Second of two shotguns I'm posting about this AM:
Friend of a friend evaluated inherited Lefever 12 Ga double (S/N 19854, mfd 1892, E Grade)
They identified following flaws-
Re-blued damascus
Missing barrel hinge pin
Receiver plates re-glued

Not a gun guy. This shotgun belonged to my grandfather who passed before I was born, and has been in my mother's possession since my father passed >20yr ago.
I've been maintaining it since my father passed, but with no interest in the family it's time to pass it on someone who appreciates it.
Location: Central NY. Considering a local auction house in Geneva NY for a few other guns.

Appreciate perspective on value with the described flaws, and recommendations for best options to sell and get a fair return.

Thanks for your time!

[img]https://imgur.com/1U7WcBV[/img]
[img]https://imgur.com/f8biHz8[/img]
[img]https://imgur.com/GIIrZCB[/img]
[img]https://imgur.com/Ee4zUHe[/img]

First off, Syracuse Lefever shotguns do not have barrel hinge pins. Lefever used an innovative ball and socket joint that permitted a small amount of adjustment to take up eventual wear.

The rebluing really hurts the value of your gun. Collectors dislike any such egregious deviation from original condition. The greatest concern is whether the barrels were blued using the common hot salts method. Soft soldered shotgun barrels should never be hot blued because the caustic salts may become trapped under the ribs and attack and loosen the solder joints. Most guns have some small voids in the solder joints that allow the Hot blue solution to enter, and flushing out the corrosive residue is difficult, and often ignored by gunsmiths ignorant of the problem.

I also note some damage to the wood where the relatively fragile stock fingers meet the frame. But it is hard to tell the extent and severity of the damage from your pics. I saw your friend's valuation of your 16 ga. L.C
Smith Ideal grade, and feel he is optimistic. To get a better handle on actual values, I'd advise spending some time watching ACTUAL SALES on a large internet site such as Gunbroker.com

You need to compare your guns to those in very similar condition and configuration, and understand that small gauge guns carry a premium over the more common 12 gauge guns. You also need to just ignore the large number of guns that are listed with unrealistic reserves, and are relisted over and over with no bidding activity. Those sellers are simply trolling the waters for a naive buyer with more money than brains. The only thing that matters is ACTUAL SALES. Opinions and wishful thinking are meaningless. Once you arrive at a selling price, don't forget that this forum has a For Sale section with a $12.00 fee for a successful sale.

OP,

Its tough to tell from those pics. Blued-over Damascus can be fixed, but it would need to be worth it to someone to do that, as the bluing may be masking fissures.

I would say a rough range on this gun is $700 - $1,300.

You dont need to go to an auction house. Create a profile on GunBroker, take good pics, and let it fly. When it sells, have the person send you the details of the FFL they wish to use, and whem you receive their payment, you ship to their FFL with a copy of tour drivers license in the box.

That's all it takes to sell a gun.

NDG

NDG, thanks for your reply. Some follow-up Q's:
GunBroker is the best option for this Lefever? What is the advantage over an auction house?
Ask b/c with the described flaws, particularly the re-blued Damascus, assume prospective buyers/bidders would want to inspect this shotgun(?)
Would the risk you mention fixing the re-blued Damascus be another reason buyers may prefer to evaluate in person?
Again, appreciate your feedback. I don't know anything, but want the buyer to know exactly what they are getting and get a price as appropriate as possible regarding flaws.
Therefore, just seek more perspective -assume "letting if fly" on GunBroker means no reserve, and hope bidders willing to gamble that there's no surprises?
I'd be a first-time seller on GunBroker with only the info in my post, therefore not aware of level of risk to receive far below reasonable value on GunBroker?
THX

Post it here for sale, it’s free other than a small donation to Dave. Auction house gonna charge you a fee and the buyer a fee, that’s gonna reduce the value already. From the poor pics, I don’t see that it’s worth much more than a grand, maybe not that much. JMHO

You’ll be lucky to find anyone willing to pay more than a few hundred dollars given the flaws you’ve mentioned and the unknown condition of the gun. Sounds like a bottomless dollar pit to me. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

No illusions regarding the value of this shotgun -because no idea whether it's worth a few hundred or a multiple of that. It is what it is.
That's why I'm here, and lean toward selling via auction. If I posted this Lefever for sale, no idea how much to ask.

Goal coming to the experts on this forum:
Get a consensus to determine a reasonable range for fair value.
Determine best way to pass this shotgun on for a fair price to someone who will appreciate it.

Thanks for your time -and appreciate all help in this regard!

Trouble here is everyone is an arm chair X'spurt....

Get some better pics....Post it in the sale section here and tell them like it is just like you did in this thread....At the end of the description state...."Best offer in a Private Message"....let it ride for a week or so.

If you come to a private agreement.....Mark it sold and send Dave his due.

Or you could "part it out" on Ebay....Ebay covers a vast audience.

HomelessjOe, thanks for your reply.

For non-experts like me, Armchair Experts are better than nothing! haha
Will keep posting for sale here in mind as an option, but not great with photos and unsure how to manage offers.
Parting out on Ebay is an interesting recommendation, but taking the shotgun apart, setting prices on the parts, determining shipping amt, etc is above my pay grade!

To get a reasonable/fair price, still assume auction is the best option for someone like me(?)
The guy who evaluated this and other guns recommended a shop about an hour away that would post/sell them online. Thought the local auction house may be a better option(?)
Looking for the most convenient way to get a fair price for my mother/not be taken advantage of -not looking to squeeze every last $, just need to be in ballpark for a fair sale price.
No support here for selling via the nearby auction house that does "Sportsmen Auctions" that appear to have mainly shotguns/rifles -that would be a mistake?

Any armchair experts that want to let fly with estimates on value and how to are welcome!

Offers are easy to manage....yes or no.

Understand, and again your feedback appreciated.

If understand correctly, offers here are "blind" -made by PM.
Problem is that I then have to determine if the highest offer is fair/acceptable -again, not my wheelhouse.

Wrong to expect PM's here to bring mostly/all lowball offers, with the highest not reflecting ballpark actual value?
Therefore reasonable to think that an open auction selling price should more accurately reflect actual value?

As one who has purchased multiple Lefever shotguns, and also bought a lot of Lefever parts online, I strongly believe that you would get more for an intact and functional, if imperfect, Lefever E Grade gun than you would from parting it out. And without the correct tools and disassembly knowledge, you could even cause more loss of value than there already is.

I recommended Gunbroker.com purely because it is the largest internet gun auction site. Gunrunner.com is another option that has gotten much bigger in recent years. I used to never mention Gunrunner here because I got some screaming deals due to the former limited audience it had. Those days are over. Having a large audience insures the most exposure to potential buyers. A big audience is great for the seller, but not so good for a buyer. The overall fees for selling will be higher than the fees for selling it here would be. On the other hand, you are not obligated to sell it here if the offers you receive are unacceptable.

Local Auction houses can be hit or miss... depending upon the crowd, the weather, the amount of advertising the auctioneer does, and the day of the week. But when the gavel bangs, there is nothing you can do except take what you get, minus fees. Don't forget, with a serial number under 28916, your Lefever is a pre-1899 Antique, and does not require an FFL transfer to sell or ship to most places, except some that are ruled by anti-gun Liberal Left Democrats who impose stricter local sales restrictions.

Keith, a late response/thanks for your reply-

Regarding condition of wood where stock fingers meet frame, took pics (best could do) to help w/further eval:
https://imgur.com/Y40v5bU
https://imgur.com/TpuNwqW
https://imgur.com/wtHz318
https://imgur.com/AYxNKsC

Thanks for correction regarding "barrel hinge pin"-that's what the evaluator called it. First pic in OP shows missing part, which appears to be a pin. Correct name/title appreciated!

Thanks also for your provided rebluing details -definitely understand an important flaw.

The additional pics of the stock where it meets the frame show that it isn't near as bad as many old Lefever guns. Those "fingers" above and below the sideplates are a fragile area, and many old original Lefever stocks have bad cracks, missing splinters of wood, or crude repairs. That area is one of the weak points of Lefever shotguns, and probably accounts for most that have had or need stock replacements. A combination of thin areas of old wood and heavy recoiling loads is probably the biggest cause of this damage.

It appears that the missing pin in your frame is the joint check pin that was used to limit barrel travel in the older guns that used older cocking systems. It was rendered obsolete on later guns using the large cocking hook. Someone may have removed it because they didn't know how to remove the barrels from the frame. It should be replaced to prevent damage.Until then, be careful to open the gun gently, and don't permit the barrels to rotate too far. That could stress the solder joint of the forend hanger, which may already be compromised if the barrels were blued with hot salts

Not your fault LCSmithLefever....

My reply to your questions was not posted here until nearly 3 days after I submitted it.... which seems to be becoming the new normal. Often times, my submissions lose a lot of relevance when they finally appear 2-3 days after I submitted them.

As suggested on your other thread...
Take the guns outside or somewhere there is plenty of natural light, turn off the flash and take some good sharp pictures. If they are not sharp take them again.
BUT....First go on some of the gun-sites, look at the pictures the better sellers post and try to emulate.
Good luck

Yes, thanks -do plan that when the sun shines (possibly next few days)

Your pictures will be best in the shade, not direct sunlight.

Thanks -will do my Best!

This was done indoors with no direct sunlight. I’m no photographer and this was taken with a iPad. So it can be done without expensive equipment.

A gun sight without Freedom of Speach

Think solved a big contributor to poor photo quality: Camera lens cover on 4yr old phone case was scuffed/scratched.
Removed the lens cover and took these 5 pics to get feedback. Can prob improve a bit more/took these quick.

Pic quality acceptable, or close to being acceptable?
If yes, will plan to take more/post in next day or 2.
THX

https://imgur.com/KlJ1ewI
https://imgur.com/UaHLEiG
https://imgur.com/2Mf0kK3
https://imgur.com/AUXnNUZ
https://imgur.com/kXyT5zT