

Most here have their investment/retirement/living money made.
I think we are all stunned at the current prices for some S&W's.
In short, many of us have very desirable/now valuable Smith's stuck away in safes.

I agree with Frank...I still buy good Smith when I come across them.
Any 95% or better N frame will not be shot...I have shooters.
I think the hottest K frame right now are 19's and 66's in 2.5 inch.
Near all 4" N's are sought after.

This "fun" hobby has changed....

 

[Rex Goliath]

Make new friends. Keep the old. Stay healthy. Collect experiences and good memories. These you will not regret. Whether to collect, speculate or shoot; (remember the creed) it is your gun, there are many like it, it is useless without you, master it as you master life.

A "speculation" is not an investment. An "investment" by definition is an allocation of capital for the purpose of producing more capital. Capital is the (governmental issued) paper currency one is obligated to use. There are only 3 ways a government can get money; taxation (unwelcome), borrowing (delayed taxes) or printing more money (inflating the money supply...drives up prices). At one time, salt was used as money (salary is derived from Latin sal dare). Likewise, paper is not such a good form of money. Guns 'n ammo are like fire extinguishers. You may not be expecting a fire, but if one breaks out... you'll be glad you have that fire extinguisher.

On gun values, historical comparisons are not worth anything; because, this era is different. It is not advisable to place any value on any past price action, on any price projections or any attempts at value. Prices of guns & ammo (as well as precious metals) rise in times of fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD). The only things that can be done with risk are: ignore it, accept it, mitigate it, or transfer the risk. In time of FUD, a reliable shooter is comforting. Guns are not like traditional investments, they are more like insurance. A premium is paid for the privilege of transferring the threatened risk somewhere else. Guns are probably still a good value; but personally, I would not pay 10X's (P/E) price:earnings ratio. It is just an inanimate object.

Stay healthy enough to survive (whether that is a knee or hip replacement or to recover from some unexpected event that sends you to a hospital or doctor for treatment. IMHO, hospitals and doctors offices are not places one wants to spend too much time other than for preventative care. Time may be better spent shooting and sending some lead down range with some like minded companions.


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[walter o]

How many of us could stand to have a wife like M.Monroe , Sophia Loren,and not want to try her out. I know i am showing my age ,but if taken care of you can't wear them out. It is great to see new old guns but i would rather have a gun owned and shot by a famous - infamous person than one that is new in box. To me (a gear head )they are machines.

 

[bmg60]

Hi
I am going to add my 2 cents to this Thread.
I believe there are 3 roads to go down on collecting and they bring different
ending over time.

The first road is the one we are in now and who knows how long it will keep going.
It is the NIB road with prices that are out of the normal progressing of prices going up. will the prices hold up over the next couple of years. I would say Not. Just my guess.

The 2nd road is the collecting of historical guns with a documented history. These will not have large swings of increase but they will alway be a good investment because of the limited amount and the history. guns owned by famous people, famous shooters, outlaws.

The last road is the collecting of Rare and limited production guns. one of one, one of 10, one of 50. These will always have a market that is more stable
that the first two. But the increases will not be as large. But there will not be any more out there to find.

Like I said at the start, this is just my 2 cents worth but I have some history to back this up. I have been doing this for over 40 Years.
Jim Fisher

 

[quinn]

My objective is simple: 'have too many guns to shoot'. Ergo, it would be acceptable to have a few safe queens...

 

[John H/PA]

If one never intends to sell a gun, what difference does it make what its worth? And when we're gone, we no longer have control over it. No one can tell what our family or friends will do with them. I have one that hasn't been shot, and I guess I never will now just because its been unfired for thiry some years. The rest have been shot and I enjoyed every range trip or hunting day with them.

 

[gaucho1]

So...............

Does anyone else sense that SP has placed some bait?


Just me?

Well...........this is to say I now think SP is serious..........please ignore whats above............I think...........

 

[coltle6920]

I wouldn't have this problem if I stopped buying blued revolvers.I buy them with all intentions of shooting them but after getting them home they look too darn pretty to shoot.Fortunately I've got a few beaters to shoot and the stainless ones seem to hold up much better.

It's definitely not an investment for me and there aren't any collectibles in my safe but a lot of them are considered some of S&W best models made or used.

I hope I live long enough to find someone to pass them on to that will value them as much as I have.

 

[S&W19506070]

I have two mind sets, I buy to shoot or I buy to preserve and leave behind to our family. I pick models that I think will remain iconic, in calibers that should remain in production.

 

[smutt]

Since having a correct box appears to double the value at auction if you don't have a correct box then get one. If the seller wants $500 for a box...pay it.

"Correct" is not "Original", and there is only 1 original box. All the rest are fakes / forgeries / from crooks trying to make an extra buck off of the uninformed or greedy buyer.

 

[Chris642]

I arrived on the firearms scene way too late and with limited funds to worry about keeping or acquiring any collectables. Although my stepdad and Mother are currently in possession of my great grandfathers S&W revolver in .32 cal (don't know the model #) with box that I believe was never fired. I hope to inherit this someday.

If I happen to come across any good deals I'll jump on it but that is becoming increasingly less likely. I'll just be sure to take care of and keep whatever I have now or may get in the future, original box and all. Some of today's guns may become tomorrows collectables, just as the Smiths of old were at one time new, affordable and easy to find.

 

[Hondo44]

Chris,

Start a new thread and post a photo of the .32. We love to see pictures of unfired old guns in their box and identify it for you.

 

[Chris642]

Chris,

Start a new thread and post a photo of the .32. We love to see pictures of unfired old guns in their box and identify it for you.

I don't have a pic of it, but I will get one and the serial/model number the next time I visit them. I remember handling it a few times when I was a kid. It had the blue box then, and a vintage full box of .32 ammo too.

 

[Hondo44]

Guns 'n ammo are like fire extinguishers. You may not be expecting a fire, but if one breaks out... you'll be glad you have that fire extinguisher.

Rex,

Well stated.

I think a gun is more like a parachute. If you don't have one the first time you need it, you won't ever need one again.

 

[Hondo44]

I don't have a pic of it, but I will get one and the serial/model number the next time I visit them. I remember handling it a few times when I was a kid. It had the blue box then, and a vintage full box of .32 ammo too.

Chris,

They didn't have model numbers before 1957. So to help us identify and date it, besides the serial number you'll need to look for these things, which will help us help you:
http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-hand-ejectors-1896-1961/326457-identify-your-gun.html

 

[whitestang]

I'm one that would keep a rare firearm in unfired condition. I own a classic car and drive it to work,store etc as it was made to drive and firearms were made to go bang.

 

[jtcarm]

Dang! You all make it so hard. It's not. You see a gun to collect, buy it put it away. You see a gun to shoot, buy it, shoot it. There's really not much to argue about.

'Ditto.

But personally, I wouldn't hang on to a safe queen. In the near-impossible event I acquire a specimen too rare/valuable to shoot, it will be offered to one of you no-shoot collectors who will keep it safe from hands like mine that instinctively want to shoot any S&W revolver they handle.

That would be at a substantial profit, of course

 

[jtcarm]

Mister Doctor Pig,
Sir,
I think your amended position could also include many post-1982 revolvers ..... models 63, 547, 610, and 4" 617 to name a few.



Weatherby,
I echo your sentiments. Like the old Visa ads: Depreciation of shooting a like-new revolver. A few hundred dollars. Having your son and nephew enjoy the day with you. Priceless.

John
Scoundrel and Ne'er-Do-Well in Training

Yep, he'll treasure those guns much more for the memories of shooting with his dad than value.

My late father was a Ruger collector and left behind some very valuable guns. The belong to my mother, but my brother and I are custodians, as she is in a nursing home with dementia.

But the only thing I absolutely want is his custom mauser .270, with which I killed my first deer.

Kinda off subject, but among his Rugers are an un-fired, consecutively numbered pair of MK-II .22 bull-barrel target models. Now the kicker: they are blued stainless steel, part of a special run made for a foreign military's spec-ops unit. A slight over-run of 46 guns were sold to RCA members (I held an FFL back then and had them shipped to me.)

They include not only boxes, papers, etc, but a letter of authenticity from the RCA which documents exactly what they are and how many were sold to the public.

I'm going to have to get in touch with RCA to find an appraiser that can give me an accurate value.

 

[Chris642]

Chris,

They didn't have model numbers before 1957. So to help us identify and date it, besides the serial number you'll need to look for these things, which will help us help you:
http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-hand-ejectors-1896-1961/326457-identify-your-gun.html

Thanks for the info. It's been 25 years since I last saw my great grandfather's .32 S&W so I have no idea. All I know is it was pristine then with the box and 6 loose .32 cartridges in the box and a box of vintage .32 ammo those came from. I believe the ammo was made by Remington. Knowing my family and their good intentions but ultimately lack of enthusiasm for firearms, I doubt that it was ever fired but I can't prove it by looking.

My Mom and stepdad live far from me so I can't just go and take a look but the next time I visit I will get all the info and some pics. I also informed my Stepdad in a polite and nice way that he ought not to get any ideas about selling that gun, and I don't think he will.