Another entry: Have been offered a Browning B-92 Centennial, NIB, 6000 produced in 1978. Priced right, 33 years old and never fired, the lever has never been cycled, the saddle ring still has the plastic sheath on it. I could double my money in short order. I like them better than the Rossi or the 1894 Marlin or the '94 Winchester. Shoot it????????
Shoot it!!!
Maybe I just try not to overthink it, which is a feat for me. It is a gun. I has an intended purpose. If the price is reasonable to me and it will do what I want it to do or has a certain appeal, why should I care what a collector thinks it's worth? Present or future???
I bought a NIB Winchester 94 NRA Centennial Rifle for less than the cost of a new one. It languished in its original box for almost 30yrs. It's one of my favorite hunting rifles.
I bought a NIB Browning 53 that languished in its original box for about ten years. It's a wonderfully accurate shooter and small game popper. It looks pretty good too!
Other limited production guns that are often found NIB that I would love to have, shoot and hunt with include:
S&W's Elmer Keith commemorative .44Mag model 29
Winchester's Chief Crazy Horse 94 .38-55
Winchester Theodore Roosevelt Commemorative 1894 .30-30, in both lengths
Winchester Buffalo Bill commemorative 1894 .30-30
Winchester John Wayne commemorative 1894 .32-40
Winchester Canadian Centennial 1894 .30-30
Browning 1886 rifle (not the carbine)
Browning 65 .218Bee
Colt 125th anniversary SAA
Colt Alaskan Pipeline SAA
A 4" S&W 24-3 to match my 6½" above
I could not imagine denying myself the pleasure of owning, shooting and hunting with those guns because a collector thinks they should stay pristine. To put it another way, why would you let a stranger dictate how you use your own property??? I'm not saying that my purposes are any more or less noble. I'm just saying that either is equally viable.