[QUOTE=Alistair McCello]
I must admit that I know almost nothing about guns so I never realized these were so highly prized. My father has an antique M1 Garand with bayonet and a rifle that was issued in WWI (based on Wikipedia I think it is a M1903) with bayonet. I’ve fired both of them but I was always most interested in the historical significance. Are they actually expensive collectors items, or just nice guns enjoyed by enthusiasts?
[/QUOTE]
Depends who you talk to.
Generally, nice guns enjoyed by enthusiasts- they made millions of them (literally), and they’re well-made, accurate guns with a lot of history.
But some of them are expensive collector’s items- made by particular arsenals that didn’t produce as many guns as others, matching serial numbers, in mint condition, and matching bayonet, sling, and oil bottle/cleaning kit- that pushes the rifle into “Expensive Collector’s Item”, and if it’s a sniper rifle you can easily add another nought to the price as well.
These are generalities, though, and it depends on the rifle. My area of interest and expertise are British firearms, and a 1923 Lithgow SMLE MK III with volley sights, magazine cut-off, matching serial numbers, appropriate bayonet (same year, for example), sling, oil bottle, and pull-through is going to be worth a hell of a lot more than a 1943 Lithgow SMLE Mk III* with matching numbers, bayonet, and oil bottle/pull-through, even though- to the untrained eye, they both look like the same rifle.
What a military surplus firearm is actually worth is anyone’s guess- for example, P08 Luger handguns are worth stupid amounts of money pretty much anywhere in the English-speaking world, even though they aren’t especially rare or otherwise remarkable. People just go OMG LUGER!1! and suddenly what should be a $400 handgun is $1200- more if it has Nazi proof markings on it.
If you’re interested in finding out more about your rifles, send me a PM and I can point you in the direction of some good collector’s boards and other sources of info…
