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Pork Chop

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Is there an online source that one can peruse that gives the values of muzzleloaders? I know folks quote Flaydermans and other books, but I don't have those. Due to circumstances, I am considering selling some of my guns, and need to get fair prices for them. I just need a way to determine what is fair. Ideas?
 
I am at the early stages. I don't know which will not make the cut. Likely a couple of pistols and a rifle - perhaps a barrel too...
 
The gun 'value' catalogs are in business to sell that information. At present the only electronic version I know of is a CD copy of the latest Blue Book of Gun Values. It may also be available as a download from the publisher.

Whether or not the values in that publication are 'fair' or not is a matter of some debate.

A gun is 'worth' whatever you are willing to sell it for AND whatever someone else is willing to buy it for. Without agreement on that price the gun is literally worthless.

You want to determine a price that you will feel comfortable with - the 'market value'. Unfortunately that's a highly variable number, depending entirely on perception of the gun's condition.

Without purchasing one of the 'value' catalogs you'll have to spend some time watching the online auctions.
 
Well the stuff I have is fairly pedestrian, but some of it is also obscure enough that I have never seen any of them go through auction. That poses an issue...
 
Market values are also determined by other economic forces at play at any given time. Prices are traditionally depressed when facing an election year when a Democrat is expected to be elected. People equate a Democrat president with higher taxes, less money in their pay check, etc. no matter how unfair such a generalization is. The stock market sees this kind of pressure every 4 years.

The value of the Dollar is the most recent uncontrolled factor affecting values places on guns and related artifacts. Gun shows that used to see people fly in to this country from Europe, the Mid East, and from Africa to buy American Made guns saw None of those customers earlier this year. Collectors with tables containing 100s of thousands of Dollars in antique guns so NO sales, while table selling " Black Guns", and semi-automatice pistols had lines of people waiting to buy guns. That was back when the Sub Prime Mortgage problems were in the news, and the dollar was taking a beating against foreign currencies. The oil price hike crisis of recent days has affected gun prices, now. However, there seems to be more faith in the value of the American Dollar from foreigners, as some good gun sales are being reported again.

What part of the country you live in, or try to sell a gun in also affects the price you are likely to get, and the amount of buyer interest.

I have a very small collection of pepperbox revolvers I have been trying to sell for several years, but can find no interest in them, locally.

Here, you can't find many Winchester lever action rifles for sale, unless they are replicas, but there was a time when a trip through Northern Wisconsin or the Upper Pennisula of Michigan and stops at any gunstore would find racks of original Winchesters for sale, many in better condition than you should have expected. Certain brands of firearms are often found in certain areas, but not others.

My advice is to use the Blue Book Values as a " suggestion", and then visit as many gun shows as you can to see what price others sellers are putting on similar guns. A lot of gun show prices are " inflated" and are referred to as " Trading " prices. IF you are paying cash, you can often get a much better price, particular on the last day of the show!
 
just make a list, add a topic, and ask. There is enough experiance on this board to give good numbers and you can just average the total....?
 
Assuming we are speaking of muzzleloaders, the Blue Book of Gun Values does not cover them.

The Blue Book of Modern Black Powder Values does include most of the recently manufactured muzzleloaders and C&B pistols.

If there is a Library handy, one might check with them to see if they have a copy of that book.
If they don't, many libraries have a sharing system which allows them to move books from a place with the book to a place that doesn't have it.

I don't know how Claude feels about it but if Pork Chop was simply asking us what the value of a particular rifle or pistol is I'm sure we could give him an educated guess.
Of course, selling wouldn't even be mentioned in the post.
Who knows? Maybe he is needing the information for insurance purposes? :hmm:
 
Zonie said:
Maybe he is needing the information for insurance purposes? :hmm:

Insurance values ARE important to know. I know the values of all of my suppository guns, so I should learn these. The ones that I have that are common (like the Thompson Center Renegade) are easy. The not so easy ones are the more obscure.

I have a couple of pistols that I have not seen change hands, so don't know the value of - a Markwell Arms colonial pistol. It is a smoothbore in .50 cal. The other is a CVA Mountain Pistol in .45 cal (Spanish barrel). Heck, the only other Markwell Arms pistol that I have ever even SEEN I bought for parts.

I have been told that calibers other than .50 or .54 demand a premium on TC Hawken rifles. Is there truth to that?
 
The value of the Dollar is the most recent uncontrolled factor affecting values places on guns and related artifacts. Gun shows that used to see people fly in to this country from Europe, the Mid East, and from Africa to buy American Made guns saw None of those customers earlier this year.
Shouldn't this be the other way around? When the dollar is weak as it is now against, say, the Euro, that Euro can now buy MORE American goods than it could before. That's why foreign tourism is up in the U.S. now. In theory this should be a very good time for foreigeners to come to the U.S. and buy American-made guns. Dave T.
 
Zonie said:
I don't know how Claude feels about it but if Pork Chop was simply asking us what the value of a particular rifle or pistol is I'm sure we could give him an educated guess.
Of course, selling wouldn't even be mentioned in the post.

From the Forum rules...
Please don't ask our members to appraise the gun you want to sell. This is passive advertising and it is not allowed.
There is no difference in the following two statements:
1. "I have a gun for sale"
2. "I have a gun I'm thinking about selling and I want to know what you think it's worth".
 
For normal goods, a low dollar will normally spur foreign investment. However, with collectibles, the buyers are worried about getting their true value out of them. The foreign buyers are more likely to sell the guns overseas, than back to US collectors.I asked the same question when a dealer came back from the Tulsa Gun Show to report the absense of foreign buyers. I then, also, checked with a client who deals with companies all over the world, is an American born in Africa, with contacts there as well. He is in the gun business, and his company has made special parts for Colt Peacemaker series that were never sold- not one gun-- in the USA.

From what he tells me, the sooner we start pumping our own oil and buying less oil from other countries, the sooner the dollar will strengthen, and the investors will return. Right now, the Middle East Oil Sheiks can't spend their US Dollars fast enough, but they are buying items at prices that will be profitable if they re-sell the items in Europe, Asia, and Africa.
 
Claude said:
Zonie said:
I don't know how Claude feels about it but if Pork Chop was simply asking us what the value of a particular rifle or pistol is I'm sure we could give him an educated guess.
Of course, selling wouldn't even be mentioned in the post.

From the Forum rules...
Please don't ask our members to appraise the gun you want to sell. This is passive advertising and it is not allowed.
There is no difference in the following two statements:
1. "I have a gun for sale"
2. "I have a gun I'm thinking about selling and I want to know what you think it's worth".

Those are the rules I was trying to avoid conflicting with (although I do see a difference in the two statements this is not the place to debate them). Please accept my apologies.
 
Pork Chop said:
Claude said:
Zonie said:
I don't know how Claude feels about it but if Pork Chop was simply asking us what the value of a particular rifle or pistol is I'm sure we could give him an educated guess.
Of course, selling wouldn't even be mentioned in the post.

From the Forum rules...
Please don't ask our members to appraise the gun you want to sell. This is passive advertising and it is not allowed.
There is no difference in the following two statements:
1. "I have a gun for sale"
2. "I have a gun I'm thinking about selling and I want to know what you think it's worth".

Those are the rules I was trying to avoid conflicting with (although I do see a difference in the two statements this is not the place to debate them). Please accept my apologies.

No apology necessary.

Yes, there's a difference in "I'm selling" and "I'm thinking about selling" and people have used that subtle difference over the years to try and circumvent the rules on bulletin boards. They know that once they mention it, people will contact them.
 
I was thinking more of "my buddy Joe wants my (insert item here) and I am thinking of selling it - what do you think it is worth?" In that context, it is already "sold" if the consensus is that the price is right. But I agree with your statement too.
 
Pork Chop, I just happened to be surfing and ran across a site, www.Gunnersden.com

They say they will appraise any black powder muzzleloader. I have never had anything to do with these guys, I don't now if they charge or if they are just making low estimates in hopes of buying your gun cheap. It's a part of Cabela's. But it might be a starting point for you.

Anybody out there ever try these guys?
 
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