Need books with some sort of value for a collection

[TexasShooter59]

I have been tasked to come up with some books by end of day tomorrow(!) that will give approximate values for older guns. The "newest" is probably around 70 years old. There are flintlocks and other muzzleloaders in this collection, along with centerfires; both pistols and rifles.

I honestly don't know what kind of books to even look for, but a "shooters bible" was mentioned.

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[rcmodel]

Shooters Bible has no gun values in it except new gun prices.

One very commonly used gun price guide is the Blue Book of Gun Values.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/34677944?...03846408&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=75189638688&veh=sem

But it will have very little if any info for really old flintlocks and muzzle loaders.

I dont know of any books that do.

rc

 

[Jim Watson]

Stoeger does put out a Shooter's Bible Book of Gun Values, but the Blue Book is the standard for the job.

Flayderman's Guide to Antique American Firearms has pricing for a lot of stuff going back to Colonial days but it seems kind of divorced from the actual market. But if you just have to have a printed number for insurance, estate division, or something other than resale, it will probably have to do.

 

[Jim K]

Flayderman's is the best for anything older than 1900; the Blue Book for anything newer. There is some overlap, so those are generalities. The BB comes out oftener so the prices are usually more up to date, but be warned that all books have at least 6-12 months between editing and sale, so they are all going to be out of date, at least if the market is volatile as it has been recently.

Jim

 

[TexasShooter59]

Thank you very much for the book titles. I will recommend those to purchase.

Thanks again!

 

[Jim K]

The best and most up-to-date is the current sale prices at auction. This can be tricky, though. For one thing, you need actual sale prices, not asking prices or "buy now" prices.

For another, you need to make sure the gun in the auction is the same as you have. The presence or absence or seemingly minor markings, for example, can make thousands of dollars difference in the value of a gun.

There is also the need not to generalize, thinking, for example: "A revolver sold for $10,000. This gun is a revolver. Therefore, this gun is worth $10,000."

Jim