Most expensive to collect

[tark]

OK guys (and girls) what would you consider the most expensive firearm in the world to collect? Here are the rules:

1) Must be from 1865 to present.
2) Must have had an actual production run of more than 1000 units.
3) Special engraved guns and guns with special features DO count, as long
as the embellishments were done by the maker.
4) All firearms included, rifles pistols and shotguns. Military also.
5) All guns must be from the same maker. For instance, "collecting elephant
guns" would not count, collecting Holland&Holland elephant guns WOULD
count.
6) Lets leave out class III weapons. They can be hideously expensive.

So what would you say? I would say that Colt hoglegs have to be pretty high on the list.

 

[Panzerschwein]

I agree with OP.

Colt's revolving snake pistol of magnum caliber (i.e. Python) are in some kind of a money pit vortex. About every fifteen minutes, prices double for them. They will soon me worth more than moon rocks it seems.

 

[stchman]

Probably the most "expensive" firearms to collect would have to be some of those boutique 1911s like Cabot Arms and Wilson Combat.

I think some of the Cabot Arms 1911s can cost $12K, the most expensive Wilson Combat 1911 is like $7500. Yikes.

 

[tarosean]

I think some of the Cabot Arms 1911s can cost $12K, the most expensive Wilson Combat 1911 is like $7500. Yikes.

You do realize there are a number of shotgun makers who start out over 100,000.00 + ??

Here is a bargain for ya...



H&H Royal Deluxe line runs at around a quarter mil a pop... Course not sure if they meet the 1000 units produced since it takes over 2yrs to make one.

High end shotguns/doubles are definitely where the real money is...

 

[Midwest]

Patton's pistol went for $75,000


http://www.foxnews.com/science/2015...owned-by-patton-fetches-75000-at-auction.html








.

 

[rabid wombat]

Though the snake guns are expensive, SAA are probably more so. I would guess there are several classes of rifles to play - 94's and the like. I will go with above - shotguns. Think Parkers, Winchester 21's, and etc. If you include the bespoke, load up on the British, Spanish, and others.

 

[tark]

A hogleg is a Single Action Army. Surprised no one has mentioned Lugers yet. Some of them can run up into five figures, and there are Soooo many variations....

 

[jim in Anchorage]

As a collector category, I would have to say collecting Winchesters engraved by names like Ulrich or L.D. Nimschke would be right up there.

 

[MrBorland]

You do realize there are a number of shotgun makers who start out over 100,000.00 + ??

That's the first thing that popped into my mind. Collecting high-end shotguns (e.g. H&H, Purdey, etc) would get mighty pricey mighty quick. Even one-off custom hand-built DG mausers aren't in the same league.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Beretta shotguns was my first thought also

 

[Plastikosmd]

Agree shotguns or some of the double rifles, even some drillings

 

[CLP]

You do realize there are a number of shotgun makers who start out over 100,000.00 + ??

Here is a bargain for ya...



H&H Royal Deluxe line runs at around a quarter mil a pop... Course not sure if they meet the 1000 units produced since it takes over 2yrs to make one.

High end shotguns/doubles are definitely where the real money is...

but i don't think they make over 1000 of those- at least not annually

 

[CLP]

what about NFA items? a nice Colt M16A1 will set ya back a cool 25K

 

[FL-NC]

Colt 1911 pattern pistols. You can go broke on those and not have much to show for it. Same with Lugers.

 

[stchman]

All those high end shotguns are good for is to look at the pretty engraving. I seriously doubt they shoot 100X better than a $1000 shotgun.

 

[zb338]

There is an Italian shotgun called an Ivo Fabbri. They used
to go for a $100K each. Probably more now. They are
used for live pigeon shooting although Fabbri makes other
types as well.

Zeke

 

[tarosean]

I seriously doubt they shoot 100X better than a $1000 shotgun.

A 5 dollar Timex will keep better time than a Million Dollar Patek Philippe. A Honda Civic will go to the Grocery store just as well as a 2.5 Million Dollar McLaren P1.

However, that is really not the point of this thread is it?

 

[yugorpk]

Lugers, SAA's. Both classic. Both Collectible, Both expensive.

 

[tark]

Read the rules CLP, no NFA guns.

Hi, Jim. Still would like to get my hands on that 32 rimfire you have. Collecting famous engravers would get real expensive, real fast, BUT: That would be like collecting elephant guns instead of H&H elephant guns...... Ulrich and Nimschke engraved a lot of guns, but also a lot of different models, and we are talking about a single model here.

Having said that, I will admit that you could probably spend seven figures collecting every, say, 73 Winchester that they engraved. But remember, the gun has to be post 1865. I did that to eliminate all the hideously expensive percussion Colts and things like Walker Colts. Last year the RIA Company sold a Texas Patterson, with holster, for almost a million bucks. I Think it hammered at $850,000.

 

[dragon813gt]

Pick one of the high end shotgun makers. Their prices far exceed those of handguns. You can easily spend over $30k on a trap gun. And that's just a run of the mill one that they produce in volume. Get into engraved models and the prices skyrocket. High end rifles are the same. Just look at what Blasers cost. And they do produce them in sufficient numbers.

 

[Reloadron]

You start getting into some of the double rifles like a Purdey or some of the Holland and Holland guns it becomes easy to drop a few hundred grand real fast. I handled a beater Purdey once that was a $75,000 rifle. A friend of mine was visiting England and went to Holland and Holland asking if he could just "look" at the stuff. They were happy to let him look at their guns. Cliff really got off on that.

Ron

 

[bannockburn]

I would say high end shotguns and/or double rifles from Holland and Holland, Purdey, etc., would be high on the list as being most expensive to collect. After that I would probably go with Colt SAA revolvers and 1911s.

 

[jim in Anchorage]

Read the rules CLP, no NFA guns.

Hi, Jim. Still would like to get my hands on that 32 rimfire you have. Collecting famous engravers would get real expensive, real fast, BUT: That would be like collecting elephant guns instead of H&H elephant guns...... Ulrich and Nimschke engraved a lot of guns, but also a lot of different models, and we are talking about a single model here.

Having said that, I will admit that you could probably spend seven figures collecting every, say, 73 Winchester that they engraved. But remember, the gun has to be post 1865. I did that to eliminate all the hideously expensive percussion Colts and things like Walker Colts. Last year the RIA Company sold a Texas Patterson, with holster, for almost a million bucks. I Think it hammered at $850,000.

Yeah I figured the 1865 cut off date was to exclude the Colt Walkers, although they did make more than 1000 of them.
Yes you could specialize in Ulrich and Nimschke engraved 1873's or 1866's and spent millions with little gun cabinet space needed. Or confine yourself to one of one thousand or one of one hundred 1873's or 1876's. It's hard to put a price on them because they are so rare on the market, but I saw a one of one hundred 1873 at Cabalas for $130,000.

I'm impressed you remembered the .32 RF. Still have it, four 50 round full boxes. It's your's if I could figure out how to ship it. You may have to wait till I visit the lower 48. I can bring it as checked on luggage, but can't ship it on a cargo plane?

 

[stoky]

I would say high end shotguns and/or double rifles from Holland and Holland, Purdey, etc.

My first instinct, but dunno how many would make the 1000 production rule? A lot of these are, or were custom or semi custom.
Maybe revolvers or lever guns with provenance, owned by somebody (in?)famous.

 

[WardenWolf]

I'm just going to say: Blasers. Good grief they're expensive.