How I score

Navy · 01-23-2004, 11:58 AM

All,

I am often asked how I manage to come up with as many "goodies" as I do in a collecting field that is, shall we say, somewhat specialized.
Well, my secret is the secret of all worthwile endeavors, time and money.

I spend an inordinate amount of time searching the internet gun shops, bulletin boards, auction sites and auction houses. As a part of this, I have made friends with most of the larger dealers and many other collector/dealers and just plain ole collectors such as I. You may recall my previous post about the Navy Luger Cabal. The thought is that 3 sets of eyes is much better than only one.

Additionally, in my business I travel frequently chasing the almighty dollar. A nice diversion when time permits on the road is visiting local gun shops and pawn brokers. They seldom have anything of interest unless it is priced on the moon, but occasionally a sleeper turns up. As an adjunct to this, I try to attend at least two major gun/militaria shows a year. Last year, I hit the jack pot at the Feb SOS in Louisville by scoring a beautiful KM rig. I will be at SOS in a couple of weeks looking to duplicate that; I will also be in Chattanooga for the summer NAPCA conference. Hopefully there will be some NAPCA guys who have some Navy guns that they are tired of, collecting dust around the house, wife is nagging them to get rid of...yeah, right!

The second "secret", is money. My Grandfather taught me as a wee lad that I could always get more money but could never get more time. I think that is very applicable to scoring really desirable pieces. Each week or month everybody gets a paycheck of some type. The question becomes, after food, clothing and shelter, not to mention the extortion payments to various governments in income, real estate, sales, use, ad valorem, personal property, self-employment, social security, medicare and other taxes, what are you going to do with the rest of the money.

Well, I indulge my hobby and buy the best stuff I can find. (That includes the best bourbon, Jefferson Reserve.) If a piece is a delight to behold and I need it to fill a hole, I don't worry about it being a couple hundred over what it should be selling for. The fact that I have found one I need more than compensates for the additional money. And besides, as I do not purchase with re-sale in mind, I don't really give a damn about the money, so long as I am not being gouged outrageously.

So there it is folks. I invest my most precious commodity, my time and occasionally pay a bit more than I should, but I manage to keep acquiring some primo pieces. I would commend this approach to anyone aspiring to build a nice collection as it has worked well for me.

Tom A.

01-23-2004, 11:58 AM	#1
Navy RIP Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Dc 'burbs in Virginia Posts: 2,482 Thanks: 0 Thanked 16 Times in 10 Posts	How I score All, I am often asked how I manage to come up with as many "goodies" as I do in a collecting field that is, shall we say, somewhat specialized. Well, my secret is the secret of all worthwile endeavors, time and money. I spend an inordinate amount of time searching the internet gun shops, bulletin boards, auction sites and auction houses. As a part of this, I have made friends with most of the larger dealers and many other collector/dealers and just plain ole collectors such as I. You may recall my previous post about the Navy Luger Cabal. The thought is that 3 sets of eyes is much better than only one. Additionally, in my business I travel frequently chasing the almighty dollar. A nice diversion when time permits on the road is visiting local gun shops and pawn brokers. They seldom have anything of interest unless it is priced on the moon, but occasionally a sleeper turns up. As an adjunct to this, I try to attend at least two major gun/militaria shows a year. Last year, I hit the jack pot at the Feb SOS in Louisville by scoring a beautiful KM rig. I will be at SOS in a couple of weeks looking to duplicate that; I will also be in Chattanooga for the summer NAPCA conference. Hopefully there will be some NAPCA guys who have some Navy guns that they are tired of, collecting dust around the house, wife is nagging them to get rid of...yeah, right! The second "secret", is money. My Grandfather taught me as a wee lad that I could always get more money but could never get more time. I think that is very applicable to scoring really desirable pieces. Each week or month everybody gets a paycheck of some type. The question becomes, after food, clothing and shelter, not to mention the extortion payments to various governments in income, real estate, sales, use, ad valorem, personal property, self-employment, social security, medicare and other taxes, what are you going to do with the rest of the money. Well, I indulge my hobby and buy the best stuff I can find. (That includes the best bourbon, Jefferson Reserve.) If a piece is a delight to behold and I need it to fill a hole, I don't worry about it being a couple hundred over what it should be selling for. The fact that I have found one I need more than compensates for the additional money. And besides, as I do not purchase with re-sale in mind, I don't really give a damn about the money, so long as I am not being gouged outrageously. So there it is folks. I invest my most precious commodity, my time and occasionally pay a bit more than I should, but I manage to keep acquiring some primo pieces. I would commend this approach to anyone aspiring to build a nice collection as it has worked well for me. Tom A.