Wanting to sell anything?

[CT_civilwar_buff]

Error

 

[johan_steele]

A weapon w/ provenance for $1k is a tall order.

 

[CT_civilwar_buff]

A weapon w/ provenance for $1k is a tall order.

I understand are you willing to do business I can flex with the price?

 

[rhettbutler1865]

A weapon w/ provenance for $1k is a tall order.

You won't find anything worthwhile at that price, if at all. (side note: I don't think it's in the forum rules to do business here--I'm not a mod, just a friendly caution...)

 

[johan_steele]

I understand are you willing to do business I can flex with the price?

I'm not trying to be a spoil sport but the reality is that verifiable provenance is a serious price multiplier.

I have an M1841 w/ non provable (verbal verification only) but direct provenance to a member of the 4th MN VI along with a muster roll with the mans signature on it. W/out the provenance, as tenuous as it is, the rifle is probably worth about $1k. With it... I wouldn't part with it for less than $3k and I admit I would have some serious soul searching to do it even then. I have an acquaintance w/ rock solid provenance on an M1861 with receipts, diary entries and a CDV of him holding the same arm; it's valued at around $7500.

A year or so ago Track of the Wolf had a Colt Special Model w/ rock solid verifiable provenance to a member of the 1st MN VI go for well over $3k.

Now that said I know of dug items & bring back souvenirs from battlefields that have gone for considerably less. But their provenance can be quite shaky. I purchased a set of dug bullets from the Battle of the Hatchie. I have questions about the validity of the bullets, not of them being dug from the location but when they were fired. I suspect they were fired closer to 1962 than 1862. With the way things are provenance can be questionable or even completely faked.

I've viewed two arms with rock solid verifiable provenance... I thought. In each case the rifle with that provenance was later proved to be dubious at worst or at best a post war purchase as a memento by the ACW veteran.

I've learned a lot about provenance since working at various museums; stories can be distorted, confused or even flat out made up over the years. As an example we had the widow of a WW2 veteran drop off her husbands wartime duffle that she had been told was his full WW2 uniforms & kit. There was a WW2 hat & uniform on top and below that a complete WW1 uniform, kit, pay book etc... the mans fathers. Needless to say it was a treasure for us but not what we expected. That same week we had an elderly woman bring in the pistol her father had carried during WW1; she had a notarized note from the man etc, etc but the pistol hadn't been manufactured until 1920.

That kind of thing is why verifiable provenance is such a price multiplier. Typically, from my experience, at least a triple of the value and in some cases much more based upon the rarity of the item, condition, fame of the owner and many other factors. That is why one acquaintance collects only original letters & diaries... nobody is faking those at this point because their value isn't as high as firearms. That said he still asks me to research and verify some of his purchases.

I hope that makes some sense.