Auction: I didn't want to buy a gun anyway

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JohnBT

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I met my aunt and uncle at a little auction yesterday and sort of had some money burning a hole in my pocket. Out of the 36 firearms up for grabs, I really only had an interest in a couple.

First off, and the point of the post, the high condition Model 42 Winchester went for $1750. No box or anything, but extremely clean. There were 3 guys all over it and no guarantee I would have gotten it for $1800 or even $2k the way the bidding went. The guy that bought it was bidding without hesitation, he hardly let the auctioneer get a word in.

An Iver Johnson Champion 16 ga. single bbl. => $375.

A very nice Win Model 37 .410 went for $525. This and the Model 42 were probably in the nicest condition of the bunch. The 37 was nicer than mine. Mine has some receiver finish wear underneath from being carried.

A used Rem 31-S was $625.

A used A-5 Magnum went for $825.

A Lefever 10 ga. SxS made $550.

A very well worn Parker G 12 ga. hammer gun - $890.

A couple of well worn 12 ga. Model 12 Wins went for $475 each.

I thought somebody got a fair deal on a Rem 870-TB for $500.

Somebody paid $325 for a drugbehindthetruck Model 97 Win.

Not a shotgun, but a 99% Remington 541-S rimfire sold for $750. Mine is prettier and shoots better. I got mine from my uncle and he's shot both of them.

The auction was his brother-in-law's, so I had some inside info. He didn't auction off his core collection. And some of the guns used to be my uncle's.

Oh well, it was interesting. I didn't need a .410 pump anyway this week I suppose.

John
 
Doesn't sound like anyone got a bargain, John. $500 for a TB in great shape is about right, IMO.

Glad I never fell in love with Model 42s.
 
AS a kid I used to drive an ice cream truck. One of my favorite stops was a local field used for auctions. When guns were being auctioned off, some people just went nuts -- bidding way more than I had seen some of them on the used rack. And the used rack guns were in better condition. I particularly remember one heated bidding war. When it was over the guy and his wife came over to buy a couple of popsicles. He kept giggling and saying "I won!". She asked him what he was going to do with it. He just got a blank stare and kept telling her "But I won!". The object wasn't to buy a gun, it was to get something someone else wanted. Perhaps for the same reason. I had forgotten about that until I read this post. Even the on-line auctions seem to go a little nuts at times. If you just advertised the gun for the price it autioned for, no one would be interested.:D
 
There was a 42 in with the set of 12s I bought last week, I bought the 12 and 16, didn't like the 20, didn't need the 28, but all four together were less than the 42.

Stopping back today to get the 12 gauge trap barrel.
 
I need a .410 pump gun like a fish needs a bicycle.

I've been wishing that I could still get a 9410, though...
 
Auctions are really crummy places to buy guns. My wife and I go to estate auctions all the time, and get a lot of good buys, but I've only bought ONE gun at an auction. It was a used Ruger Old Army for $200.

I saw a Ithaca O/U advertised at a farm auction a couple years ago. I went, hoping it was an early (Perazzi) one, and no one would recognize it as such. It turned out to be an SKB, with a HUGE gouge in the reciever, pitting on the barrels, and several other condition issues. My Blue Book showed about $375, and I figured for that, it would make a nice beater or loaner gun. The bidding started at $400, and when I walked away it was going somewhere north of $700. :rolleyes:

Men have some kind of macho idea about "knowing" guns, and after they watch their wives buying boxes of doilies and kitchen gadgets, they can't wait to show their knowledge by running the bidding up on some rusty old hulk. I don't know how many times I've heard the auctioneer say "They don't make these anymore", while I'm thinking "No they don't, and for good reason".

That said, sm and I saw a nice 42 at Tulsa three years ago. The asking price was $4250.
The guy that bought it was bidding without hesitation, he hardly let the auctioneer get a word in.
Click to expand...
That's an excellent strategy, and one I use all the time. Decide before the item comes up what you are willing to pay, and then bid like you mean it until you get there. Sometimes you'll scare off competing bidders, who sometimes stop short of what they would actually pay just because you are bidding so aggressively. IOW, they have no idea when or where you will stop, so sometimes they'll just give up and quit bidding.
 
Way back in my youth, I saw a gun cabinet listed at an auction. Went there specifically to buy it. My top bid was going to be something like $60 IIRC as new ones went for maybe $90 at that time. Opening bid was $75 and it shot over $100 in just a few bids.

I grew up on a farm. If the homestead were to ever have the stuff auctioned off, I'd go to the local gun shop and buy up some older shotguns and list them. I'd make at least 50% on my money.
 
If the homestead were to ever have the stuff auctioned off, I'd go to the local gun shop and buy up some older shotguns and list them. I'd make at least 50% on my money.
Click to expand...

That's an interesting idea, even if you're NOT selling off the homestead...
 
There was an article in one of Fjestad's Blue Books some years back, written by a professional gun auctioneer (a guy from Kansas IIRC). He said the best way to sell some of your rusty old relics is to take them to a farm auction and put them on consignment.
 
I bought a High Standard Duramatic at a estate sale once.
Main draw was tools, and antique furniture, and dishes.

I and those that attended , just went to see some folks , shoot the bull and plans to go out to eat later. We really did not even know any guns were being auctioned off.

Two types of folks, the old farmers/ ranchers and wood workers, for the tools and the Interior Decorating bunch wanting the furniture and dishes.

This can get real interesting btw...

Auctioneer said a High Standard was coming up and my ears perked up.
Starting bid was ...$50.

I was in "position"... just outside of the side entrance, others were looking at the other stuff and not paying attention...
Auctioneer did his neat deal about the gun and heck my take was a High Standard is a High Standard and for $50, I can't go wrong.

"Starting bid $50"
"$55" I said.

*crickets*

Auctioneer doing his thing and am hoping nobody is paying attention to his spiel.

" Going once, going twice and $55 and Sold to ..."

Box, instruction sheet, three mags total, and 3 boxes of ammo.

Two mags like new, I bet they had never even been in the gun.
It was LNIB, and I betcha taken out back, shot a mag through and kept in the house and never fired again.

Auctioneer later grinned.
He never saw me ease into the room via the side entrance, but he knew my voice.
My head was down when I yelled my bid, nobody was paying attention or really new where that bid come from.

Neat guns! Great shooters and great for introducing new shooters and one of the easiest to take apart with that thumbscrew.

I wish I still had that gun , or one like it.
 
I have found some good deals on ammo and the like at auctions.

One auction a couple years ago, there was a whole bunch of 16 ga ammo, maybe 100 boxes all mixed up. One guy was buying it all for around $15 per mixed flat (4 or 5 boxes of ammo per box). One box had some M1 clips and miscellaneous 30-06 ammo in it, so after he bought it, I asked if he would sell the 30-06 stuff. "Sure, take it, $7". He got half his money back and I got several clips and two boxes of 1942 Denver Ordinance armor piercing ammo.

At another auction, there was a 50 cal ammo can with some boxes of milsurp 30-06 in it. One kid standing next to me, wearing camo, told his GF "I need that for elk hunting" (illegal in this state). I decided to outbid him, whatever it took. I got the box for $37.50. Inside were five boxes of sealed "1962 Lake City National Match", along with a few rounds of factory ammo.
 
You know, the thing that's funny is that a local chain of pawn shops had a BIG gun auction. Maybe 300 guns. Went dirt cheap. I mean give away prices. Luftwaffe marked Mauser went for less than $200. Commemorative 1911's for less than $500 NIB.

I guess the buyers all figured that a pure gun auction would bring too many pros, so they stayed away. Everybody wants to get something cheap and thinks they're going to find it at a farm auction. Once somebody gets there, they are determined to get their "deal", no matter what the price.
 
I've found some screamin' deals at farm and estate auctions, just never on guns. I bought a RCBS UniFlow powder measure at one for $12, and the "gun experts" looked at me like I was some kind of idiot.

At another one, I bought an older Black & Decker 3x21 belt sander for $5.50. The disgruntled bidder who had bid $5 told me "You know you can't get parts for those any more". I told him, at $5.50, if it quit, I would just chuck it.

It's still working, after doing a bunch of floor repairs. :D
 
I love gun auctions. Great way to spend a day. I've never lost money on a gun I bought at auction and done well a couple of times. There was an old Mauser 11mm caliber that I bought for a song and made money selling the parts. A BSA single shot that was sound but in rough condition was professionally refinished and sold it for many times what I'd paid.

My best auction buy was a bolt action rifle. We'd just moved out to the country and I needed a little .22 for dispatching small critters. The rifle that came up was lovely but the auctioneer warned it didn't come with a magazine. But in the back of my mind were two things I'd read. The small company that made the rifle was still in business and the magazine design was identical to one used by Savage. The bidding was cautious and when the hammer fell at $250 I was the new owner of a mint condition Cooper Arms Model 36. I slipped into a local gunshop bought a magazine that fit and ordered two more from the company that arrived a couple of weeks later.

The deal that I wished I'd pursued was a Model 12 two barrel set. It was spectacular and sold for just over $1,000. It was worth several times that much.
 
I apprenticed under Orthodox Jews coming up.
Now some of these folks were in the Pawn business

Tip: Never play poker against a Jewish Pawn Shop owner.

Of course we had some Catholic Pawn shop folks and "Dumb Gentile" ones too.
We all kidded, nobody got feelings hurt, just we all teased, razzed and carried on.
Times were different.

Now the Pawn folks know is who and doing what. I mean they know the Doctor's wife is pawning something , or the Lawyer needs money to spend a weekend away with his secretary "doing discovery motions for a client".

Estate sales were known, before they happened.
Classified Ads were "known" about too.

Typical of this bunch:
One Jewish fella could smell a rifle deal.
Catholic was the one with a nose for handguns.
Protestant, the shotguns.

Business is business...each respected each others talents.

Ad in the paper and take one step inside and one would take one glance, reach in a pocket and pull out a roll of cash and "I'll give you amount for the whole lot."

Estate sales the same way.
Some of the wives knew furniture, - they would show up, toss cash out and buy the whole lot.

So folks show up to what was in the paper and the good stuff is gone.

Still, a bunch of gun in the corner and the whole lot bought and Model 12s, 97s, 42s , Model 70, 94...

I still remember 4 Win Shotguns, Model 12 in 12, 20, 28 ga and Model 42
With all the leather scabbards and everything in with some other shotguns.

Two, $500 bills were put on the table.

I know where these guns are, and they are in a walk in vault.
About an hour after these were bought a phone call was made.

"Got some guns you wanted, and listen, I like them $500 bills,
so have me three and you get them four guns".

Turn the money...

Last time I priced a Model 12 in 28 ga, $4800.
 
Yep.. I had an auction business for 20 years and people seemed to go nuts over the guns that came up.. I have been to many auctions other than my own and have yet to see a "Good" deal due to people with the mentality that If I cant have it they aint gonna get it..

In that 20 years I got one good deal, a Smith and Wesson Model 1 .22 caliber short revolver in 95 percent condition for 200.00 bucks..
 
Used to go to those auctions all the time. It's totally random what people show up, but if there's guns advertised, the same ones were there, and they were sharks.

THis one auction for an old cabinet maker who passed, they auctioned off his shop equipment, all old, well used, still decent, it went for big bucks, he had a newer Home Depot 240-volt air compressor 60 gallon tank, it went for $100 more than the Home Depot sticker that was still on the tank said it was bought for a year ago.
 
Auctions can be crazy things. I have an FN Hi Power that I bought at a Police auction many years ago (about 30). This was closed bids from FFL's only. The FN had a missing magazine, but other than that was in very nice condition. As a lark, I bid $12.50 for it. I still have it.

Then there is the other extreme.

When I was growing up, almost every farmhouse in central Texas had an old bench on the front porch. The farmer had hacked it out of 1X8's with a hand saw, and cobbled it together with 8D common nails. Every time the farmhouse got painted, so did the bench.

My wife and I attended an antique auction recently where we saw one of these go for $580.00, and another one went for $750.00.

I could churn them out from my garage for about $10.00 each, including 8 - 10 coats of paint, and some "antiquing".

It's really incredible what people will allow their emotions to do to their pocketbook.

Hey, I think I just came up with a new business model.
 
Just look at Ebay---sometimes things will go for half again as much as you can just go buy it for.

Do your homework---set your max price and don't budge from there.
 
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