Missmarked by seller

[Leslie Sapp]

Mainegrw's thread about a missmarked gun got me to thinking.

I recently bought at an online auction a Winchester Model 70 Featherweight in 6.5 x 55 Swedish at considerably less than it should have gone for.

It was marked as "Winchester Model 700 in 6.5 x 700"........

I thought I'd start a thread where others could relate similar anecdotes.

 

[bigolddave]

Many years ago I went to the only local pawn shop on my lunch hour. This shop always had a lot of guns. They had a K38 in the case, for $75; decent price, but not a steal. I looked closer, and realized it was actually a 38/44 Outdoorsman, just about mint. Couldn't get my checkbook out any faster without setting it on fire! Have seen a lot more the other way over the years.

 

[JJEH]

A few years ago I was looking for a specific video camera on ebay. I found an auction where a business offered it for considerably less than the going price... it said factory new product and they had several in stock. IIRC the price was $99 instead of $999. Me being a wise guy bought 3 instead of just one. Ebay didn't allow it... but I guess that's different.

 

[two-bit cowboy]

I can play!

I love this sort of stuff!

Some sellers ain't seen the football since the kickoff.

I picked up this rusty, worn 3" Baby Chiefs Special for $238.

Serial number 30375, and it shipped in July '53, about five years before model numbers showed up.

Other than the 11 two-digit serial numbered 3" Baby Chiefs that went to Brazil in 1951, it's the lowest known serial number 3" Baby on the forum, and there are only 10 known, period, according to threads from yesteryear.

The title of the seller's ad read, "Smith & Wesson model 36 38S&W spl."

I guess nobody wanted a rusty Model 36. I've been offered many multiples of what I paid since I cleaned it up a bit. It's my most cherished Chiefs Special, and I have a fair few.

 

[Absalom]

I found an "old Smith & Wesson M&P" advertised, according to the seller "with the bluing all worn off". After confirming the serial per e-mail, which still didn't ring any bell with the seller, I paid an attractive price for an original-finish Victory in good condition

 

[Rob613]

I have the opposite Victory story that still haunts me...

Wife and I were on a road trip and I stopped at a couple shops along the way. One had a lot of modern black guns with a couple revolvers in a case.

They had a "refinished Model 10" for $199. I knew nothing of SW revolvers at the time. I learned later, as I started my SW education on revolvers, that it was a Victory and recall it being in great shape.

 

[Dave_n]

I referred to this under a different topic. Saw an old Browning High Power in my LGS that was heavily discounted because it was an Inglis and not a BHP. So I picked up a slightly used Mk 2* for a song. My LGS was not happy when they realized that the same pistol (6 numbers greater) was on the front of the Guns and Ammo "Great Guns" book which they were selling. Dave_n

 

[deadin]

Garage sale... Not sure just what it was other than some form of a Trapdoor that looked like it had been "sporterized". I figured any 45/70 had to be worth the $200 asked.
(Turned out to be a whole lot better...)



I did have to replace the front sight, tang sight, hammer screw and wiping rod. (I replicated the tang sight and wiping rod from original specs. The front sight is an Axtell copy and the hammer screw is surplus.)

 

[gregintenn]

I once went to an estate auction. The only mention of anything I was interested in simply read "rifle".
$400 later, I left with a nearly mint pre 64 model 70 Winchester heavy barrel in 220 swift, with original sling and a 12 x Redfield.

 

[Big Cholla]

It was 1980 and I was in a very small mountain town in SW New Mexico. I had stopped for a bite to eat and to fill up my pickup while returning home from one of our construction jobs. I noticed a small hardware store a few doors down from the cafe so wandered in to see what sort of treasures they had. In a far corner I noticed what was then called a "Lawyer's Chest". It had glass doors over the contents. I looked thru the dirty glass and noticed way in the back what looked like a firearm box. I asked for some help and the lady clerk told me that yes, she believed that there were a couple of new guns in that chest for sale. She and I dug out four S&W boxes that all contained new S&Ws. I noticed that the boxes were dusty and probably had never been opened since being put in the chest. The original price tags were on all boxes and were dated. .... From some 10 years prior. I knew immediately that all those prices were way below that day's price. I asked if the price tags were all still good and the clerk assured me that they were. I bought all four S&Ws. I sold three of them at the next gun show in Phoenix and kept a Model 19-3, 6" bbl. with diamond grips. It also had the target trigger and hammer. I don't recall what I made on the three I sold, but of course now I wish I had just kept them NIB. I also sold the M 19 about 15 years later for a very big profit and have now lived to regret doing that. .... :-(

 

[Tom K]

I saw a 1917 on Gunbroker with this as part of the description: [FONT=&quot]"Has the King adjustable sights on the rear, was sent to King Sight Co in the 1940's."[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]It didn't really look like a King conversion to me but I thought I'd go ahead and bid on it. When I lettered it, Roy said this:[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]When Roy says that something is "rare", that gets my attention. And the S&WHF said this and sent me copies of the documents:[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The SCSW says that there were perhaps five Target 1917s built, but discussion on the Forum with Jim Fisher may push that number up to 10 or so. Still pretty uncommon.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]

 

[robvious]

went to an auction... no one wanted the old Remington plinkers.. I managed to grab a 572SB Speedmaster smoothbore pump 22 for less than $175... goofy luck

 

[Ματθιας]

I have two stories.

I was a pawn shop and there was an M1 Garand that had a price tag of $3000. It supposedly had all kinds of custom work done to it - at least that's what the seller told them when it was traded for something else. It was built on a cast Century receiver.

The other one was an early Colt 1911 - also at a pawn shop. It had no finish and judging the patina, it had been without for decades. Anyway, it was priced at $350, and my buddy managed to talk them down to $275 due to condition. It had all kinds of British proof marks.

 

[steelslaver]

My 455 triple lock was marked as a 1917 45

 

[LVSteve]

I once came across an online estate auction where every milsurp was described as a Mauser. One of them was, and it went for proper money.

I got an old Finnish warhorse, a Mosin M28 for a ridiculous low bid because of its "been there, done that" stock and I think the local buyers thought the petrified Sisu grease in the barrel was rust. Won on an $85 bid. Shipping and fees were nearly another $60, lol.

I've scored other unusual milsurps at great prices because they were misrepresented in the listing.

 

[Frank237]

I have bought not one, but TWO three inch M-66's listed as 2 1/2" guns. And amazingly both were priced fairly.

 

[hittman77]

Small town gun store ..... tag said "Old Model Single Six - $350.00".

It was a .357 Blackhawk flattop with 4 5/8 inch barrel and 5 digit serial number in about 95% condition.

 

[4T5GUY]

I've got a few firearms that were either mis-marked by mistake or ignorance. Magazines are another great thing to find mis-marked cause some just see what they are stated to be and are not interested in that particular mag.

My VERY BEST find was a S&W custom 41, made by an "unknown" maker in Riverside CA. (Research, research, research.)

Yep it was and still is one of the 37-43, (per Jim Merritt,) S&W 41 Field Guns that Bob made. This one he did for his good friend and landlord Dr. David Dixon, (the original designer of the Loveless Davis Fighter.)

Jim

 

[austintexas]

I picked up a 3 1/2 inch Registered Magnum at a pawnshop, tagged M-28 highway patrolman. Got it for $350 after I haggled him down from $450.
SWCA 892

 

[Loyaljeeper]

Two years ago I stopped in a pawn shop in my hometown about 15 minutes from where I currently live. I see a "S&W" tag. At first glance I thought it was marked $899 and thought what I nice honest 19 snubby. I look closer and see that it is actually marked $399. I look it over, it has honest wear, and the moving parts feel like they are on ball bearings they are so smooth. I decide in my head that I'm buying it. I ask the clerk how much. He said, "We can do $339 plus tax and check. We sell the new ones for $399." He points to a new j frame in the counter for $399. I left with a 1977 Model 19 and they got my $360 dollars.