Are there any other books besides the one by Brophy that would be helpful to a new Marlin collector? Also, I know in collecting anything condition is everything. Keeping that in mind, are there any Marlins in particular that are especially collectable?............Scott

Scott, there are many Marlins, in particular, that are very collectible and some quite rare - it's just a matter of what you wish to specialize in, or if you want to generalize, what floats your boat.

Not very many are newer models, however - and some can be downright pricey.

A very good place to get a good sense of which models are what, and what is correct for the various particular models would be to also register over on the Marlin Collector's fourm - or at least lurk over there.

http://www.marlin-collectors.com/forum/

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I would look for Marlin 335 in low production models. They are reasonable in price and they WILL increase. They are also shootable so the fun can be from both worlds, collecting and shooting.

I would look for 336ERs, Marauders in all cal., Spikehorns, 375s, and Texans. All pre Cross Bolt Safety except the 375 which was made both ways with the CBS being the far more rare. Or you can collect the high dollar oldies.

Go over to Marlin Owners forum and have a ball.

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Thank you both for the info, I really appreciate it! What about books, is the Brophy book it?......Scott

There is also another book, "Marlin and Ballard, Firearms and History" that was published awhile back. I think mine is a 2nd edition from the late 1970s. Hard to find book and rather costly, but a good read with lots of info. I picked one up on ebay some time ago, but you might also find it on Amazon. I don't know if it really has much more info than Brody's book though.

Thanks for the info Jayhawker, I'll keep an eye open for it.....Scott

The book was published by Bill West, part of the West Arms Library, If you google it ,or use Amazon i'm sure you will find one. Don

Thank you for the info Don........Scott