Lots of guns

[theshades...@gmail.com]

My Dad passed away a few yrs bk & left me with 3 lrg gun cabinets full of g
uns, a very exspensive brand new cross bow, a few pistols & a lrg tote box
of ammo & 2 more w/ hunting gear! I have no clue what the guns are, I just
know some are antique blk powder but I'm not even really sure which ones th
ose are! How do I go about finding out what they are & their value so I can
sell some of them! I want someone who appreciates firearms & is a true spo
rtsman to buy them so they can continue to be used & hunted with instead of
going to waste in locked cabinets!


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[clarkm...@gmail.com]

The best thing I would know to do is go to a reputable gun store / pawn shop that will sell guns on consignment.

They will sell some of the guns for you and give you a good appraisal on the others.

DJ's in Bothell WA tells me what a gun is worth, and it sells in ~ a month. They get 15% commission.

[Gunner]

On Mon, 18 Mar 2013 12:31:48 +0000 (UTC), theshades...@gmail.com
wrote:

# How do I go about finding out what they are & their value so I can
# sell some of them! I want someone who appreciates firearms & is a true spo
#rtsman to buy them so they can continue to be used & hunted with instead of
# going to waste in locked cabinets!

First thing..which part of the country are you in? Which state?
That will help a lot..as in some states...selling arms can be
exceptionally complicated, others..as easy as selling a sofa.

There are a number of ways to sell off arms of this nature.

1. Put them up for sale at a gunshop that does Consignment sales.

Pluses of this...

You bring them in, they handle all the details of the sale and they
give you the money when the sale is complete for each weapon.

Minuses.

They can sell them for you, for a percentage of the sale price...from
15%-50%. Ive seen more shops take a big percentage than a small one.

2. Have a trusted family friend who knows something about guns sell
them for you. Offer them a percentage..say 20% of the total for each
weapon. That gives them an incentive to sell each weapon for as much
as possible. This is something Ive been involved in a number of
times, and Ive never screwed over a seller. This Cannot be said for
others out there, family friend or not. Sadly.

First thing you need to do is contact anyone who really knows
firearms, perhaps one of your Dads friends, and ask them to come over
and make a list of the arms, serial numbers and whatnot..and then look
on the various sites for pricing based on condition and accessories.

Part of my Will...instructs my survivors to contact all my friends, to
give specific weapons to specific persons free of charge, and to offer
them to the rest, before selling on the open market. I also keep a
log book of each and every arm along with average market price for
each individual specific gun and update it every couple years or so.
This helps prevent the sort of issues you are undergoing now.

The very very first thing I would do if I were in your shoes...is to
record the name, model number, caliber and any scopes etc etc of each
firearm in a notebook and if possible, take a clear photo of each arm
and then store it in a very safe place. Digital Cameras are cheap.

Gunner
California

[brayhaven]

Gun shops & pawn shops are notorious for lowballing & taking advantage of people
who don't know guns. As a gunsmith for 40 yrs I've seen it many times. Get a
couple books (Maybe Flaydermans & the Blue Book) to learn about them though most
will be low in value, Look at sold items on internet auctions to get a market
value. Those you can't do either, get 2 appraisals and sell them yourself on
internet auctions or through someone who does it on a commission. Put reasonable
reserves on them. Never sell the guns to those who appraise them. I've bough some
estates at the insistance of the heirs, but would require them to get 2 other
appraisals before I would.

[Gunner]

On Mon, 18 Mar 2013 20:02:20 +0000 (UTC), brayhaven
<bray...@aol.com> wrote:

#
#Gun shops & pawn shops are notorious for lowballing & taking advantage of people
#who don't know guns. As a gunsmith for 40 yrs I've seen it many times. Get a
#couple books (Maybe Flaydermans & the Blue Book) to learn about them though most
#will be low in value, Look at sold items on internet auctions to get a market
#value. Those you can't do either, get 2 appraisals and sell them yourself on
#internet auctions or through someone who does it on a commission. Put reasonable
#reserves on them. Never sell the guns to those who appraise them. I've bough some
#estates at the insistance of the heirs, but would require them to get 2 other
#appraisals before I would.
#

Good words all!!

[drw...@cimtel.net]

You have enough guns that you are not going to pack them all around with yo
u to visit various gun shops and I suggest that having strangers into your
house to look at them is not the wisest idea. So I suggest you start by do
ing an inventory. =20

Most owners of many guns have one, so look around for a list of guns that y
our father may have made, because that list will contain the information yo
u are going to need to start establishing approximate current values. Each
inventory listing will probably contain (1) Manufacturer (if known or mark
ed), (2) Model (if known or marked), (3) Bore diameter or Cartridge size id
entification (usually marked on barrel) and (4) serial number (if present).
Firearms (usually old. black powder, muzzle loading) which are not marked
should be given a descriptive inventory listing such as, (SxS Shotgun, muz
zle loading, about 14 gauge, percussion, unknown maker, antique very good c
ondition). =20

Look for the list in hopes you might get lucky. Likely it is in some form
of ledger either with the guns or in a separate safe or safe deposit box or
possibly with his insurance agent or records. If your father's estate was
probated, it probably can be found in probate records. If an inventory ca
n be found, get a bunch of string-tie (not wire tie) tags and attach a tag,
writing inventory ID information for each firearm onto the tag and attachi
ng it to the trigger guard, matching each to an inventory item as you do so
. =20

You want string-tie tags because wire may scratch the metal finish. =20

Note that an inventory your father made probably includes at least some inf
ormation about each firearm that a newbie like you would have a hard time f
inding on the gun itself and it would be very likely that he included a val
ue at the time he did the inventory. If he included a value, it is probabl
y worth more today. As you tag each gun, all you have to do is discover en
ough information to be sure you have matched inventory data to the right fi
rearm. =20

If no inventory already exists, I would start with the tagging process, bui
lding the inventory as I went, and always as I go along updating the tag an
d inventory listing with new or corrected data as I got it from different s
ources. Since you will not necessarily know correct descriptive terms, I s
uggest your inventory list be a spiral notebook where you reserve a page fo
r each gun. Later, you can go back through and extract a much tidier inven
tory in a database like format.

Gun values are very dependent on condition, but a correct condition rating
requires a fair amount of knowledge and experience. So I suggest you comme
nt upon each weapon's condition with appropriate words like - "looks brand
new", "really nice", "cracked wood", "old, scratched, and badly dented", "o
bviously broken", "really pretty", etc. These may be enough for an expert
to approximate a condition rating range from the inventory alone.

You said you have had the guns for several years. Rust happens. As you do
the inventory, I suggest you find your father's gun cleaning rod(s), some
bore patches, gun-oil and a couple of clean, dry rags. As you handle each
gun, wipe, lock, stock, and barrel down with a (more or less) clean dry rag
, run a lightly oiled patch through the barrel a couple of times, and light
ly wipe all exterior metal with another rag that is just a touch oily. Thi
s will help keep the guns from rusting. DO NOT try to clean up any gun bey
ond a light wiping with a soft rag unless you have some truly expert guidan
ce on when and how to do so. This is really important to preserving the va
lue of antique guns where patina appropriate to age matters greatly to most
collectors. =20

Now, take at least several pictures of each gun with a digital camera, incl
uding a card with an inventory ID so that you know what the pictures are o
f. Now you can cart your pictures and inventory notebook to a gun store or
gun show or gun auctioneer. Assuming you are not an idiot and the pictures
are OK, anyone worth their salt ought to be able to ID each (except for ve
ry rare) gun, correcting your mistakes and/or standardizing references, do
a rough, but accurate, condition appraisal, and give you an approximate val
ue from one of several pricing guides. =20

"Everyday" factory guns absolutely clearly identified in say the Blue Book
pricing guide as worth a few hundred dollars probably is worth about what t
he guide says, give or take. For these I think Clark's advice is excellent
and a local dealer or pawnshop will price such items fairly with regard to
the local market.

Higher dollar guns, especially if there are pricing guide notes about rare
variations or recommendations to see an expert, and items you can not ident
ify that are finely made may be worth a lot. The really important thing to
know before you sell any is if any particular weapons are particularly val
uable, which usually means highly collectible. Local shops are far less li
kely to get good prices for these items. They just don't have the customer
s that will buy them for what they are worth.

My view of the gun business is a little cynical in that I think about 1 in
3 will cheat you if they can and about 1 in three is a really straight shoo
ter with most willing to take at least some advantage of anything they know
that you don't. So I suggest you start out seeking information only about
value, making it clear you are not selling anything to anyone until you ha
ve completed your value research. Get at least three supposed local experts
to go through your inventory/pictures, paying particular attention to anyt
hing that one or more of them might say or imply is of unusual value. Tryi
ng to buy one or more guns when you are seeking a value might be one clue.
Offering an attractive lump sum which is more than the average gun is wort
h for all is another. =20

When you know what you have, then special considerations in selling at leas
t some may be in order.

[Louis Boyd]

Gunner wrote:

# The very very first thing I would do if I were in your shoes...is to
# record the name, model number, caliber and any scopes etc etc of each
# firearm in a notebook and if possible, take a clear photo of each arm
# and then store it in a very safe place. Digital Cameras are cheap.


I 100% agree with Gunner about keeping the collection safe. That could
mean safe from being stolen, but lots of guns are destroyed by rusting,
corrosion, and fire. T least make sure that guns are stored so their
temperature is a always few degrees above the dewpoint of the air
within the enclosure. That can be done with a small continuous heater
or better with active air conditioning to hold a constant temperature
and humidity.

What's optimum? The National Firearms Museum recommends a constant
temperature of 70 F and 50% relative humidity as a good tradeoff for
the longevity of firearms with wooden stocks. It's comfortable for
humans too. For more info on protecting firearms see:
http://www.nramuseum.org/media/940963/conservationinfo.pdf

[Fraser Johnston]

I would go to a gun auction site like Auction Arms and look at completed
listings for ideas. Without more information it is hard to tell. The
safes might be full of a bunch of shot out Savage .22 rimfires worth
bugger all or some pristine Holland and Holland double rifles worth six
figures.

If your initial research points you towards the latter I would get in an
expert to appraise them and pay whatever fee they want. It will be a
good investment.

--

Fraser

[benevenu...@yahoo.com]

On Monday, March 18, 2013 7:31:48 AM UTC-5, theshades...@gmail.com wrote:
<snipped> How do I go about finding out what they are & their value so I can
# sell some of them! I want someone who appreciates firearms & is a true spo
# rtsman to buy them so they can continue to be used & hunted with instead of
# going to waste in locked cabinets!

Search for similar firearms on the auction site gunbroker.com. You'll form a pretty good idea of what each firearm is worth in today's market.

Once you relinquish ownership of a firearm you cannot guarantee how it is used. So price the firearm accordingly or keep it for your own use.

[Sheldon]

<theshades...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:ki71fk$6er$1...@news.albasani.net...
# My Dad passed away a few yrs bk & left me with 3 lrg gun cabinets full of
# g
# uns, a very exspensive brand new cross bow, a few pistols & a lrg tote box
# of ammo & 2 more w/ hunting gear! I have no clue what the guns are, I just
# know some are antique blk powder but I'm not even really sure which ones
# th
# ose are! How do I go about finding out what they are & their value so I
# can
# sell some of them! I want someone who appreciates firearms & is a true spo
# rtsman to buy them so they can continue to be used & hunted with instead
# of
# going to waste in locked cabinets!
#
Use Google to search the Net for each make and model. The hits you get
should give you a pretty good idea of what you have and what they are worth
and I've also found some interesting histories of certain guns. As another
poster said Gunbroker.com is also another place to figure out gun values.
When it does come time to sell use a licensed dealer or a good pawn shop to
handle the sales. This way the dealer handles the sale and background check
leaving you free of liability should the gun wind up in the hands of a
criminal. Unless you know the person you are selling a gun to it's always
best to let a dealer handle it. Some dealers will buy outright and many will
sell on consignment. With gun sales at an all time high, many dealers are
foaming at the mouth looking for guns to sell.

Another idea might be to look for a local gun club for info or do a search
at the NRA for certified instructors. Some instructors will go over your
guns for a small fee or just for curiosity. It's important to separate the
black powder guns as in most states they require no background check and can
be easily shipped. If any of the guns are truly historic, and not replicas,
they can be worth quite a bit even if they can't be shot. Good luck.

[rfr...@gmail.com]

The shades, Sorry to you, that you lost your father. But now you have an interesting
situation, one which many would envy.

I won't add any suggestions to the first half dozen or so you've already received here,
but rather would like to point out the excellent nature of their quality.

Also, I'd like to bring attention to all readers here, that for g-mail subscribers, it's
not possible to click on the partial e-address shown and send a message to that individual.
For g-mail, it just doesn't work.

[Gunner]

On Wed, 20 Mar 2013 12:39:03 +0000 (UTC), rfr...@gmail.com wrote:

#Also, I'd like to bring attention to all readers here, that for g-mail subscribers, it's
#not possible to click on the partial e-address shown and send a message to that individual.
#For g-mail, it just doesn't work.

Well...not exactly true...

http://email.about.com/od/accessinggmail/qt/How_to_Access_a_Gmail_Account_with_any_Email_Client_via_POP.htm

Gunner

[Peter Franks]

On 3/18/2013 5:31 AM, theshades...@gmail.com wrote:
# My Dad passed away a few yrs bk & left me with 3 lrg gun cabinets full of g
# uns, a very exspensive brand new cross bow, a few pistols & a lrg tote box
# of ammo & 2 more w/ hunting gear! I have no clue what the guns are, I just
# know some are antique blk powder but I'm not even really sure which ones th
# ose are! How do I go about finding out what they are & their value so I can
# sell some of them! I want someone who appreciates firearms & is a true spo
# rtsman to buy them so they can continue to be used & hunted with instead of
# going to waste in locked cabinets!

Regardless of what you do, I'd love to see pictures.

It is always interesting to see what people collect.

[Gunner]

#Regardless of what you do, I'd love to see pictures.
#
#It is always interesting to see what people collect.

Im rather interested in what black powder arms are in the lot. They
have fallen out of fashion over the last decade or so, but its hard to
not like looking at them and shooting them. Cleaning on the other
hand...sigh....<G>

[rfr...@gmail.com]

Responding to Gunner's comment this AM about the lack of interest in older BP guns.
While working in Brazil 50 years ago, I had to purchase a Rossi muzzle-loading
trade gun, single barrel; what seemed to be about 32 ga. This is likely the most
cheaply-made relatively modern gun one could imagine. It exemplifies everything
you'd not like to see on a hunting gun. I'd guess it weighs about 3 lb.

[Steve B]

<theshades...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:ki71fk$6er$1...@news.albasani.net...

# My Dad passed away a few yrs bk & left me with 3 lrg gun cabinets full of
# g
# uns, a very exspensive brand new cross bow, a few pistols & a lrg tote box
# of ammo & 2 more w/ hunting gear! I have no clue what the guns are, I just
# know some are antique blk powder but I'm not even really sure which ones
# th
# ose are! How do I go about finding out what they are & their value so I
# can
# sell some of them! I want someone who appreciates firearms & is a true spo
# rtsman to buy them so they can continue to be used & hunted with instead
# of
# going to waste in locked cabinets!
#

Buy the newest and latest Standard Catalog of Firearms. It will tell you
the expected prices for most guns, unless they have been highly modified. I
would say that on a lot of the guns, you might be able to sell them
yourself. Ask around among your groups .... at work, at church, at bowling
....... you will probably come up with someone you can trust who will be
glad to help you, and for that, you should work out a fee or % ahead of
time. This is a highly dangerous field, with a slimebug under every rock,
so finding someone who is trustworthy is the key. Start with people you
have known the longest, who you trust because of other dealings, etc.

And take your time. Go to pawn shops. Read online gun auction sites. Find
out what each is worth before turning loose of it. It will be worth the
time invested.

MHO, YMMV, and all that.

Steve

[Oregonian Haruspex]

I say just keep the lot of 'em for a few years. Good quality firearms
don't depreciate invelue much, if at all, and many have significant
appreciation potential as a long-term investment. Plus you get to
shoot your investment! It won't cost you any money to hang onto them,
but you should consider a potential loss in appreciation value if you
have some really nice, rare, or sought-after guns in the collection.

The potential for some guy to swoop in and give $100 per gun is very
high in situations like these, what with the rough economy and all.