Most expensive to collect

[Dr. Sandman]

C96 Mauser. This is an expensive and reasonable gun to collect. If you have a collection of shotguns that cost 6 figures per gun, then you and I have different priorities. Here are some reasons why C96 Mausers are the most expensive guns to collect and shoot.
1. They are interesting, collectable, and addictive.
2. Many different variations exist, some very rare and expensive. Lots of 7.63, fewer 9mm, .45, 8mm, 9mm Mauser, experimental calibers. Try buying ammo or even reloading equipment for some of these!
3. Working examples start around $500-600 and "Nice" guns that are not particularly rare run in the thousands.
4.Try buying the C96 carried by Churchill, TE Lawrence, or Selassie. Sit down for that bill.
5. Easy to waste money or a fake or foreign copy. On some of these, you can waste thousands trying to authenticate your guns. Records have been lost and destroyed over the years by wars and the sands of time.
6. In your zeal to collect C96, you accidentally buy an M712 or other full auto version of this gun. That could cost you lawyer fees, fines and buy you a new roommate for 10 years. Put a price on that!
7. I'm counting the DL-44 Heavy Blaster as a C96. The one they used in TESB and ROTJ sold for $200k. The one from the original Star Wars is still out there somewhere.
Those are all the reasons that I can think of at the moment. I would wager that there are some C96 Mausers out there that are not for sale, so the cost of collecting these (it could be argued) transcends money!

 

[yugorpk]

6. In your zeal to collect C96, you accidentally buy an M712 or other full auto version of this gun. That could cost you lawyer fees, fines and buy you a new roommate for 10 years. Put a price on that!
Those are all the reasons that I can think of at the moment. I would wager that there are some C96 Mausers out there that are not for sale, so the cost of collecting these (it could be argued) transcends money!

Thats funny. My great grandfather was an L.A. county sheriff after he got back from service in WW1 and working as a Black and Tan in Ireland where he helped put down the Irish Revolution ( shooting people, etc ) . He had a M712 he had confiscated somewhere along the lines. It was the first MG I ever shot somewhere near the Hollywood hills when I was a kid. When he died his cop buddies came over and cleaned out his collection. I'm sure everything got turned in to the proper authorities .

 

[tark]

Dr. SANDMAN! We must have been separated at birth! The C-96 is my favorite pistol. Here is mine, 98%, matching holster, never fired after proof testing, insides still gooped with cosmoline. Appraised by Mr Simpson at Simpson's LTD in Galesburg, who knows a thing or two about Broomies as well as Lugers. The previous owner mounted the stock enough times to remove some blueing, but that is about the only blemish on the gun save for a couple of tiny scratches on the right side. The three legged cat is optional.

Lots of interesting thoughts here. I suppose the high end shotgun and double rifle makers would take the prize.

Patton's gun falls into the category of "Colt Model P Single Action Army" And it is a perfect example of why that gun might take the prize. An awful lot of famous people owned those Colts, and those guns are worth an awful lot of money. Sammy Davis Jr, John Wayne, John F. Kennedy, Roy Rodgers, a slew of movie actors,....you could go on forever. They ever presented Brezhnev (probably spelled it wrong) with a fancy cased pair. Try collecting those!

Ahhh....if only I had.....

 

[tark]

Try again, don't know why y pics didn't upload with the post....

 

[ATLDave]

As others have said, high-end English shotguns and rifles (take your pick of one of a handful of makers) are the answer, and it's not even close.

 

[AJumbo]

Army trial Lugers.

 

[tark]

Those are counted as Lugers, but I don't think they can ever be collected. The few in existence aren't for sale. If you discount the high end European shotguns and double rifles, I'm thinking the Luger and Colt SAAs are pretty close to being the most expensive.

The C-96 Mausers just don't seem to get the same respect from the collectors as the above two. My gun pictured above was appraised at around $3500. And I see C-96s almost as good as mine, going at auction for about a thousand less. The Lugers in equal condition go for more.

It is quite an education, living twenty miles from one of the biggest firearms auction houses in the world. One can keep a close eye on the trends and prices in the collecting world.

 

[tarosean]

If you discount the high end European shotguns and double rifles,

Even if you "drop down" to competition shotguns like Kreighoff, Kolar, Perazzi your still talking serious coin. It's a different world..

 

[tark]

Last Perazzi I saw at a shot show cost $77,000.

 

[Dr. Sandman]

Nice gun, Tark! You could even conceal carry that thing, just tell people that your router bits are in the case! Always great to hear of one more c96 fan.

My point is this:
The most vigorous collector that I know has a shotgun worth 15-20K in his collection. That is his most expensive gun. It is not reasonable to collect shotguns at 6 figures a piece! I am sure that people do it, but they are rare and very rich.

 

[Dr. Sandman]

Maybe a better question would be this:
Of all the guns sold today, which has the greatest potential to appreciate in value? Which is the best investment gun to buy?

 

[dragon813gt]

My point is this:

The most vigorous collector that I know has a shotgun worth 15-20K in his collection. That is his most expensive gun. It is not reasonable to collect shotguns at 6 figures a piece! I am sure that people do it, but they are rare and very rich.

Just because that's what the collector has doesn't mean everyone is that way. I know a bunch of trap shooters that have multiple shotguns that cost more than what's in his collection. The $15k-20k is an entry level gun in that world.

I personally don't own any firearms that cost that much. But know many that have hundreds of thousands tied up in shotguns. Rich is a relative term so it's a moot point.

 

[Peter M. Eick]

As a collector, I would say the most expensive would be particular models. For example:
1) S&W Registered Magnums. 5500 of them made each one has a registration number so easy to tell them apart.
2) S&W Triple locks. About 16,000 made (?) and very distinctive third lock. Again, easy to tell them apart and hard to find good specimens.

As others pointed out there are shotguns and rifles that are many times more expensive but the production numbers are lower.