Any guns that have lost their value?

[SniperStraz]

I know a lot of people on here collect guns in part as an investment. I got to thinking about his and I was wondering if anyone knew of or could think of any guns that have lost their value over the years. Are there any?

 

[C5rider]

This one has for sure!

Sorry, I couldn't resist. Not my photo, pulled from the 'net.

 

[Trent]

Apparently with the $800 LEO offering, my PS90's just lost a BUNCH of value.

 

[bushmaster1313]

It would seem to me that many of the "commemorative" and "tribute" guns would be hard to sell at there original issue price.

I also suspect that many collectors are unable to sell some of their American double barrel shotguns for what they paid if they bought them five years ago.

 

[MedWheeler]

Maybe my Phoenix HP22A. I did pay a little more in 2009 for it than they are going for now, but not by much.
My guns are all "beer-budget" guns anyway (Taurus, Charter Arms, Ruger, Kel-Tec, etc), so they had little "extra" value to begin with. None has lost any since purchase from what I can tell, except for the Phoenix.

 

[Twiki357]

All guns that I have, I bought because I wanted them, not for investment or appreciation in value. So I haven't really checked. But, it does seem that a lot of asking prices in the online ads have come down a little over that last 6 to 12 months. Not sure if that indicates reduced gun values or desperation do to the economy.

But it has resulted in three purchases in the last two months that I hadn't planned on.

 

[Bushpilot]

It seems to me that lots of gun values have dipped in recent years. I think this is partially due to the recession but I'm guessing that it is mostly due to the change in the "gun market" and "gun buyers." Classic sporting rifles and shotguns such as Winchester model 12's, Browning Superposed and pre-64, Winchester model 70's (availability of new model 70's probably has affected price) and the like, while still valuable are going for less than what they used to. Many of the shooters and collectors that prized these guns are passing away and being replaced by gun buyers more interested in military style rifles, both historic and modern. The handgun market has changed too but I don't think prices have dropped much; there are just more autos and less big bore revolvers and hunting handguns. Cowboy style revolvers (and rifles) and have been the exception here...

 

[Ian]

There have been a number of times when big imports of surplus guns have clobbered the value of the few that were in the country early. The SKS would be a good example - I knew a guy who traded a Webley .38 automatic pistol for an SKS in what was a pretty fair trade at the time. A couple decades later the Webley was worth thousands and you could get an SKS for $89.

 

[jmr40]

I think the cowboy style guns are at or very near their peak and expect prices to drop within a few years. Lots of guys near my age who grew up watching the cowboy movies will still pay a premium. Once we are gone I just don't see the interest in the next generation. Between Marlin and Winchester they have a combined 15 million + levers out there. I think the market will exceed the demand in a few years.

The typical pre-64 model 70's have taken a huge drop. For 30 years, 1964-1994, a pre-64 was the only option for a CRF USA made rifle and ANY Winchester with CRF sold at a premium. The actual rifles were not that special and a great many only used the CRF action as the basis for a custom build. Today you can buy a Winchester, Ruger or Kimber with CRF. A standard grade pre-64 no longer holds any special value. The older, pre WW-2 rifles and some in rare configurations or chamberings have some collector value, but not standard shooter rifles.

Relative to inflation AR's are much cheaper today than ever. The market is flooded with good quality rifles at fair prices. If poliical winds change they could either be worth a fortune, or worthless, in a few years.

 

[Buck Kramer]

Every bullet you shoot down the tube, your gun looses value. That makes mine priceless

For real though, I think "low" capacity 9mm's are losing their value, maybe lower caliber handguns like .25's and .32's. However I think their collectability has gone up since they are more rare, but the small market lessens their value.

 

[FreddyKruger]

the Ruger No1 in .303British.

was only meant to be a limited run, collectors and dealers (over here at least) bought up think they would be an investment.

Then range testing showed the guns were pretty poor in the accuracy dept and dimensions were very meh. then Ruger decided to make the .303 a factory option.

now people are struggling to sell them for any price...

 

[Midwest]

I was only recently offered $ 50 for my single action .22 cal 8 shot revolver, nothing wrong with it. I paid $100 for it several years ago.

 

[gp911]

I think the biggest example would be commemorative edition guns. Many of them are just expensive, gaudy versions of something common, and they often are made in large enough numbers that everyone who thought they were special already has one. The AR market has shifted toward more 3-gun style rifles and ban-era guns with old features are worth a bit less, as are pre-ban guns in -most- states. Years ago I rarely heard negativity about different options for ARs as the options were limited compared to today. Now it has to be a Colt, but they are overgassed, so it has to be a middy setup, but some of those are picky about ammo, and this brand is junk but that one is overpriced, and really you should build your rifle for nine cents with these options, but those parts are crap soooo... Meanwhile years ago the conversation was all pre-64 this, Model 12 that, and before all that it was "check out the gorgeous wood on this Monte Carlo sporter stock I'm using on my cheap Mauser project, complete with cool white line inserts and curb feelers". As tastes and available options change, so goes the market and the overall conversation.

 

[Trent]

The Yugo M76 dropped in value. I have serial # *2*... Found it at a pawn shop for ~1600, traded some stuff for it. They originally came in with a MSRP of $1800-1999ish, now ... they're going for about a grand.

I bought a Steyer SSG '69 at a gun show about 6 years ago. Mint condition, original german glass, lots of spare magazines, spare quick detach rings, paratrooper bag, the whole kit. Paid about $2500 for it. Then Steyer decided last year to start remaking them. Value plummeted.

Two rules of thumb...

If a gun goes out of production, and the value goes up, remember.. it can always go back IN production again, and drive the value down.

Also don't buy imports early on. But not too late that you miss the boat.

 

[Vaarok]

The Yugo SKS back in the eighties was a thousand dollar gun, now they're a couple hundred.

K-31s likewise.

Another good example would be SKSes in general- back in the days of Vietnam, they were unobtanium, and then the Chinese commercial imports hit and they were $99 with a case of ammo.

 

[HDCamel]

The Regent 1911 seems to be a commercial failure.
I bought one for $450 not too long after the second (and probably best) production run started.
Recently I've seen them for around $350 NIB.

That's probably the biggest dip in resale value, but I generally only buy guns that I want.

Incidentally, the two guns that I bought on a whim because they were really good deals (a Mauser K98k and a S&W 5906) I quickly sold at a profit.

If you want a gun that's guaranteed to grow in value, then buy a machine gun.

 

[Hypnogator]

Thanks to the recent popularity of autoloaders, good quality used revolvers can be had for a song in many places. Commemoratives really don't appreciate much in value unless they're very limited editions. In today's economy, you can get them LNIB for a fraction of the original MSRP. Side-by-side double shotguns are extremely cheap now unless they're fine name guns (Parkers, Win 21, etc.).

Otoh, milsurps that once cost a couple of hundred dollars are now going for thousands. I have an M-1 Carbine that dad got through the DCM in '65 for $20.00, is now worth upwards of $1,700.

 

[HoosierQ]

Hypnogator worte: Thanks to the recent popularity of autoloaders, good quality used revolvers can be had for a song in many places. Commemoratives really don't appreciate much in value unless they're very limited editions. In today's economy, you can get them LNIB for a fraction of the original MSRP.

WOW! That is so NOT what I see around here. Around here, central Indiana, if it's not made of zinc and it shoots 6 rounds, $600 pretty much no matter what it is. Crazy. I have heard this before so many times. Dude is considering a P95 or something and folks say "nah...just pick up a nice old revolver for a song". Where in the world are all of these nice old revolvers? They sure as heck are not in Indiana and those that are sure as heck are not there to be had for a song, or even an opus!

 

[bushmaster1313]

I have gone to the Forks of the Delaware show in Allentown and to me, some of the tables look to be full of junk that nobody wants.

I wonder if my favorite guns will end up that way, lying on a table with nobody left to appreciate them:

 

[browningguy]

Almost all guns go down in value, particularly when inflation is taken in to account. Very few guns have the qualities of desirability, demand, and supply match up in the collectors favor. Sure some guns go up for a limited amount of time, or due to a well funded marketing promotion, but then they go right back down to their real level.

In general, as with almost all collectibles, the things that go up on a regular basis are things that were expensive to start with. Hollands, Purdy's etc., every year is like collecting interest. But you have to put up $50k to start playing that game.

 

[Ignition Override]

Any gun loses its value-notice the offers at gun shows when carrying a gun.

 

[Matthew Courtney]

2 1/2 years ago Colts were selling for $1600-1800. Now Wal Mart has them for $1097. A few guns that I bought 20 years ago have increased in value, but not enough to keep up with inflation. Firearms that are to be shot should not be considered investments. More properly they may be considered hedges. They may be considered hedges against a breakdown of civil order. In a disorderly environment, they have a value that transcends monetary quantification.

 

[cleardiddion]

One thing that I haven't seen mentioned is 'pre-ban' guns and accessories.

For most people there's no need to pay the outrageous prices from the Clinton years for the stuff we want. Even in the states which still have an AWB ban, prices seem to have stayed steady if not actually dropped a bit since 04.

 

[gym]

As mentioned, many revolvers are and will loose their value, other than specialty models, and maybe some 357's. But most new shooters have never even fired one. I am going by my surrounding area. Some of the Southern states see less of this than the rest. Also Other than ex military and leo, lever action and almost all pump action rifles, even bolt action, "again other than real gun people or hunters".
Most want autos, and 1911's seem to be the hot number again.Pocket pistoles in 9mm, and 40,45 rule the day. Glocks or Glock type pistoles are what they were introduced to, and find it hard to have to reload the revolver every 5 or 6 rounds.Those old rifles are just suffering from a lack of market.

 

[22-rimfire]

Guns or interest in a style of gun are/is subject to the whims of shooters, collectors, and trends. In the late 1980's, it was difficult to sell a revolver, but times change.

Most gun go down in value the minute you buy them at retail. If you alter them, in most cases the alterations (or the cost of) will actually reduce the value again and the alterations often limit the resale in terms of the potential buyer pool.

If you use resale after 10 years of ownership and appropriate care as your benchmark, few will loose value relative to the original purchase price other than junk. Otherwise, you are pretty hard pressed to make any serious money on a firearm unless you are fortunate to own a gun that has increased significantly in popularity since your purchase.