Vintage Ammo Value

[Narragansett]

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?

 

[JH1951]

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.

 

[ME94]

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.

 

[chief38]

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.

 

[AJ]

Prices are all over the place. Try Ward's Auctions : Ward's Auctions | Welcome

Item # 30259 (Ended 2021-09-03 22:58:30) - Winchester Super Speed, .30 GOV'T '06, 1pc., Partial 18 Rds.,...

 

[DWalt]

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.

 

[30-30remchester]

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.

 

[DWalt]

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.

 

[Frank46]

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

 

[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.

 

[AJ]

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!

 

[30-30remchester]

Unusual?? This is FMJ!

I believe I had a Deringer that fired that round.

 

[AJ]

I believe I had a Deringer that fired that round.

That is a round for a 37 MM Hotchkiss revolving cannon. Dated Jan. 1891.

 

[DWalt]

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.

 

[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

 

[AJ]

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

 

[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.

 

[AJ]

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!

 

[DWalt]

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.

 

[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.