Stevens made millions upon millions of single, double & pump shotguns over the years. They were made cheaply & simply. Although the various gun auctions and gun boards are showing unwarranted high prices for these shotguns, most of the sales of the gun at unreasonable prices do not sell.
Stoeger & Mossberg make new shotguns that sell for $250 to $300. These are decent shotguns with none of the issues that the old Stevens shotguns have.
Many of the Stevens/Springfield/Savage/JCHiggins were made for Sears, JC Penneys, Western Auto and a dozen other retailers. They sold (new) for $75. to $125. The biggest problems with these guns was the stocks. They were made of a hardwood that almost invariably splintered, which made them undesirable when compared to other shotguns that were made of better wood and that were designed in such a manner as to not split.
My opinion is that a new Stevens if you could find one, other than the ones being made in South American today, would be worth anywhere from $100. to $200. (depending on condition). These guns were mass produced and are not worth what many owners think they are. There is a lot of hype about collecting this shotgun and I attribute it to the sheer number (millions) of them sitting around not being used. In other words, the hype is self serving and does not reflect the real value of these entry level shotguns. Just because the gun is old doesnt make it valuable.
