For the Broomhandle fans
 

Ad from October 1953. Get them while there hot!
Marc

Forget the Mauser, I want the Johnson! :eek:

I could consider that Mauser, if it comes with matching stock. Back a few years ago, one man sold me a prewar small ring which came with matching stock but unfortunately the attaching iron was filed down so that wood box could be used as a holster, but not a stock. The stock wood had been re-varnished. The gun plus that crippled stock cost me $1500. I sold the stock for a couple of hundred bucks (?) and kept the gun for shooting. It performed well in range. Say, the cost of that naked gun was $1300, which is lower than $37.50 of 1953. The gun is same gun if it's not better than that good one described in the advertisement -- I bet it belongs to the better category in 1953 and had cost the previous owner something because the owner had had that gun for 50 years without shooting a single round from it.

I'd love to add one of those to my little collection but the wife would kill me, possibly with it.

Broomhandles imported from China in 1980s are usually a few hundred dollars on the market. I saw people are buying them, fixing many mechanical problems for shooting. How many pistols, of any type, are cheaper than a few hundred dollars these days.... But I would agree most of those Broomhandles are beaters and effort & money is needed to make them work. The price reflects its condition and volume fairly.

I heard one collector complainting "those newly imported pistols (from China) hurt the Broomhandle market badly". Well, that's good for future collectors. Initially, it's hard for me to understand why NRA Fair/Poor instances could affect the price of NRA Fine/VG instances. Finally, I thought I knew why, fair/poor gun is still a gun....

Common C96 variations of western provenance without matching shoulder stock is hard to be called expensive either. About $1700 can find Red 9 in NRA Fine condition. If lucky enough got one at this price, please don't store it in safe for decades without shooting it. The price is shootable in today's dollar value. Also considering the amount of money not going to the parts & gunsmith service for repairing, but directly on the original gun....not only that's more collectible, most likely that works better in range.

+ 1 :crying:

A high school classmate visited me, it's a pleasure to meet old friend that have not met each other for decades. My spouse told him that I collected a few guns so he wanted to take a look.

I showed him MN Rifle, Mauser Pocket, Luger, Browning, and a few Brooms, it's interesting to notice the reaction from people usually do not touch any guns.

(1) He likes Luger, and short barrel Broom. I guess the unique shape of those pistols attracted his attention.
(2) He noticed immediately that Spanish Brooms were very well done. Seldom seeing anything made in Spain in daily life, he's astonished that Spanish Broomhandles looked so nice.
(3) His wife told me a story of 1970s: a security guy violated regulation carrying his duty pistol back to home. The guy's son found it, played it, and accidentally shot the mom. Conclusion: gun is a bad thing.
(4) His father-in-law was a MIG-15 pilot in 1950s and had experience with pistols. He confirmed with me that those pistols were not loaded before touching a Broom.
(5) His teenager son had no interest in guns of any type.

Alvin,

You touch a subject that has been interested me: people reaction when presented to a real gun. Well, when I say "people" I'm talking about folks that are not familiar with firearms and I mean historical (pre-WWII) handguns. Sometimes it's funny to watch the reaction of some folks that never realized that such "old" guns are accessible, and really became thrilled by the experience of handling a gun that was used 70, 90 or 150 years ago.

However, on the other side, there are always those folks that really don't care or, even worse, only care to ask "how much does it cost?" or "you must have a fortune here"...:banghead:

Douglas

Here is your chance! The price has gone up a bit...
http://www.simpsonltd.com/product_in...559a46f4ab0fe8
Marc

Yikes, gone up indeed!