Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Who thinks gun collections as investments is going to be a flop ?

Look, I'm comparing this to situations I know. Take my Dad. Dad died unexpectedly just before he turned 85. He had a will and he had nearly all his assets tagged with Mom's name on them as either a beneficiary or a co-signer. The day after his death, Mom sat me down and had me call a few phone numbers. After that, there were no big concerns about money.

My friend? He had a will. He had even gone so far as to specify how he wanted his funeral. However, as soon as he was in the ground, his widow had to start digging through the house. There was no master inventory. There was no good way to determine what was valuable and what was not. In the end, she had managed to fill one of the bedrooms with all of the stash with some pistols going over into another bedroom. All in all, it was a 3 month project to get everything catalogued and then another month or two before they were out to the LGS. I vaguely knew what he had-- to the point where I even volunteered one of my sons to babysit the house during the funeral. She got a neighbor instead.

There were things in that collection that only Bill Ruger and a handful of others would have understood. My friend knew Bill, and astonished him with some of his finds. You had to be around and know the inside scoop because there was no written provenance. I sat with the widow one night and explained about a half-dozen of the best finds to the best of my memory.

If this gun-as-an-investment thing could have worked, then the process of divestment should have started a good 5 years earlier while my friend still was able. He could have gotten top dollar for everything by calling around in his network of collectors. He could have probably kept a few treasures, and made written instructions on who to call. He could also have kept trading-- that was his real passion. However, he should have kept an eye out for steadily reducing his inventory. He should have also kept an inventory of what he had and done at least some estimate of what it was worth. Probably the worst loss of all was the fact that there was little or no written provenance on any of it. That's history that's lost.

As an example, there was this fellow he knew way back that asked him about becoming an engraver. My friend gave him some encouragement and later on received one of his earliest pieces. It was this gorgeous 38 special revolver-- stunning. I met the engraver once back in the early 80's. The guy's dead now, but his artistry made him a legend-- forget the name; it's been too long. Anyhow, there would be folks giving their eye teeth for an example of that guy's work. I pointed the piece out to the widow. She noted it on the inventory sheet. Lord only knows what it fetched, but I can guarantee it didn't get what it deserved. It's now out there floating around and no one knows who did it or what it is truly worth.

Weapon acquisition [purchase/come into possession of] are investments in mental health, longevity, and top shelf nutrition through their use, to hell with what mans current or future dollar has to say about their worth.

I'll take this one

If this gun-as-an-investment thing could have worked, then the process of divestment should have started a good 5 years earlier while my friend still was able. He could have gotten top dollar for everything by calling around in his network of collectors. He could have probably kept a few treasures, and made written instructions on who to call. He could also have kept trading-- that was his real passion. However, he should have kept an eye out for steadily reducing his inventory. He should have also kept an inventory of what he had and done at least some estimate of what it was worth. Probably the worst loss of all was the fact that there was little or no written provenance on any of it. That's history that's lost.

As an example, there was this fellow he knew way back that asked him about becoming an engraver. My friend gave him some encouragement and later on received one of his earliest pieces. It was this gorgeous 38 special revolver-- stunning. I met the engraver once back in the early 80's. The guy's dead now, but his artistry made him a legend-- forget the name; it's been too long. Anyhow, there would be folks giving their eye teeth for an example of that guy's work. I pointed the piece out to the widow. She noted it on the inventory sheet. Lord only knows what it fetched, but I can guarantee it didn't get what it deserved. It's now out there floating around and no one knows who did it or what it is truly worth.

‘K Dude, everybody loves the guy peddling $2,000 Norincos at the gun show in an election year

I suppose there are circumstances where poverty CAN equate to integrity. I saw that in Africa, where a small minority of devout Christians and Muslims would refuse participating in corruption. Over here integrity is easy, over there refusing the income from bribes and theft can actually starve your children.

If Jesus Himself showed up in your gun store, would you sell Him a $350 Norinco for $2,000? According to Him, as you do for the least of folks is the same as doing it to Jesus.

‘K Dude, everybody loves the guy peddling $2,000 Norincos at the gun show in an election year

I suppose there are circumstances where poverty CAN equate to integrity. I saw that in Africa, where a small minority of devout Christians and Muslims would refuse participating in corruption. Over here integrity is easy, over there refusing the income from bribes and theft can actually starve your children.

If Jesus Himself showed up in your gun store, would you sell Him a $350 Norinco for $2,000? According to Him, as you do for the least of folks is the same as doing it to Jesus.

Good reminder, Ron. In 1962 I bought my first rifle through the Sears catalog for $13.95. It is a M95 Chilean Mauser and I bagged Mule and Coues deer with it for years in AZ
I will keep it as long as I live - period.

Bought a M96 Swedish Mauser in 6.5x55 for $50 a couple of years later, and it had a Weaver 4x scope on it. Fabulous cartridge - that design is over 100 years old and its performance stays up with the modern fancy-named stuff.

Eddystone Enfield in 30:06 for $25 and a nicely "sporterized" Rock Island Springfield with Redfield scope for $50 when I lived in Tempe - the Phoenix newspaper classifieds were a treasure trove in the 60s. There were some good old days.

Items are on offer and the market is determined by what people will actually pay for that item.

As for jesus in the gunstore, I sold him a Jennings at full retail and suggested he turn it into a Norinco.

Food for thought on your value system and hypocrisy

....why did you not take the funds w/ which you purchased your musket and kettle and donate them to the needy?

probably the best, most useful (actionable) information in the thread so far:

I recently took a group of 50 kids shooting. It looked like most of them just wanted to get a pic to prove on Facebook that they did something. They all said they had fun and really enjoyed it but it didn't look like it to me. None of them really jumped right in. They didnt shoot much either, I bought way too much ammo.

When I was young kids would have been hurrying to be first in line and then begging for another turn. These kids just seemed more like they just wanted to do it once to say they did. They were well behaved and listened to the safety rules they just didn't seem to have the drive I thought they might.

Bb

Anyhow, there would be folks giving their eye teeth for an example of that guy's work. I pointed the piece out to the widow. She noted it on the inventory sheet. Lord only knows what it fetched, but I can guarantee it didn't get what it deserved. It's now out there floating around and no one knows who did it or what it is truly worth.

A self centered woman that didn't care about guns and didn't need the money.

A dead guy who could care less

and broke guy lusting after said guns

got it