I get a lot of folks asking me about their Lefever shotguns. The 2 most frequent questions are how old is it and how much is it worth.
For those of you who know Lefevers there is no firm answer to meither question. The dates found on the internet including the LACA site are extrapolations and at least 1/3 of the guns were made out of sequence.
Everybody knows the variability in gun values, especially based on descriptions and photos rather than hands on examination.
However, I try to give as close of an approximation as I can based on the information provided. Sometimes I would be interested in the gun, more frequently not because the high grade guns don't come by very frequently. I will not low ball them even if I or somebody I know is interested because they are asking me for information based on my reputation.
On the other hand, if a gun is offered with a predetermined price tag, whether through a dealer, a pawn shop, or a yard sale or at auction and my opinion is not requested I feel no obligation to "educate" the seller who has placed a price on it.
I don't know if everybody would see the difference between the above scenerios. A dilemma happens if somebody presents a gun for a price and asks "is that a fair price?". To me that depends on whether they are asking me in my capacity with the Lefever Collectors or if they don't know me from Adam, as if I just walk into a pawn shop or a yard sale off the street. In that case I have to let my conscience by my guide. If its a business like a pawn shop I feel it is their obligation to know the value. If it were a widow's yard sale I would probably feel differently.
Last edited by DrBob; 06/22/12 07:49 PM. Reason: spelling
