With prices so high, should I sell?

R

rboineau

Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2010
Messages
323
Reaction score
54
Collector cars, collector guns--prices are insane. I've messed with S&Ws among others for more than 40 years now and in that time I have been lucky enough to find some nice older ones. Never bought anything that wasn't new or mint.

Already sold my 7" Registered with box and certificate a few years ago when somebody had to have it for ten times what I paid for it. Now I wonder if I shouldn't let some of the others go. As with the Registered back then, the values are actually making me nervous. I don't actually need the $ but am getting older. I even have a dream (nightmare?) that pops up once in a while these days--I go to look at my displays and all the guns are coated with rust!!

Anyone else dealing with this situation? Regards, Ralph Boineau in central South Carolina
 
Register to hide this ad
IMHO the prices of the older guns will only go up. For how long and will they fall, I don't know. But I'm not selling any of mine. In the end I think the value will hold at a higher level that today's prices.
 
Money is not everything, the enjoyment of collecting and acquiring mean more to me than the cash. If you have lost the passion for them, look at selling them to someone who will enjoy and treasure them, or give them to a relative that will appreciate them. I have collected for over 40 years and hope to have one of my children get them one day, but would only sell under the toughest set of circumstances.
 
I figure in about ten years, if I survive, it will be gifting and selling time. My grandsons will get what they can depending on where they live (NYC ain't gonna cut it for giving them too many guns) and maybe some friends or other family members. The rest will be sold for WAY more money than I paid for them. Makes me laugh........

***GRJ***
 
Ralph,

My "accumulation" is mostly shooters with a few nice collectible pieces in the mix. Some are earmarked to go to grand kids but many need to be sold before someone else has to do it. I've been selling some that I don't shoot and could be fairly easily replaced. Probably will sell quite a few in the next few years as I don't want my family to eventually have to wrestle with the issue. Collector tastes change over time and I'm not sure the old pre-war (and later) S&Ws and Colts will have the same appeal to today's 30 somethings as they do those of us born in the middle of the 20th century. On the other hand, we've printed so many $$$ over the last few years that I expect inflation will pick up again and that tide lifts all boats (and guns too) so I'm not very worried about the bottom dropping out of the market. So, I'm planning to sell some and have started; sold three in the last month. Which would be great except that I've added a 696, a 2nd model HE 44 (yesterday) and a shotgun (today). Hope to make more progress soon. . . . Good luck.

Jeff
SWCA #1457
 
This is always a tough question. I have friends that collected American Flyer and Lionel toy trains that were made in the 1930's to the 1950's. The prices kept going up and up until maybe five years ago. The people that played with these as children are either slowing down their collecting, quitting collecting, or a worse alternative. Prices are probably less than half what they were five years ago. I think older Corvettes are down for the same reason. Two cylinder John Deere tractors are down. None of these areas are threatened by legislation as some of the gun hobby may be. The whole investment thing is like musical chairs. You don't want to be the last guy standing when the music stops. The trick is figuring out the peak and unfortunately nobody can do that with certainty. I think the answer to this is nobody knows.
 
Which is more important to you: the enjoyment of the guns in their own right or the fear of lost profit potential? When ownership of prized possessions begins to cause you more anxiety than pleasure, it's time to let them go now on your terms rather than later on somebody else's. I'm not sure I agree that missing a theoretical market top is grounds for high anxiety, but if you feel that way then act in accord with your concerns.

Markets fluctuate. Even if you hold assets past a market top and have to sell at a lower level in later years, odds are good that you are still going to get more than you paid for them originally. And if you hang on to them through a market decline, the prices will eventually rise again.
 
Last edited:
DCWilson made the best assessment of your situation. If you sell when you can control the sell, then you reap the benefits. If you or someone else sells at a time when some added stress is involved such as a health issue, etc then you may feel forced to sell when the market is not the best. Just like selling stock - we all want top dollar but sometimes we wait too long... I decided to sell a limited number each year and feel no stress or remorse from doing so. I have put the funds in other hobbies and bought things I would not have bought otherwise.
 
"Prices are insane!" Okay, why? Because the supply of collectibles is fixed/declining. The demand is increasing. End of discussion.

Given that your guns are new or mint, you have the cream of the crop---and cream, before it gets homogenized, rises to the top. I'm pretty sure guns can't be homogenized, so you have no worries on that score. What are your worries? The prices will fall? Fat chance!! Your dream/nightmare suggests you can't/feel you can't care for them----or will become unable to care for them properly. If that is/becomes a reality, sell 'em!! If that's a result of being a worrier, then start doing some volunteer work----you have too much time on your hands!

And here endeth the lesson for today----which you may take or leave---your choice. Should you decide to leave it, and if you have a mint 6" 2nd Model Single Shot and/or an 8" 3rd Model Single Shot, please call. I have cash money----and am not a worrier!

Ralph Tremaine
 
I am willing to bet that you could have got close to double what you got for your 7" Registered Magnum now.If the box and certificate matched the Gun and it was 97%+ in Todays market it would be close to a $15,000 Gun to the right buyer.
 
I wish that we could leave the whole investment notion out of the buying and selling or keeping of guns.
If you'd rather have that amount of money,sell.If the money number doesn't exceed the value to you,keep it.
Personally,I'm happy that I've sold almost 2/3 of my collection.My interest has waned,and I frankly find the selling of everything but equities to be a pain.It doesn't always go so smoothly.The prices of some guns put them into a small pool of buyers,and some of the guys that make a general statement of interest are only looking for bargains.(Let's face it-plenty of fairly priced stuff sits on GB,etc.) I'd rather not deal with it later in life.I fortunately have no financial need to sell anything,but I find myself happier with less stuff as I get older.I also have no children to leave stuff too,(noting that if I did, I think it a burden to leave a lot of stuff for families to deal with,assuming that they share your passion,which they might not.Everyone knows of gun shops that get estate guns either sold to them,or placed on consignment,rather frequently,not realizing anything close to a prime price.
 
Last edited:
Personally, I hope to not burden my family with my gun collection. The family would not know what to do and the whole thing would be overwhelming and time consuming for them.

I very much enjoy them now but my long term plan is to start sell off almost everything when I am in my late seventies or so. That way, I get to have fun selling them and make sure they get into the hands of the next person who will appreciate them.

Then when I pass my family will only have the money, although I may find the time to spend some of that too.

Of course I will always keep some of the special guns and pass them down. I will also hang onto the ones I am actually using.

Anyway, that's my plan for the future if the good Lord is willing. I think we should all consider our families and understand that few of us will have relatives who will actually appreciate collector-type firearms.
 
Geno44 said:
This is always a tough question. I have friends that collected American Flyer and Lionel toy trains that were made in the 1930's to the 1950's. The prices kept going up and up until maybe five years ago. The people that played with these as children are either slowing down their collecting, quitting collecting, or a worse alternative. Prices are probably less than half what they were five years ago. I think older Corvettes are down for the same reason. Two cylinder John Deere tractors are down. None of these areas are threatened by legislation as some of the gun hobby may be. The whole investment thing is like musical chairs. You don't want to be the last guy standing when the music stops. The trick is figuring out the peak and unfortunately nobody can do that with certainty. I think the answer to this is nobody knows.
Click to expand...

Geno has hit the nail on the head. Those that say "prices can only go up" are very wrong. Lots of things that are no longer produced or are produced in a fashion a shadow of their predecessors have had huge run ups in value, eventually peaked and came back down significantly. If we knew when or where the peak was, it would be easy and their would be a glut of classic S&W dumped into the market but alas, no one knows so we continue to circle as the music plays on.
 
I'm also in Central South Carolina. I'm slowly divesting myself of some of my better pieces,or should I say "in demand" pieces. I've just got too many to burden my wife with trying to get rid of when I croak (assuming of course that I don't outlive her). I prefer to sell to friends,co-workers,etc. but they seldom realize just what I'm offering them and I often get that look of shock when I tell them how much I want for it. As a previous poster stated,getting top dollar,even when fair,ain't always easy and I have on too many occasions taken less than what the gun would bring if I had gone to more effort to sell it. Each time I sell one,it gets a little easier. After all,what does one need with 20 K-22's for example,or a dozen Pythons,or ...............well,you get the idea. I wish I could say I don't need the money. Well,I guess I CAN say that at the present,but in the back of my mind that little voice keeps saying "How do you KNOW that you WON'T need the money"? Nobody knows the future,so I say if you think you can get top dollar for them now and it won't cause you to go into a clinical depression,SELL 'EM! They are just "stuff" when all is said and done.
f.t.

p.s. Send me a PM and maybe we can get together. You going to Jamil this weekend?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

T
A couple of Models 10s with Forum history come home
2
Replies
24
Views
2K
philbrook3
philbrook3
RM Vivas
HD/O's as a collecting goal
Replies
17
Views
1K
raljr1
R
RM Vivas
The value of gun books
2
Replies
20
Views
2K
rockquarry
R
F
Young Brothers Massacre, A tactical expert opinion.
2
Replies
21
Views
3K
tbob38
T
Marcus von W.
  • Locked
60+ YEAR COLLECTION OF FIREARM PARTS, ACCESSORIES, MILITARIA, & ARTIFACTS
Replies
11
Views
3K
Marcus von W.
Marcus von W.

Latest posts

Back
Top