Baseball Cards and Modern Firearms

[theotherwaldo]

A lot of collectibility is driven by wastage, which leads to rarity.
A firearm that is produced in lots of over 50,000 units, is of moderate finish and cost, and is not connected to some person, movie or situation that makes it famous is extremely unlikely to become a high-value collectible within the lifetime of an original purchaser... unless it becomes noticeably rare Then it may increase in value more than many of its more common contemporaries.

The same is true among automobiles. I have been amazed at the price tags of pristine Pintos, Vegas and Chevettes whose values are increased because most of these vehicles were junked long ago and some folks romanticize their first cars, however modest those cars may be.

 

[larryh1108]

I do not completely understand how some commemorative pieces of nice guns don't increase in value much, if at all. May times these commemorative pieces sell for less than the commercial versions. I do understand that maybe 10,000 were made so they are not that rare. I do understand that most of these are still in circulation and unfired which contributes to the supply (minimal attrition), down the road. However, I do not understand how an unfired commemorative Colt 1911 would sell for the same, or less, than a lightly used Colt 1911 from the same period, of which millions were made. Maybe they have to be 75+ years old to be worth more than the similar models?

 

[bersaguy]

I do not completely understand how some commemorative pieces of nice guns don't increase in value much, if at all.

To this point, I think there is some inherent backlash against things that are made primarily to be collectable. Case in point...baseball cards of the 80s and 90s, beanie babies, Franklin mint commemorative plate sets...ect. And I think you hit the nail on the head, they're made to be collectable, so attrition is low, supply is high. My first car was a Chevrolet Cavillier...hundreds of thousands made, most of them in the junkyard now, derided for years as lackluster drivel of the American auto industry. But now, good condition examples are starting to bring some decent money. Not '69 SS Camaro money...but not bad. I could see dropping some cash for a restored Cavalier and reliving my highschool days, once quite a few other things get paid off. So, maybe there's hope, for those S&W Sport II's, Ruger SR series pistols, Savage Axis rifles....thirty years from now, someone may want to reacquire that first gun they had. But probably not Hi-Points....ain't nobody collecting Yugo's