Old Ammunition and Old Ammo boxes

[Vodoun da Vinci]

OK, I inherited a lot of ammunition from my Father in Laws estate. Some of it was plain old .38 Special and .357 magnum and recently bought.

Some of it was antique looking ammunition....going thru the .22 this evening checking how much of what we had, I found 2 full boxes of 500 "Superior" .22 short. They have unopened boxes of 50 rounds and the boxes seem to be in pretty fair condition. Like this only in .22 short:



I also have some really old boxes of .32 ACP, 32. S&W and shotgun shells. Is this stuff "collectible"? On the site I got the Superior Cartridges pix from I saw that a box like this is worth maybe $120. Not that I'm crazy for money *but* I am not a collector and I know folks who collect stuff ike knives and things.

I'm never gonna shoot the ammunition nor do I appreciate the cool old ammo and boxes. Should I consider putting this stuff into the hands of folks who will really enjoy it from a collectible point of view? Letting them sit in boxes in the basement when someone else could get a thrill out of them bothers me.

Looking for opinions and perspective and thank you in advance!

VooDoo

 

[WestKentucky]

Absolutely sell it. If you don't care for it, and nobody in the family does either, pass that legacy on to someone who does care for it. You can get the cash and buy a lot more of what it currently is to you. Let that money buy ammo or reloading gear to serve as a reminder of the man who passed it along. Let the item serve to honor the man in its best way.

 

[FROGO207]

As far as .22 ammo one serious collector said if it has a bar code shoot it up. There are collectors of old ammo/boxes/propellant cans and such. It is sometimes surprising what stuff is actually worth. Yes by all means pass it on if you do not take joy in possessing it.

 

[huntsman]

Sell either at a gunshow or here.

 

[mnrivrat]

There are many collectors of old catridges/boxes. If you know what they are worth than sell them for what you think they should bring.

If you have no idea of the value, then take good pictures and put them on an internet auction like Gunbroker and they will find their rightful value.
Check on shipping cost before selling to someone whom you need to ship it too. I just paid $18 to ship a box of 50 cartridges in .45ACP I paid $15 for. USPS wil not ship ammunition so check on Fedex and UPS .
I paid a hazmate fee on mine - not sure for one box that it was nessesary, but look into. That box is very interesting - Federal is located in the twin city area and perhaps that is an early product of theirs.

OK - and YES ! ,old ammo is very collectable and the boxes are of primary importance. Sell it to someone who can appreciate having it.

 

[Vodoun da Vinci]

Right...I think I'll see if I can determine a value for the stuff. I'll shoot pix this weekend. All of the stuff I'm talking about is *way* too old for bar code....one box of 100 has an .85 cent price tag.

Maybe I'll check at the local gun show this Summer. I know there are usually a couple tables with this kind of thing. But I'd best have some idea of the collectibility and value before hand.

Surely there is a collectible ammunition discussion site somewhere.

VooDoo

 

[steelerdude99]

If sell it online, as mentioned, it can't be shipped USPS. Bottom line w/ either FedEx or UPS is it must go ground and must have a "ORM-D" label.

Here are the rules from UPS. I could not find the FedEx version. There is more text to read below the BIG DIAMOND where it says no HAZMAT fee is required.

http://www.ups.com/content/us/en/resources/prepare/packaging/guidelines/ammunition.html

chuck

 

[Midwest]

Could you post more pictures of the ammo? Thanks

 

[jonnyc]

Unless really old or rare, .32, .357, and .38 bring very little on the cartridge collector market. I don't know them well-enough, but old .22 boxes can bring some decent money. I don't recall ever seeing the one you posted, and I would definitely research that one a bit before selling it.
As posted above, live ammo can only go via UPS or Fedex, and there should not be a Hazmat fee, as small arms ammo is not Hazmat.

 

[Vodoun da Vinci]

I'll shoot some pix on Friday or Saturday (3/29) and get some good detailed pix of exactly what I have uploaded to my Photo Bucket space and share them with THR.

Mostly I'm curious about the .22 Short "Superior Cartridge" boixes...I have two large boxes that have individual, unopened boxes of 50 that are individually price marked but packed into a bulk box of 500. The box/ammunition condition is pretty much like it would be sitting on a shelf.

It's pretty cool but I'm not gonna shoot the .22 short and surely someone who collects antique rimfire would get a thrill out of it. I'm less concerned about the money - more concerned that it get into the hands of someone who would preserve/cherish it and appreciate it for what it is.

I appreciate the help with this, you guys. Thank you for your opinions and interest.

I'll add that there is an AR-15 in the future and .223 reloading dies and such and if this can be traded for funds towards that end it would be way better than the boxes sitting in storage.

VooDoo

 

[huntsman]

I'm less concerned about the money - more concerned that it get into the hands of someone who would preserve/cherish it and appreciate it for what it is.

+1 when I got out of my 16 gauges I sold all the paper shotshells/boxes (I collected) to someone here, bare in mind that ammo is heavy so don't expect the buyer to give top dollar and shipping charges, JMHO.

 

[rondog]

Leave the price stickers intact on the boxes too, don't peel them off!

 

[Midwest]

Leave the price stickers intact on the boxes too, don't peel them off!

Yes, I'm curious to see what the ammo cost as much as seeing the pictures.

 

[mac66]

Not to hijack this thread but a neighbor's wife gave me this ammo. I tried to get all creative and take a photo of it...

 

[mr.trooper]

Just be aware that most old paper products contain acid that will eventually corode anything metalic.