Are mid 20th century guns perfect collectable for the working stiff?

[bushmaster1313]

I have heard that a rifle is the poor man's yacht.
I look at mid 20th century firearms as the working man's, or women's, optimum collectable.

Intrinsic value,
Great ones can be had for affordable prices.
A liquid market
Get to meet good people at the range, stores and shows
This Forum
Can usually resell for about what you paid, and sometimes you get lucky.
Fun to use.
Low carrying cost compared to a boat.
Can be operated for several dollars.

 

[Murphy4570]

Collectable, sure. Most anything can be collectable.

Working man can still have a boat too, you know. Gotta be able to fish too.

 

[FROGO207]

Well IMHO the two are not really in the same league. The good boats around here start at 60K and go to 5M or more for a "reasonable" one. Even purchasing FA firearms would cost much less for the average Joe to own. Good summation on the reasons that are a true parallel though.

ETA: There is a big difference between a "Yacht" and a row boat/skiff/kayak. Don't personally know many that brag up their Jennings pocket pistol like I hear most yacht owners doing.

 

[treg]

I paid less for my boat than most of my guns!

 

[csa77]

i also paid more for many of my guns then my boat...i mean kayak. their is not much outside of the gun field thats more fun then catching 5 feet+ black tip sharks in a 10 foot kayak at 1 am in the morning.

 

[shuvelrider]

There's no real rational thought to that question/statement. Wealthy or a working stiff, a person will collect what they feel they want or what interests them.
A working stiff may have a small collection of few guns, but they may be of high end quality that he worked hard for. Same as a wealthy person may have the biggest pile of guns around, but of mediocre quality.

In reading that question, it also implies a "poor man" (working middle class today) cannot afford to collect anything of more value then firearms. Sounds like a nonsense statement to justify a person buying guns.

 

[GCBurner]

Pre-1964 Winchesters are certainly going up in value, as are nice double-barrel shotguns, and rifles in "African" calibres. They're not completely out of reach for someone who wants one yet, but they're getting there.

 

[LemmyCaution]

'Collecting' is a pursuit of the bourgeoisie, not the proletariat.

 

[Fish Miner]

... and a gold star to LemmyCaution for using the word "bourgeoisie"
Edumacated!

 

[CountryUgly]

i also paid more for many of my guns then my boat...i mean kayak. their is not much outside of the gun field thats more fun then catching 5 feet+ black tip sharks in a 10 foot kayak at 1 am in the morning.

And you are nuts. I'm now throwing you in with the guy that jumps off high creek banks on to the backs of wild boars while spearing them. The plus side is I'll bet you got some of the better "This one time I" stories.

So I'm totally not off topic.... I'll say the OP's views are fair but really is kind of comparing apples to oranges because who the heck would spend more on a boat than a gun. Two of the happiest days in my life were the day I bought a boat and the day I sold it. I guess I could same the same for my firearm hobby too. Happiest Day- My very first LGS handgun purchase ever. I actually enjoyed filling out the "form" for my new chrome plated .380 Cobra pistol:banghead:. Other happiest day- The day following my purchase when I sold that POS to some sucker for half of what I originally paid for it.

 

[HGUNHNTR]

Lemmy-collecting is definitely for the Proletariat. ie, beanie babies, centennial plates, shot glasses, cabbage patch kids, and other crap that is deemed "collectable" in order to justify folks' need to amass quantities of useless crap. The proletariat is especially good at it, just go to a garage sale and see for yourself.
The upper rungs of society are just better at figuring out what has real value, and investing smartly. Usually those items don't have a 1 of 100 stamped on them anywhere, and are typically not stuffed with polyester.

 

[LemmyCaution]

Yeah. There's collecting, as in 'collecting dust,' and there's 'collecting,' as in 'amassing quantities of rare or beautiful items that have a greater speculative than use value.'

The the context of the OP, I interpreted we were talking about the latter. So I'm going to stick with my original assertion.

 

[B!ngo]

Well IMHO the two are not really in the same league. The good boats around here start at 60K and go to 5M or more for a "reasonable" one. Even purchasing FA firearms would cost much less for the average Joe to own. Good summation on the reasons that are a true parallel though.

ETA: There is a big difference between a "Yacht" and a row boat/skiff/kayak. Don't personally know many that brag up their Jennings pocket pistol like I hear most yacht owners doing.

Well, having sailed, owned and raced in sailing leagues, I can vouch that guns are a much better deal. It is said that yachts are, 'a hole in the ocean into which you pour money'. Also, 'the only enjoyable day for a boat owner is the day you bought and the day you sold the boat'.
Guns are way better. Very low cost of upkeep. Cost of usage is high (ammo, range fees, etc.), relative to the cost of the gun, but still modest (unless you have a Barrett or some such) in the scheme of things. And, unlike most boats, many guns can be sold for about what you paid for them.
So, one thing is not like the other. And collecting, for the sake of enjoyment but not for a high likelihood of appreciation is a joy.
B