M1 Carbine Value

What it is worth to a dealer, who then intends to resell it and make a profit (ie, wholesale), and what it can be sold for to an individual for their personal use (retail), is entirely two different things.

If a dealer offered you $500 for it, than it "should" sell for more than that to an individual. No guarantee that it will.

WayneK said:

I would like some opinions on what my M1 Carbine might be worth. It has an Inland 5 didgit (595xx) serial number on reciever and Inland barrel dated 5-44.
The barrel also has shallow import mark. I think it is INTERARMS ALEX, VA. The walnut stock has no visable cartouche but a slight A A A mark on left side behind the trigger. The stock also has M2 cutout. I have been told by several dealers that it is in very good condition. 2 different dealers have offered me $500 for it but I believe it might be worth more.

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Been seeing them selling for around $700 at shows for Inlands. Dependant on condition of course. As stated above, if a dealer offers $500 you can get more

It's worth will depend on the sum of it's parts. If it is "correct", that is, it has all Inland parts of the appropriate era (push button safety, flip sights, non-bayonet barrel band), it is worth much more than $500 or $700.

I paid 700 for my Inland 2 yrs ago. It is a typical mix-master in very good condition. Since then I priced them = internet/gun shows/private sales etc. Prices seem to start at 600 for a decent one on up, depending on condition and maker. The one drawback you have is the import mark. It does not affect function one bit , but most potential buyers avoid them like the plague especially Blue Sky marked guns. I say do not worry about it and enjoy your piece of history. I love mine.

Post some photos...............That would help. I am actually surprised a gun dealer offered you $500 for it. A listing of all the markings on the Carbines parts would help too.........

Good Inlands with no Import Marks can be bought for $500.00- $600.00 all day long. The market is flooded with them since CMP released theirs.
A Import mark detracts from the value. If its a normal mixmaster $500.00 is a fair value

The import mark would not matter if the carbine was an earlier Interarms import with Correct parts. The M2 stock is certainly a replacement, but everything else could be original.
I see CMP carbines which look like rack grades at the local gun shows going for $600-650.

Two identical carbines, same parts and condition one has Import mark one doesnt. Which will be worth less?
The one with the Import mark

Master of stating the obvious, Orlando.
Two carbines, one Correct but with an import mark, one CMP mixmaster, no import mark. Now which one is worth more?

Master of rudeness, you said "The import mark would not matter if the carbine was an earlier Interarms import with Correct parts"
I'm saying yes it does matter. A Import mark will always detract from the value

Correctness of the carbine as a whole matters more. A genuine GI push safety sells for $100 by itself...same with GI flip sights...same with non bayonet bands.
We really don't know what the OP has in his carbine. 5/44 barrel date seems late to me for a 5-digit Inland. A lot more than the presence of an import mark goes into a carbines worth. An all correct 5 digit Inland, correct in all it's small parts and with the correct stock and dated Inland barrel is certainly worth more, with import mark, than a CMP mixmaster with no import mark.
I say that as a proud owner of a CMP Inland which I personally picked out at CMP North. It is a mixmaster, but I love it.

I agree

Prices vary wildly based on numerous criteria. A dealer cannot offer full retail value as he has to make a profit. Frankly, I'm surprised a dealer offered $500 as I don't think he could sell it for much more than that. I would expect a dealer to offer maybe $350 hoping to sell it for $450-$500. I have seen some dealers offer a lot less than that.

I bought a gun almost identical to yours 4 months ago for $419. I see them at the shows tagged at $650-$700 but they don't seem to sell real fast at that level since I keep seeing the same guns on the tables show after show, month after month.

BTW- Folks who know a whole lot more than me about M1 Carbines say there is no such thing as a totally correct one. They were all rebuilt after the war. The only way one escaped the overhaul was to have been purloined by someone and carried home in a duffel bag. I think that happened a lot. My dad had a 1911 he "liberated" during his stint in the Navy 1942-45.

My own opinion...two dealers have already offered $500. Since dealers generally offer about half a firearms true worth (at best, in my experiance), this carbine deserves a closer look.
The OP should post some pics and run a thread on the CMP carbine forum to get the facts.

Our recession has caused some guns that were valued at the top 800.00 now can be bought for around 500.00. Look hard,don't be to anxious to buy. If you want s hooter,the markings don't matter,but I want one that definitely was made back when the NRA was selling them for 19.95 with a subscription(around the mid-sixties)