gunshow report-

MikeP · 10-20-2001, 10:15 PM

Saw a very nice-NRA exc 1938 today at the Decatur, Illinois show-matching except for nice original mag-$850-guy said he would come down some. I paid way too much for two lugers last month so had to pass on this one.

Marvin · 10-21-2001, 06:20 AM

I had a day off yesterday and decided to take a trip to Key West. On the way, there was a gun show at the Miami-Dade Fairgrounds and I decided to see what was there. What a disappointment for Luger or C&R collectors! If you wanted new pistols, they were they at decent prices. The best buy at the show were Czech. CZ-52 pistols for $99. They were in excellent arsenal reworked condition. These are neat pistols and fun to shoot.

Anyway, on to the important part; I saw 2 Lugers at the show. The first one was a 1920 commercial which had been reblued, to highly polished, and the small parts restawed. The blue was salt blue and the restraw was too "yellow". They wanted $795 for this pistol which was about $400 too much. The other Lugere was a very poorly buffed pistol with most of the sharp edges rounded off and a very high polish salt blue job. This one was $695. I can't believe the asking price for these poorly redone pistols.

The really ridiculous priced pistol was a Walther P.38, "ac44" with a 1942 hardshell holster. The pistol was in approx. 80% condition which looked like someone took "0" steel wool to the sides of the slide. The holster was in very good condition with no spare magazine. The asking price for this "jewel" was $800.

I am just about to quit going to gun shows! In the Southeast, I have not seen any decent buys in Lugers, P.38s, PP, or PPKs. I don't understand how they can expect to sell anything, but that is their problem. Another problem with gunshows is that the dealers seem to think they have "rare" bargains and if you don't buy their "jewel" you are crazy. Most of the time, these dealers have no idea that the pistol is a shooter only, or they think the buying public are idiots. I guess gunshows are good places to buy ammo, but that is about it!

Marvin

Aaron · 10-21-2001, 11:34 AM

These sellers know a lot more than you give them credit for. They may even be really knowledgeable collectors in their own right. They are not looking to have informed people such as you as a customer, but they want to sell to newbies who are easily deceived and mistakenly pay high prices for junk.

Marvin · 10-21-2001, 01:46 PM

Aaron,

You are probably correct and it is a shame a "newbie" has to lose money this way before learning the truth. I think any dealer who is honest will have much more business in his area.

As with Lugers, P.38s, Walthers, etc., the dealers who have a number of WWI & WWII pistols for sale seem to have price tags on the pistols that are ridiculous. I was at a show in Atlanta last year and one dealer who had 8-10 nice collectible Lugers on his table, had prices that far exceeded any price from the well know dealers like Ralph, Bob Simpson, Tom Heller, etc. I suppose they may come down a little, but not enough to have a decent buy. No one had purchased any of them after spending most of the day there. How do these guys stay in business, unless when they do sell one, they make plenty of profit. I don't mind paying a decent price, but I sure will not let myself be "ripped" off.

Marvin

BILL · 10-21-2001, 03:13 PM

Don't give up on the gunshows..just take a break. The economy is a strong factor to consider and when it takes a dip people stash their "valuables" for a rainy day. The thing that I have noticed over the years is that the better the economy the more collectables change hands (seems like it would be the other way around). I guess if someone has a pistol that they think is worth a lot, now is the time they hold onto it tightly (along with all of their cash). There seem to be no 'bargains' when there is a recession. Everyone has the 'most valuable pistol in the world'.

10-22-2001, 11:44 PM

Coins, cars, stamps, and other collectibles have had "crashes" in value at some point of time or other. In each case, the values ran way up at an unsustainable rate and bumped into some bump in the economy. Coins went up till about the 1987 stock mkt crash. Cars went up till the 1991 Gulf War. Guns have not suffered any real drop in value except for isolated types. If the values of guns have been rising rapidly recently, there is a risk, however small, of a crash or "hangover" from the runup. This is a risk for the common items that have suffered a runup if not for the unique pieces. The risk is, therefore, to such guns as K98s that have run up a lot in value but are still available to some extent (a few thousand all-orig K98s are in collector hands). Lugers have not had a great runup to my knowledge so should be less vulnerable to any potential crash in values.

Pure speculation on my part. Regardless, I am not buying SAA's.

10-20-2001, 10:15 PM	#1
MikeP User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: ILL Posts: 686 Thanks: 36 Thanked 452 Times in 198 Posts	gunshow report- Saw a very nice-NRA exc 1938 today at the Decatur, Illinois show-matching except for nice original mag-$850-guy said he would come down some. I paid way too much for two lugers last month so had to pass on this one.

10-21-2001, 06:20 AM	#2
Marvin User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Upstate S.C. Posts: 1,132 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Another gunshow report- I had a day off yesterday and decided to take a trip to Key West. On the way, there was a gun show at the Miami-Dade Fairgrounds and I decided to see what was there. What a disappointment for Luger or C&R collectors! If you wanted new pistols, they were they at decent prices. The best buy at the show were Czech. CZ-52 pistols for $99. They were in excellent arsenal reworked condition. These are neat pistols and fun to shoot. Anyway, on to the important part; I saw 2 Lugers at the show. The first one was a 1920 commercial which had been reblued, to highly polished, and the small parts restawed. The blue was salt blue and the restraw was too "yellow". They wanted $795 for this pistol which was about $400 too much. The other Lugere was a very poorly buffed pistol with most of the sharp edges rounded off and a very high polish salt blue job. This one was $695. I can't believe the asking price for these poorly redone pistols. The really ridiculous priced pistol was a Walther P.38, "ac44" with a 1942 hardshell holster. The pistol was in approx. 80% condition which looked like someone took "0" steel wool to the sides of the slide. The holster was in very good condition with no spare magazine. The asking price for this "jewel" was $800. I am just about to quit going to gun shows! In the Southeast, I have not seen any decent buys in Lugers, P.38s, PP, or PPKs. I don't understand how they can expect to sell anything, but that is their problem. Another problem with gunshows is that the dealers seem to think they have "rare" bargains and if you don't buy their "jewel" you are crazy. Most of the time, these dealers have no idea that the pistol is a shooter only, or they think the buying public are idiots. I guess gunshows are good places to buy ammo, but that is about it! Marvin

10-21-2001, 11:34 AM	#3
Aaron Banned Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Vista, CA Posts: 1,008 Thanks: 0 Thanked 9 Times in 9 Posts	Re: Another gunshow report- These sellers know a lot more than you give them credit for. They may even be really knowledgeable collectors in their own right. They are not looking to have informed people such as you as a customer, but they want to sell to newbies who are easily deceived and mistakenly pay high prices for junk.

10-21-2001, 01:46 PM	#4
Marvin User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Upstate S.C. Posts: 1,132 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Another gunshow report- Aaron, You are probably correct and it is a shame a "newbie" has to lose money this way before learning the truth. I think any dealer who is honest will have much more business in his area. As with Lugers, P.38s, Walthers, etc., the dealers who have a number of WWI & WWII pistols for sale seem to have price tags on the pistols that are ridiculous. I was at a show in Atlanta last year and one dealer who had 8-10 nice collectible Lugers on his table, had prices that far exceeded any price from the well know dealers like Ralph, Bob Simpson, Tom Heller, etc. I suppose they may come down a little, but not enough to have a decent buy. No one had purchased any of them after spending most of the day there. How do these guys stay in business, unless when they do sell one, they make plenty of profit. I don't mind paying a decent price, but I sure will not let myself be "ripped" off. Marvin

10-21-2001, 03:13 PM	#5
BILL User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Western Washington Posts: 826 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Marvin.. Don't give up on the gunshows..just take a break. The economy is a strong factor to consider and when it takes a dip people stash their "valuables" for a rainy day. The thing that I have noticed over the years is that the better the economy the more collectables change hands (seems like it would be the other way around). I guess if someone has a pistol that they think is worth a lot, now is the time they hold onto it tightly (along with all of their cash). There seem to be no 'bargains' when there is a recession. Everyone has the 'most valuable pistol in the world'.

10-22-2001, 11:44 PM	#6
mlm Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Another gunshow report- Coins, cars, stamps, and other collectibles have had "crashes" in value at some point of time or other. In each case, the values ran way up at an unsustainable rate and bumped into some bump in the economy. Coins went up till about the 1987 stock mkt crash. Cars went up till the 1991 Gulf War. Guns have not suffered any real drop in value except for isolated types. If the values of guns have been rising rapidly recently, there is a risk, however small, of a crash or "hangover" from the runup. This is a risk for the common items that have suffered a runup if not for the unique pieces. The risk is, therefore, to such guns as K98s that have run up a lot in value but are still available to some extent (a few thousand all-orig K98s are in collector hands). Lugers have not had a great runup to my knowledge so should be less vulnerable to any potential crash in values. Pure speculation on my part. Regardless, I am not buying SAA's.