Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors Value of unfired Win 94

I posted this in the lever guns general section. Maybe someone here can help:

I'm corresponding with a gentleman who says he has a 1955 Winchester Model 94 still in its original paper wrapper, inside the box, with hang tag still attached, with purchase receipt in unfired "New In Box" condition. I'm not a collector but am not adverse to purchasing something desirable and collectible either. My question to those of you more knowledgeable than me - approximately what's something like this worth?

I'll give you my opinion....you will likely get different estimates but together these will give you an idea.

First, you didn't mention caliber, so I'll assume 30-30. The price for a gun you mentioned and in the condition described would typically be around $1250.00. Having the box and all associated paper work could double the value. That part isnt so easily quantified. The part about it being unfired complicates this further. How can that be definitively proven? Here's my take: The gun is worth about $1250. The value of the box and the statement that it's unfired, is worth whatever someone is willing to pay. How bad do you want it? Values are also different in different parts of the country. If it's chambered 32 Win Spl, the value may be a bit lower. Any other caliber could raise it significantly. That's my take. I'm no expert, but a have a few and like them a lot.

Bobmar: First of all thank you for responding so directly and clearly to John Havards inquiry.
I tried to do so on the "lever action" section where he originally posted his inquiry but did not do a bang up job (other than suggesting he post here).
And then this - I still kind of follow the values of mint condition pre-64 Winchesters of all kinds even though I quit collecting Winchester lever actions some time ago an traded them in for Model 70's.
I am under the impression that pre-64 Model 94's in caliber 32 Winchester Special were selling for MORE than those in comparable condition and chambered for 30/30?
I could be wrong about that but am certain that comparable 94's in caliber 25/35 do indeed bring a premium over BOTH 30/30's and 32's.
Thanks again for your input and correction of me (if needed).
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy.

It is a 30-30. I'm in the process of finding out more about it, but according to the gentleman who currently owns it he bought it from the widow of the original purchaser.

I have seen the add for the rifle, and it does look good. 1955 by the serial number, asking $2K. I think that would be at the top of the market for one, in 30-30. Again however when will you find another one? It's worth what someone is willing to pay for it. The rifle itself to me is in the $1200 to $1500 range given where it is now and the local market. How much the box and all paperwork is worth is hard to say. I will say I have never seen another like it for sale.

Whoever buys it is going to be buying it as a pure collector's item, not a shooter. The .32 Special is far more rare than the .30-30 in the Winchester 94, and in the world of collecting, the rarer the rifle, the higher the value, especially in excellent condition.

Also, in the collectors' world, nobody believes the statement that a rifle is "unfired." It was in all likelihood fired at the factory during testing.

Categorizing the rifle as Mint, or Excellent, or whatever the appropriate grade category may be, is the way in which it is done.

A problem here, as noted by a prior poster, is that the perceived value of this rifle could vastly differ depending on what part of the country you are in, and what venue it is offered in.

Out West, it will bring much more than say, in South Carolina..

And, at a high-brow Winchester collector's show, it will bring more than at a regular regional show.

I fully agree with the comments of Smithrjd. But, you had better really look over everything, up close and personal, before you pay $2,000 for a rifle like that. If you buy it and hold it 10 years, you may make a decent return. But forget trying to do a quick flip. You could be disappointed.

Hope this helps.



Mannyrock

As I mentioned in my original post, there would likely be different opinions. I enjoy getting different points of view (most of the time). One topic there is a bit of disagreement about, is the difference in value between the 30-30 and the 32 Win Spl. It is my experience that the 32 Win Spl commands a lower price. Rarity doesn't always translate to more value. One publication which I tend to give a lot of credibility is the the Red Book of Winchester Values. It may not be a widely used as some others, but it's pretty well up to date on real world prices. It values the 32 Win Spl consistently about 20% lower than the 30-30 on the rifle described in the OP. Your mileage may vary!