Value opinions, Desert Eagle .44

[Noxx]

An acquaintance of mine is dropping off a 1988 I.M.I .44 Deagle, unfired in the original box.

I did some hunting around gunbroker etc, to establish some sort of price baseline, but was unable to find one really comparable in booth age and condition.

I'm not much of a follower of the D.E., I consider it an interesting answer to a question nobody really asked, but as a collector I am always interested in early generation unfired examples of just about anything.

Any input would be appreciated.

 

[mljdeckard]

The unfired part is interesting, but I would look to see how much actual difference it makes in the value. It's not like it's a rare pistol. If you got it for that reason, you would want to KEEP it in unfired condition. Otherwise it's just an old 1st gen .44 Desert Eagle.

One might ask why he has held on to it for so long, and why it's still unfired? I'm going to guess he was hoping it would go up a lot more in value than it has.

 

[Rembrandt]

There are some unique Desert Eagles that might be more desirable than others....if it has an aluminum alloy or a stainless steel frame. If it is one of the multi-barrel kits (6,10,14") it would bring more. Special finishes are a trademark for Magnum Research, polished and plated will be worth more. A unique serial number will get more attention. Collectors are looking for .41 mag, 357 mag with odd length barrels.

If it's a plain jane 6" black oxide finish.....$600-$1000

 

[ArmedBear]

BTW those guns are a LOT of fun.

If you like to shoot legitimate .44 Magnum rounds, there's probably no more comfortable handgun to shoot them from. Recoil is soft, slow and utterly painless.

 

[AgentAdam]

It might actually be worth less than the current production Mark XIX series which are able to shoot .357mag,.44mag,and .50ae with just a barrel and magazine swap.Actually the .357 will need the .357bolt but the .44 and .50 share the same one, were as some of the older models, the Mark VI or VII i think, can only use .44/.50 barrels if not the single caliber it came as.

 

[RyanM]

If it's a plain jane 6" black oxide finish.....$600-$1000

Agreed. Probably the higher end of that, if "unfired" also means "no finish wear."

 

[Noxx]

Thanks for the feedback. I didn't think it was a particularly desirable piece, but I don't want to rip the guy off on it either. I'm thinking I'll probably give him 750-800 for it.

 

[Noxx]

Ended up picking this up for $650. Basically the guy told me if I wouldn't buy it he was going to dump it at a pawn shop. I didn't exactly have $650 laying around, but what are you gonna do, it's a great price, the gun was legit, and the guy needed the money.

Now I just have to figure out wth I'm gonna do with it. Probably end up in the back of the safe with the Nambu's

 

[Niles Coyote]

Good price! I believe I paid 695 for mine in 1993 and it was the model before the new safety lever and adjustable trigger came out on the markIV.

 

[RyanM]

I'll buy it from you for $655!

Great deal, I wouldn't have been able to turn that down, either.