Gun auction...

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375supermag

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Hi...
I went to a gun auction on Saturday.
It was actually only what they refer to as a gun smalls auction. Ammunition, reloading equipment and components and associated products.
I was amazed at the prices that primers went for...up to $170 for a thousand primers. Absolutely ridiculous...

I couldn't stay for the entire auction, so I didn't see what some of the reloading equipment I was interested in went for.
The bidding was intense and that really made for a long auction. I was there for just shy of five hours and it was obvious that the auction was going to last at least another five hours.

I only managed to pick up a couple of things. I did get a decent deal on a box of 500 commercial cast 215gr LSWC sized at .430. I will reserve them for my .44Special revolvers. They cost me $30...my favored supplier charges just over $50 for the same product.
I also bought unfired 100 nickel plated .44Special R-P cases for $14. I think that's a pretty decent price these days.
 
A few years ago, my wife and I went to an estate auction where there were lots of firearms. The guy who died had been a deputy sheriff in a neighboring county. He had several firearms that were similar, like a Glock 19 and a Glock 23. There was a S&W 640, and a S&W 640 pro. Several other sets. Anyway, the Glock 19 sold before the 23. The price on the 19 was crazy, higher than retail at a local gun store. Something else then sold, then the 23 came up. No one was very interested in it as we got it way less than the 19, even with an additional 357SIG barrel. the basic 640 went sky high. Then a few minutes later, the 640 pro went just over half of the basic 640 (we took it home too). No explanation. But we're glad we didn't leave when the first few went really high.
 
Live auctions sure bring out the ego in bidders... if you really want to see stupid high bids go to a dinner-auction. The smart ones have a cocktail hour before dinner, then keep serving the hooch as the auctioneer starts it up.

I have a buddy who got into a whiskey-fueled bidding war over a Lazzeroni 8.59 Titan rifle... he walked out of there with a $4,000.00+ hole in his checkbook for a rifle he never could find ammunition for.

(He begged to trade it to me straight up for my $500 CMP Garand. I passed on that offer.)

Sounds like you did ok once the big spenders were tapped out. :thumbup:

Stay safe.
 
I'd be very happy to find a thousand small pistol primers for $170. Just got ripped off by seller on GB to the tune of almost a thousand dollars for primers. All I got for my money was a box with three pieces of scrap lumber, a note of the seller telling me what an idiot I was and banned from GB for complaining about it.
 
I may give up on auctions. The last several I've attended the prices were mostly above retail. Bargains are mostly gone along with the good old days. I don't really see that changing except for the worse. Public auctions of guns, I'm afraid, may soon become a relic of the past.
 
Neighbor convinced me to go to an estate action with him so I went because the advertisement mentioned guns. There were two guns, one an old 22 single shot bolt gun which went out for $250 and the other I had mild interest in was a Colt Series 80 .45 ACP stainless. The gun at the time was retailing for about $1,000 so I was active in the bidding my last bid being $850 the bidding ended at $1300. The guy who bought it noticed I was bidding and dropped out. So he actually asked me if he over bid on the gun. Being nice I just told him if he really wanted it and was happy with his bid then that was it. People get caught up in this stuff. My buddy likes interesting stuff so he came away with two pretty nice Rail Road lanterns, I forget which rail road but they were pretty cool lanterns.

As to the price on reloading components? No me I have all I need..

Ron
 
30 years ago the local Sheriffs Office had an auction annually to clear out "unclaimed property." Half was guns, usually a hundred or so. Many were beat up "poachers/ street guns" and the bidders were nuts. Most did not take advantage of the "inspection" allowed before auction began. On nicer guns, two or three guys would get in a bidding war and go way over "new retail" prices. I got an original Win 94 SRC in .44 mag for a hundred and a Savage 12 ga pump for $35. Also got a 650 Suzuki for $116 IIRC which I sold next day. Like Gunbroker, expect to pay full retail +10%. Joe
 
Classically - around the Phoenix area - we have always had a strange environment at auctions with firearms, regardless any contemporary political of market-driven *emergencies*.

In the best of times it is more common than not to see items going for significantly more than local retail... even before factoring in the buyer's premium!

Here, I put it down to three things:

The generally churlish nature of those moving to Phoenix permanently.
Snowbirds *recreationally* bidding.
Morons thinking they are going to somehow *loophole* a gun and are afraid of a perceived stigma in attending a gun-show.

It is truly astounding to see what an item will auction out at and then the next weekend see dozens of the same item for significantly less at a gun show.

Todd.
 
Auctions are a dying art. Now, in Covid times, being replaced by "tag sales".

Lots of baby boomer stuff going up with little or no interest.

Guns, of course, are different - but tough to get a deal.
 
Here's my 3 things:

1. People go to look for bargains and do not adequately research the items of interest.
2. Competitive spirit. They get caught up in the desire to "win".
3. I've seen many collectors who knowingly pay any price to fill a vacancy in their personal collections

Let me add a 4th, which is to agree with Todd that people will pay extra when they think they are buying a "quiet" gun.
 
pharmer said:
30 years ago the local Sheriffs Office had an auction annually to clear out "unclaimed property." Half was guns, usually a hundred or so. Many were beat up "poachers/ street guns" and the bidders were nuts. Most did not take advantage of the "inspection" allowed before auction began. On nicer guns, two or three guys would get in a bidding war and go way over "new retail" prices. I got an original Win 94 SRC in .44 mag for a hundred and a Savage 12 ga pump for $35. Also got a 650 Suzuki for $116 IIRC which I sold next day. Like Gunbroker, expect to pay full retail +10%. Joe
Click to expand...
Cop/city auctions are the only real deal here in Phoenix.
Scares the timid and felons away and then the fact that every pistol has been *DNAed* and recorded while in custody too.

Me... I don't care but a good inspection is needed 'cause some of them are hammered to the point of being parts guns only. - Too, usually no magazines for the semis.

Todd.
 
Seems like all auctions I have attended lately are full of eager bidders that bid things up over new prices. Not just for guns but other items as well. At the same time I have seen no bids on some items that you would think would sell. You just never know. I so far, have stayed out of bidding wars at auctions.
 
I've learned that you have to be the expert on whatever you are bidding on. I've been to real estate auctions, estate auctions, car auctions, coin auctions, farm retirement auctions - and every one had somebody who didn't know what they were doing overpaying for something. If you don't already know everything you need to know about an item, you better not bid on it.

In my opinion, actual 'deals' at auctions are rare, especially with the buyer's premium added onto the selling price.

Edit to add: I'm talking about auctions with auctioneers, in person and Internet auctions like Proxibid and Purple Wave. I'm not talking about Gunbroker or eBay, which are a different sort of auction.
 
drk1 said:
I'd be very happy to find a thousand small pistol primers for $170. Just got ripped off by seller on GB to the tune of almost a thousand dollars for primers. All I got for my money was a box with three pieces of scrap lumber, a note of the seller telling me what an idiot I was and banned from GB for complaining about it.
Click to expand...

That seriously happened to you? Was it a check / money order transaction or credit card?
 
I used to go to auctions with guns to try to get a good deal on something I wanted. I gave that up about 20 years ago because I could never afford auction prices.

Then I'd go out of curiosity, to see what exorbitant amount someone would actually pay for a marginally collectible gun.

Now I don't bother at all, since nothing surprises me at auctions anymore.
 
pharmer said:
30 years ago the local Sheriffs Office had an auction annually to clear out "unclaimed property." Half was guns, usually a hundred or so. Many were beat up "poachers/ street guns" and the bidders were nuts. Most did not take advantage of the "inspection" allowed before auction began. On nicer guns, two or three guys would get in a bidding war and go way over "new retail" prices. I got an original Win 94 SRC in .44 mag for a hundred and a Savage 12 ga pump for $35. Also got a 650 Suzuki for $116 IIRC which I sold next day. Like Gunbroker, expect to pay full retail +10%. Joe
Click to expand...
I hit one police auction and it was set up in bundles. You had to buy a dozen junkers to get 3 good ones. I didn't buy anything and haven't gone to another. I did get 3 nice guns at an estate sale but most of time the prices are out of line. It helps to know what you are getting. i found that out the hard way. I know very little about old military guns and every one that I have bought for speculation has been an albatross around my neck. I just barely broke even on a German Luger, and a 1911 Colt.
 
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Captcurt said:
I hit one police auction and it was set up in bundles. You had to buy a dozen junkers to get 3 good ones. I didn't buy anything and haven't gone to another. I did get 3 nice guns at an estate sale but most of time the prices are out of line. It helps to know what you are getting. i found that out the hard way. I know very little about old military guns and every one that I have bought for speculation has been an albatross around my neck. I just barely broke even on a German Luger, and a 1911 Colt.
Click to expand...
*lot auctions* used to rock if you got time to pre-inspect. I've gotten some real treats in those auctions.

Todd.
 
Two years ago at our locale auction they had a few P-38 for sale along with a 16ga singe and a very fancy Beretta clone cigarette lighter. Two old dudes got into a bidding war on the lighter. Auctioneer was advertising it as a good carry piece. Sold for $185. Winning bidder was told he would need to fill out paper work for transfer. Me and wife just looked at each other with the *** look on our faces.
 
Every time someone mentions "police auctions" I wonder what part of the country -and when... down here in south Florida no police auction ever includes firearms (at least in my years, 1973 to 1995...)and I'd be very surprised if that has changed in any significant way since I retired out. I did run one auction for my department and all it had was found property, abandoned property, etc - no weapons or firearms or weapons related items ever... Since I also had to dispose of weapons slated for destruction I got to see every bit of the process back then. Put simply, weapons of any kind held by any Department directly threaten a Chief's job if there were the slightest impropriety found or suggested. We also never traded any of our old surplus weapons in to any dealers for credit against new purchases either.

Since we also became the first nationally accredited agency in Dade county (the Miami area) I'm certain our policies and procedures were in line with the approved national policing policy standards for the early 1990s when we went through the entire process...
 
lemaymiami said:
Every time someone mentions "police auctions" I wonder what part of the country -and when... down here in south Florida no police auction ever includes firearms (at least in my years, 1973 to 1995...)and I'd be very surprised if that has changed in any significant way since I retired out.
Click to expand...
Been that way up here in Ohio for decades be it state or local. Confiscated firearms along with anything they get in their gun buy back programs are destroyed by tossing them in a blast furnace at the steel mills. Departments do trade their used stuff back in on new buys though. The Beretta 96 guns were real nice, marked Ohio Highway Patrol with the state seal. Anyway Cleveland, Ohio makes a big deal of it when they toss the guns into the furnaces. Most of the guns are pretty much junk and now when they have a buy back guys walk up to people getting in line and make offers on anything nice. Sort of comical.

Ron
 
lemaymiami said:
Every time someone mentions "police auctions" I wonder what part of the country -and when... down here in south Florida no police auction ever includes firearms (at least in my years, 1973 to 1995...)and I'd be very surprised if that has changed in any significant way since I retired out. I did run one auction for my department and all it had was found property, abandoned property, etc - no weapons or firearms or weapons related items ever... Since I also had to dispose of weapons slated for destruction I got to see every bit of the process back then. Put simply, weapons of any kind held by any Department directly threaten a Chief's job if there were the slightest impropriety found or suggested. We also never traded any of our old surplus weapons in to any dealers for credit against new purchases either.

Since we also became the first nationally accredited agency in Dade county (the Miami area) I'm certain our policies and procedures were in line with the approved national policing policy standards for the early 1990s when we went through the entire process...
Click to expand...
Just because you don't know about something doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I have at least 5 firearms that I've bought from municipal, county or state auctions

You probably don't know of my father either but that doesn't mean he never existed.

Todd.
 
Motor mouthed auctioneers just turn me off. I have no interest in listening to them for an hour or two until the item I'm interested in comes up. Then I won't understand them anyway, which is probably their intention.

I wonder how many people bid against themselves because they don't understand the proceedings?

With a cell phone in your pocket to determine new cost, is there really any reason to overbid? I can perhaps see a collector on a rare piece bidding high because he or she doesn't know when they'll see another.
 
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