collecting trends

[1903sprfld]

I was talking to a friend who collects 1903 Springfields. He told me that values of 1903s are really down . He felt that it was because the younger generations have no interest in 0lder mil surplus arms. To them everything is AR type rifles and AKs. Has there been a slump in values of civil war arms? And if so would the cause be loss of interest in the younger generations

 

[UCVRelics]

Not really that much. The one area that always holds its value and even go up is Confederate pieces.

 

[NH Civil War Gal]

Why is that? I'm guessing (but might be wrong) that Confederate pieces are scarcer to come by?

 

[1867crete]

Seems to me that hard to find "rare" pieces always hold their vaule and I feel that even common pieces that are in excellent/pristine condition command and retain prices.

 

[Jobe Holiday]

Common run of the mill, moderate condition, Civil War muskets have been on a downward trend for the past 4-5 years. The comment about 1903 Springfield rifles in my opinion, is off the mark. I am still seeing an upward trend in collectable 1903 Springfield rifles.
J.

 

[mofederal]

Trends seem to come and go. Sometimes spurred by movies or miniseries. Some are just plain high for whatever reason. Everything in collecting can change quickly. Rare items are still pricey, but less than they were at one time. I generally buy what I like, or what is odd or rare. Scarcity of items can change in more modern items depending upon finds or chance discoveries. Some items hold their prices despite everything. Popularity is always a factor.

 

[Booner]

Have you seen the prices for M1 carbines lately? Wish I had purchased one 4-5 years ago.

 

[tinley]

Mosin nagants have doubled and tripled in price over the years, and, in my opinion, still a bargain at typical $250-300.

 

[mofederal]

Yeah carbine prices are somewhat stupid. I have a close friend who is a collector. He pays up usually, it's what he likes. M-1's are bad enough also. Especially the IH, H&R, Win, etc. Luckily I bought my Winchester years ago. it is close to 100%. I had not seen 03 prices lately, so I was surprised to see them down, 17 Enfields were up too. I was never much on the Russian rifles or the Japanese ones either.

 

[Package4]

I was talking to a friend who collects 1903 Springfields. He told me that values of 1903s are really down . He felt that it was because the younger generations have no interest in 0lder mil surplus arms. To them everything is AR type rifles and AKs. Has there been a slump in values of civil war arms? And if so would the cause be loss of interest in the younger generations

I would disagree with that, I have been searching for a very nice '03 and have seen them rise in the past couple of years, in fact the last Rock Island Auction estimates for the '03s were beat consistently. I know that this is not a total barometer, due to the nature of their auctions and combining lots. WWII vintage arms are up, way up.

 

[Jobe Holiday]

Package4 - You will like this one, a few years ago a friend picked up a straight, unmodified, 1917 dated '03 for $475 at a house sale. When he took it home and opened up the butt trap he found the complete bolt spare parts set in the wooden fitted tube! Some guys have all the luck.
J.

 

[Package4]

Package4 - You will like this one, a few years ago a friend picked up a straight, unmodified, 1917 dated '03 for $475 at a house sale. When he took it home and opened up the butt trap he found the complete bolt spare parts set in the wooden fitted tube! Some guys have all the luck.
J.

Man what a great find. I am still on the hunt for the right '03 and the Erma .22 conversion for the 8mm 98 Mauser, they used to go for $350-$500 and now in decent shape they are asking $1,400. I guess we got off century a bit here.........

 

[Jobe Holiday]

OK, you're right, back to the ACW it is!
J.

 

[OldSarge79]

I tried to sell a turn-of-the-century cabinet last year and after talking to several antique dealers, was told by ALL of them that antique values have plunged. Their unanimous opinion is that, in general, the young generation has no interest whatsoever in the past. They just want to play on their smart phones. None of the dealers were very excited about my cabinet, they already had a building full of old stuff they were trying to sell. I ended up selling it to a guy for a third of what I paid for it in 1985, and that was after advertising it for two months.

 

[Michael W.]

There may be trends in specific weapons, up or down, but firearms as a whole never seem to lose their value. I wish I would have obtained an M-1 Garand before they went nuts.

 

[Batty67]

I purchased a mix-master M1 carbine 2-3 years ago that had been rebuilt by a gunsmith with new parkerization and springs. Sweet shooter. And I shoot it a lot. Got a great price on it to and jumped on it. They can be stupid expensive. Wish I picked up a nice Garand via CMP many years ago when my brother did.