I buy and sell and refurbish them all the time. In decent condition (e.g., no broken straps or hinges; no blown-out lid or nosecap seams, with carrying strap intact, $75 is a good price. Value is almost totally dependent on the condition of the leather overall. If it is too dried out to hold a stitch, you can't do anything with it because it will disintegrate in your hands as you try to work it. The classic faults with used LOMs are broken straps and lid and nosecap seam stitching gone, but probably the worst is the loops that secure the handle to the case. If the case has a sewn-in barrel tray, there is no way to get your hand inside the case to do the proper backstitching to sew the loops through the case as originally constructed. All of these things were crafted in stages, with sequences done in order of assembly. So when you try to repair something like a sewn-in barrel tray case handle, you essentially have to disassemble the sequence, which is never worth it time and labor-wise. The best LOM I ever saw someone had at the Vegas Winter Show a few years ago; it was a top-of-the-line Red Head case that had never been used. It had something I've never seen before or since, a heavy canvas outer cover like you see on the best trunk cases. Asking price was $275 if I remember correctly and if I knew then what I know now......... Don't be afraid to spend up for a minty case in excellent condition - the lowest-priced cases currently manufactured start at around $350 and the custom-made jobs by Robert Cochrane and others at about $550. They are definitely a classy way to carry a fine SxS or O/U. KBM
