What constitutes a collectible and what is coveted by the collector in terms of firearms?

Interesting question and also why is it that even if a longarm is rare or ultra rare that it is not collectible regarding the masses? I always fall back to Daly, who had the pulse of the American Sportsman and offered them something that the American Sportsman thought they needed in order to be successful, and that including wares for competition as well as hunting. Seems that wild advertising, as well as a little folklore, and a product that delivers are key factors for an item that is coveted, then collected.

Cheers,

Raimey
rse

Anything can be a collectible if two or more people want it. Demand is paramount. After that you can break it down into provenance and condition. Was it owned by a famous person like Elvis? Is it in remarkable condition for it’s age? Is it the first or last of its type? What makes it special in the eyes of a buyer. Does it have a famous name in it?

Collectors tend to be specialists. They collect one brand, or one model or even just one version of a model. Pigeon grade model 12’s in small gauges for example. Winchester model 70 Safari models. They tend to ignore the common place items in average or worse condition. They want ones which look brand new. And they hate refinished or upgraded items. They consider them fake, a fraud or attempt to get them pay top dollar for a bogus item.

Collectible implies some kind of a market.

We can collect almost anything, it’s the human condition, but for whatever we collect to be collectible, there must be a market, and competing demand from at least one other collector.

In terms of firearms, I think collecting was more interesting before the Internet.

For something to become collectible, you need buyers with a certain type of insanity. That's what makes otherwise rational people pay large sums of money for things like Beanie Babies or Hummel figurines. It's also why thousands of guys chased Parkers and paid big bucks for them, when there were lots of guns just as good or better for less money. Scarcity helps a lot, but there has to be demand. That's why my Hunter Arms Co. Gladiator double shotgun will probably never be worth as much as a Parker field grade in equal condition, even though there were only about 365 hammerless Gladiators produced.

If I knew what was coveted by gun collectors, I would have loaded up on Colt Pythons when they were relatively cheap... compared to the stratospheric prices today. But it is fairly safe to say that prices for semi-autos will jump again if this country is stupid enough to elect an anti-gun Liberal left Democrat in 2020. People will collect as many as they can knowing that Democrats want to ban them.

Does a true collector collect expecting a return on their money ?

I once had a collection of bird's nests. Lost'em somewhere growing up, but I do not remember any return at all...Geo

For something to truly become collectible there must be enough made to reach a wide enough audience to create competition.

A lone gunsmith working in his basement might make the worlds best shotgun, but if there's only one it's just another oddity. Parker made enough guns to make them accessible to enough collectors to create the market.

Collecting is crazy to me. Possessions become a burden. I was carried away a couple times of wanting more than I needed of cameras, firearms and fishing rods and started giving them away about 25 years ago

Collecting made no sense. Except for books, rare and common, technical and inspirational; my libraries remain, out of the living area, out of sight, not trying to impress anyone with my taste.

No, for the most part I do not think the collector expects a return on the collection investment. But the glory is in the struggle where the chase of cobbling together the collection is the actual reward. Will be interesting to see what is collected in the next 50 years. Sure wish I would have saved all those early computers & components. I am told that early NASA items will be most collectible.

Cheers,

Raimey
rse

This is the truth.

I'm just a dragon sitting on my hoard.
Most people would have little or no interest in my "treasure".
That said I tend to be a bottom feeder and if I find a bargain I will often buy it and ebay or craigslist or whatever.
Guns, books, old fishing stuff, decoys, anything else I like

A lot is nostalgia. But that often spawns true interest. For most collectibles high prices set in sort of ruins the fun. This can happen with multiple types of collections owned by an individual. And it doesn't matter whether they are gum wrappers or double shotguns!

What else might I speak?


Cheers,

Raimey
rse

Take Puma blades for example. Previously made in Germany. Then assembled in Spain. Now probably made in Southeast Asia. I want the Boys Ellenburg to well know the difference.

Cheers,

Raimey
rse

George I see now where your interest in collecting tOmato stake shotguns originated.

Birdnests to Boss guns. Who'd have thought there'd be so much progress in only 71 years. Happy Birthday to me!...Geo

Happy birthday, you old coot*. Gil
*Dirty old man whose whole life revolves around passing gas at work and growling uncontrollably at sumptous young women at the coffee shop. online definition. On second thought, maybe not Geo. He's retired.

Junk Boss shotguns with square holes cut in the chamber area of the barrels...

I think you should have stuck to collecting bird nests George.

Just my observation.

Happy B'day, buddy. Hope this is your "lucky" day.

SRH

Happy birthday also Geo.

Have a Happy Birthday Geo.!

Maybe he'll run up on a bird nest....

Yeah that Boss comment reminded me of a Highsmith story which Hi told holding his water glass full of Gin above which he just waved a bottle of tonic water or club soda just to get a waft or essence of carbonated water. Somehow his shop had been burglarized and guns stolen & dispersed around Memphis. Then either Hi or one of his hunting buddies stumbled upon a coloured fella squirrel hunting in the Memphis area w/ a Boss. An odd occurrence as I don't believe I've seen a squirrel hunter in the South w/ a Boss squirrel gun. Most, if not all, of the guns were recovered.

Cheers,

Raimey
rse

All the best, Geo.

Hear tell George squirrel hunts with his Boss...







Shots have to be real close because of it's two inch barrels and it's spreader chambering.

You know jOe, I took a pretty good look at restoring that old Boss Gun. Even considered shipping it to England to be sleeved, but the gunsmith there turned it down. Could be the best advice I got on that gun came from you. You just enjoyed it way too much...Geo

I enjoyed my conversations with seller more George...as I recall he got kind of irate with me.

I only bring the Boss up when I feel your hot knife sticking in my dairy'air...


Which has been pretty frequent as of late.

Best part of the story is that Geo. turned a small profit Don't you think Walter?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6BYzLIqKB8

You saying George found another sucker?

Feller got foisted.

Word is he’s still trying to chew his arm off to get out from under that thing.


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Shame King’s hockey thread got locked. Shouldn’t have never started such a ridiculous thread to begin with.

That Boss doesn’t sound much like a collectible, or something a collector would covet. Originality is what counts most, I think......and a square chunk of metal missing from the barrels close to the breech isn’t original. Sorry George. I’ve made a bad decision or two on these guns too. I bet we aren’t alone with the poor decisions....

Heck Buzz, that tomato stake Boss ain't even the only one I've screwed up on...Geo

You think I'm kidding but it would make a nice table lamp.

collectible means...(to gather).
if you gather a certain gun or guns.....or anything for that matter, youre a collector.
if you collect with no goal in mind, youre a hoarder, and that is an illness.
there will always come a time in a collectors life, where they become liquidators.
those that cant liquidate....are hoarders.

seems the liquidation phase of life comes when gray hair appears and you painfully realize and conclude, that the things you collected have no value or interest to the folks around you.

then it hits you, you stubbornly realize it was just a pastime afterall.

Ouch. Too true.

I'm OK with that...Geo

Nothing wrong with pastimes, as long as they stay that.

"Always remember to keep the mainmost thing the mainmost thing."

SRH

Besides Victorian and Edwardian shotguns here are some of the items that I have collected over the past 60 plus years.
Shot shell reloading tools
Vintage English Gun case tools and accessories
Vintage U,K shot shells,
Gunmakers catalogues
Books on firearms, shooting & hunting, 1850 To date
Detached locks from vintage breech loaders
Vintage Sporting prints and advertising
Collecting has been a very important relaxation through out my life
At 85 I am still happy when I am able to add to my collection

How extensive is the >>Detached locks<< collection?


Cheers,

Raimey
rse

It seems to me that a collectable item is anything that a person values for reasons that are not strictly utilitarian.

Gathering for the primary purpose of resale is called retail, not collecting, in my opinion.

Best assessment I've heard...

Take George now he was a real collector back in his bird nest dayz.

Might know it came from an Acadian.

We supposed to say thanks?


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You not supposed to say nuddin’. (lol)
https://youtu.be/f0CSZxcmXfY

Yes, like from another Acadian Sunday night. Talent bench short everywhere!

Y'all ran the Acadians out of Canada, but we welcomed them in Louisiana. Shore Do Love that Cajun Cooking.

Sure could take a dish of CrawDad etouffee right now or a good Bait of Gator Tail.

Anyone with more guns than he/she can reasonably shoot and not in it for profit, is a hoarder. A collector is someone in it for the investment, wisely or not...Geo

Hmmmm.......maybe George?? Roy Hebbes might want to take a look at the locks on your Boss though. I bet the locks are super nice despite the barrels.

The locks were nice, but it is difficult to restore a gun from the locks up...Geo

I'm betting that Boss was built before Boss knew they were boss.

1860, according to them...Geo

George are you saying you were a bird nest hoarder ?

Nah, that's what Mama said when she had the maid throw'em out...Geo

That reminds me George. I know where there is a set of Boss barrels.

Ahhhhh! And to think, I only sold it for a very small profit...Geo

Feller dat own dem barrels, wouldn’t be a one armed Cajun, would he?


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Parlez-nous à boire!
https://youtu.be/9fs12_-ihPY

Excellent find LR.

Kinda early for a cartridge gun...might have been the first Boss.

Originally a pin gun. Converted to centerfire...Geo