My father reciently passed away leaving quite a bit of firearms and firearms related paraphenalia behind.
I haven’t been involved in guns in nearly 20 years now, and when I was, really didn’t handle the money side of things.
As such, there are a few weapons I want to hold on to for sentimental value, but that leaves a BUNCH of other pieces and tools that me and Mom really aren’t qualified to value.
My biggest concern is getting Mom the most appropriate amount of money possible for something she no longer wants. But that has to be compounded by what this stuff is really worth.
Three examples:
Dad had a pair of gold plated Civil War commemorative pistols in their carrying case. I’ve seen them listed online for $450. (hmmph, found a link where they’re $400 a piece without case…Knowing that you can ASK anything you want, you won’t necessarily get what you’re asking for, how do you go about selling this?
He also had quite a bit of ancillary stuff. He had two reloading presses and the dies to use in them (at leas 12ga. and 20ga.) and he used to reload his brass, so there’s a footlocker full of tools and two presses that he couldn’t GIVE away when he moved out of state. I believe they’re a good 25 years old, and are probably in fair condition. He took care of his stuff, and kept them off the floor and in cardboard boxes, but it wouldn’t surprise me if there wasn’t a little surface rust on them.
He had a really good bench scope for dialing in rifles at the range, but it’s 25-30 years old…how much could it possibly be worth?
Compound all this with me being a good 1200 miles away, and the help I can give is limited.
I think a gun show, or maybe a swap meet at a gun club if you could get in, are the best places to get rid of all the assorted tools and ammo. You could check online for the value of the large items and just looks around at others selling the small stuff, or just base it on how complicated or fine the tool is. I don’t know about the guns themselves.
The problem there is geography. Mom’s pretty much doing this alone, I’m trying to advise from a distance. The reloading stuff is awkward, and I’m not sure how to value the stuff. Seeing a shotgun shell reloading press with ‘Best Offer’ seems like it wouldn’t work very well.
I would call a couple of gun dealers in your mom’s area and ask them for referrals for someone who would either want to buy the stuff as a lot themselves or would be willing to act as her broker at a gun show. If you get the same recommendation from more than one dealer, that might be the place to start. If you want a decent price for the value of those things, you’re going to have to trust someone to take care of it for you.
We just went through this with a relative. Go on line first to get a baseline, and then go to whatever gun shop your dad liked and talk to them. If they don’t know, they’ll probably know someone who can give you a fair value. Get a couple appraisals so you’re confident you’re not being duped. Good luck.