Quick value check on a K-22

[karotipir12]

Gunbroker values are all over the place:


Okay I looked through gunbroker completed auctions (not against rules to post links because they're done, right?)

These are just pre-model 5-screw K-22s.
I am just looking at ones without boxes

Some are going for $550-$650
Just a moment...
Just a moment...
Just a moment...
Just a moment...

Even this pre-war outdoorsman went for $600
Just a moment...

Others going for $700-$800
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1017887713
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1022262458
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1020722453
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1008494770

These ones went for +$900-$1100 !?!
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1014661995
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1011989690

Meanwhile it looks like numbered Model 17's going for $500-$600, even with boxes!
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1016178952
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1012213504
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1018623015

 

[Retired W4]

Add fees, shipping and tax.

 

[glowe]

No fees, just sales tax and shipping (unless you use CC) That is reality of the "Old Gun Market" You already categorized what you saw. Guns in the 70% range are selling for less than $700 and better guns are selling for over $700. Value sometimes has little to do with reality. I see prices paid and to me that is what the buyer decided the gun was worth (value).

BTW, I do not believe there were any that sold at above $1000. Be careful and look to make sure there was a bid on them. Lots did not get bids, so not sold.

 

[local_dirt]

gfors based on your description $749 sounds about $150 too much to me.

Wow. You were reading my mind, apparently.

 

[JSR III]

A lot depends on where you are located when buying guns. GB prices tend to be higher due to auction bidding fever. Prices in Boston might also be different than prices in Podunk, Mississippi.

Based on OP's description of condition and the fact that nothing comes with the gun, I would think she's a tad high. The 2 year sit factor also tends to support that.

Make an offer and be prepared for a counter offer. Sometimes even a dealer pays too much or the gun is on consignment and the owner has an inflated idea as to value.

Like fishing, you can't catch a fish if you don't throw some bait in the water......

PS: The 4 digit serial number may indicate first year production and that adds value to some collectors. I bought one with serial number 1722 merely because it was a 22 and became the model 17.

 

[kscharlie]

The OP did not provide a serial number, only that it was a 4-digit number. First year production (1946), according to SCSW 4th, began with K101 and ended at K614. All 4-digit numbers came from the 2nd year of production, 1947.

The OP gun should be a "one line address", and may have other features unique to early post-war K-22s. It is my understanding that approximately 5,000 one-line K-22s were produced. While certainly not rare, they are pretty uncommon. As such, they do command a premium.

As for the % finish, I agree with Lee...I don't like the percentage moniker either. However, that is what we have. I think most people err a considerable amount on their estimate of remaining finish. A lot of finish can be gone from a gun and still be a 90% gun. 10% is a lot of real estate on a revolver. The entire sideplate could be buffed and polished raw steel and come close to a 90% gun if the remainder was "factory new". I like what Nahas & Supica outlined on page 32 of the SWCA 4th in regards to the percentage system. Read it, re-read it and study it. It takes 10 of those squares to produce a 90% gun. That is a lot of real estate.

The first pic below is a copy of the picture used in the SWCA. The description of the picture is as follows:

"The rough diagram shown here illustrates a grid imposed on a drawing of a revolver. There are approximately 100 squares total on the metal surfaces of the the gun. (The area covered by the grip panels is not counted - if it were, the squares would be larger). Accordingly, each square could be consideredvery roughly 1% of metal finish coverage. This illustrates how much finish could actually be gone from a gun to receive a particular percentage rating - two squares missing would be a 98% gun, ten squares a 90% gun, etc.

Our observation is that some condition oriented collectors would consider a revolver with a bit of muzzle wear, a cylinder drag line, and perhaps some wear on the sharp edges of the cylinder flutes to be a 98% gun. However, from the illustration, it would seem that such a gun could actually have far less than 2% of the original finish missing."

So, IMO, depending upon how, what and where finish is missing, a 70% gun could have more eye appeal than a 90% gun. A few pictures of the OP gun would go a long way towards evaluation. If it is in the condition that I suspect, $750 is not way out of line. A bit high perhaps. Offer them $650 out the door. The worst they can do is laugh and say no.

A few pics of my K-22 one-liner. Serial # 3434, shipped September, 1947. Barrel shaped ejector rod knob with corresponding milled slot in the barrel, fish hook hammer, tapered rib, matching stocks. Gave $499 four years ago. While it is not the most eye appealing gun I own (mainly due to scratches on the side plate), it still rates as a 90%+ gun. One person's "ugly" is another person's "beauty".