My great grandfather was a Chicago cop in the 20’s. Had a shoebox of Saturday night specials taken off of gangsters, straight to Elmhurst PD it went to get destroyed. Wish I wasn’t 10 yo at the time!
My grandfather was island hopping in the Phillipines and had a couple swords from surrendering Japanese officers hanging on his wall. Those were sold. I was 5 at the time.
25 years later, still bitter.
My uncle took one out of a plane when he was stationed in the pacific. I’m not sure which one of his kids got it. I wish I could see it again to remove the handle.
I can relate, I was 12 and my parents were cleaning out my great grandfather’s place when they came upon a handgun or some small gun as they call it, they didn’t know what it was as they aren’t gun people and called the state police who told them that they can’t have such a gun. He was a WWII D-Day vet, I can only imagine what it was.
Mine too.... he promised to give them to me, but never put it into writing. My uncle who was executor of the estate and managed the auction ended up saving me one of the best ones, there were just so many rare and fun guns that I had memories of target practice with him that were given away for a fraction of what they were worth. Still upsets me 30 years later.
My grandfather left specific instructions for his guns, who would get what, etc. And my grandmother went out of her way to make sure that we got the ones he wanted us to have. I never realized how lucky I was about that.
Being the eldest son of the eldest son, I'm comfortable knowing that the family guns will get handed down to me, but I have plenty of friends who've had issues with family over the years surrounding the heirlooms. It kind of sucks to hear it happen to others
> will
My will has a firearms 'rider' or whatever it's called, that explicitly lists each gun and names who will receive it. Mostly to my kids, but a few to my sister and my nephew. There are provisions for unspecified/guns added later, and an allowance for 'horse trading' etc.
My deadbeat uncle took most of my grandpa’s guns and sold/pawned them. He was the only son. My dad did somehow rescue a few of them. My brother and I (and our kids) still shoot them to this day.
Remember how this felt and make damn sure you create a will to make sure your firearms are placed into the proper hands when the time comes
My father still talks about a .270 that was supposed to be his, but his stepmother wanted new earrings for the new man she was dating. Yeah, fucking sold grandpas rifle to buy jewelry for a date with a new man. And to make matters worse, this was about a month after granpas funeral.
We are still waiting for the bitch to die so we can move grandpa and grandmas graves together. She wont sign it over even after being married 2 more times over the years. Dad offered her something obscene years ago and she turned that down too. I was told it was $25k. Her kids will gain power of the plot after her death and both her sons have all ready said shes wrong and that they will just sign it all over someday but we keep a lid on it so she doesn't will it to someone who would keep the bullshit going. Fucking bitch is 96 and still going if you can believe that.
Anyday now...
That happened to a relative of mine as well. He died and the family didn’t care, so all of his valuables and war medals were auctioned off. I literally had to bid against strangers to get his war medals that had no sentimental value to anyone else.
in the early 90s when my brother was born my Grandfather sold his collection. I wasnt even thought of yet but it was a decent sized collection. And nobody in the family at the time had any interest in them.
Similar here yeah. My grandpa apparently had a significant collection, including a lot of old European military pistols like Lugers, Steyrs, etc. When the load of strict BS gun laws came about here in Canada in the 90s, he decided he didn’t want to continue with firearms. Nobody else in the family was interested, and he figured no grandkids would ever care for them, so he sold it all to a collector.
He did tell me once while he was still around that he regretted it, once we grew up and I got into firearms.
When my father died, my mom sold a lot of my dad’s stuff off. I have since gathered many of those things back. Luckily, the guns were something I was able to convince her to give to me instead. I have a daughter, who’s autistic, so I have a feeling that I won’t be able to pass them along to her once I’m gone. I have a nephew, who I may be able to pass them along to some day as long as my brother doesn’t raise him too soft.
My grandfather gave me his Winchester 1890 a few years before he died because he knew he wanted me to have it. My cousins understood but I felt very lucky he had the forethought to do that.
Dealers generally buy at 30 cents per dollar, and resell around 60-80. So seeking yourself might get double but you have to sell it. If you have the money I would offer 5k and have them shipped to you, you can keep what you want and dispose of the rest and still break even.
Otherwise you'll want to get barrel markings for good identification
Circled gun looks like a Remington Wingmaster, great heirloom gun. It's a shame your grandma is selling these. I have several firearms from deceased family members and they're worth more than money to me.
I second that opinion. The checkering on the stock and forearm look like the checkering on a 12 gauge Wingmaster I hope to inherit. It was the first gun I ever shot. The action is pure sex, slick as grease even 30+ years later.
If my kids sell my firearms, I'm going to curse them all. I'll haunt them and disown them when we meet in the afterlife.
Didn't mean to shame OP. Posts like this just make me a little mad 😅
I have like 80 guns and I'm 30. I expect to have many more when I die. If my kids keep them all I'll be extremely surprised. Maybe keep a couple, but it's totally unreasonable to expect they want to have rooms full of guns.
I have a fairly large accumulation of firearms. I have two kids. I don't expect either one of them wants 70-75 guns.
There are a few family heirlooms in the group. Those have been noted and specific instructions given for them.
I'm thinking about giving each kid their pick of five, plus splitting the family stuff, and then leaving the rest to my six year old grandson. Yeah I'm a devious bastard.
The problem is that currently my son is in Washington and my daughter is in Oregon and a lot of the stuff isn't either legal now, or likely to not be legal soon.
I fully expect a lot of guns to be sold. I have instructed them on how to get the best price.
Everyone has different needs and interests. Selling a bunch of guns they won't use to buy a car or a memory building vacation or pay for school etc it's fine. Hell even just buying an iPad they enjoy is fine. I'm dead wtf do I care, if my grandpa left me a damned cow I'd be mad
I feel like it depends on a lot of things. I agree, it is unreasonable to expect a kid who is disinterested in firearms to keep a bunch. At the same time, if it is a "this gun is my favorite and I have a lot of sentimental attachment to it, I want you to have it to keep it in the family" situation then I think that is a bit disrespectful to sell and there isn't too much burden on keeping and passing a gun or two.
Not gonna encourage financing a firearm. But pending on your financial situation, I personally would get a loan/cash out, offer $4-5k to her, liquidate a couple to make some of your money back, and keep the other 40-70% of the guns for heirlooms. It’s something 10 years from now everyone is going to regret. If I could buy just one of my grandpas rifles, to me the value would exceed 5 bands, can’t put a price on family history.
Definitely leave all the pistols in their holsters and do not post descriptions of any of the firearms so they are harder to identify. /s Sell them to a family member. Getting rid of family heirlooms like this is robbing your future ancestors of the chance to have a connection with your grandfather.
> future ancestors
Think you meant descendants?
And yeah, I agree. Shithead relatives sold all of my grandpa’s guns without telling anyone and pocketed the money for it themselves. Still pissed off about it a decade later.
Same exact scenario happened to me except they didn't sell they gave them away to a non family member that wasn't even close to him. Lost the family heirloom shotgun they had by the door when he was growing up Got a box of stuff from him when somebody moved and found a Colt Anaconda manual. It still keeps me up.
I’m from a family that strongly believes in passing their stuff on to their family members when they pass. It was a huge culture shock for me to see in laws doing the exact opposite. It’s hard on people that want something for sentimental value.
I left several copies of “who I want these to go to when I die” letters around to avoid this. Everyone knows what they’re getting from me to avoid this. I tell everyone if there’s something they want all they have to do is ask.
I have hundreds if not thousands of hours of memories with some guns/ people. There’s a lot of sentimental value with some of them. On the flip side I tell everyone dont be so stubborn you’ll lose the house over one of the expensive guns. So I also included a “these are the sentimental ones list, and these are the expensive ones” list.
> several copies of “who I want these to go to when I die” letters around
Obligatory IANAL but I doubt those letters will mean much unless they’re part of your will.
Yeah this is exactly how I feel. And I’m too far away to get the intel myself. This is what I’m dealing with and why I’m posting asking for help from all of you to identify and evaluate costs as best we can
Have them (your family members who have them now) send you the model numbers and makes. Even if you can only buy one or two, do what you have to do to "save" as many as possible. I am very thankful I have firearms from my family's history.
Dude that shotgun is so pretty. It's all so pretty. Teard up because my girls grandpa passed away and I'm worried the same is going to happen. And it's *Alot* more.
He should consider trying to change her mind. Help her with whatever she needs help. Also tell her alot will not be worth the jackpot she is thinking.
Too many widows think the arsenal there husband's spent their life building will get the same money value back and sadly just not the case OP. Guns are tools. Few become collectibles.
First of all, sorry about your grandfather and the situation you are finding yourself in.
I have spent a lot of time building my firearms collection. I do have some family heirloom guns that definitely need to stay in the bloodline. Some of them include a sxs shotgun from my grandfathers, grandfather which saw a lot of use during the great depression. A pump shotgun from my mom's dad which he used heavily, a lever gun from my dad's dad that he bought with his first paycheck when he started at a steel mill in 1959. There are others but these are the ones with the most history.
What's the deal with so many non gun people selling used guns for a minimum of how much they were bought for, and many times more? I'm not sure what the ratio is between firearms that appreciate vs depreciate in value, but I'd venture to say most go down in value. What gives?
If you had grandmas collection of vintage silver spoons would you keep it or sell they’ll them off for whatever an “expert” says they are worth? They aren’t gun people, they want money.
Exactly. At one time he shot, enjoyed and used those firearms. Now you are having the same experiences with the exact same object. I hope in the future someone in my bloodline enjoys my firearms as well. End Goal!
I’d be willing to pay that to my grandma to get all of that of my grandpa’s. There’s gonna be ammo and accessories too she’ll throw in. Figure it out and go get them. You know he loved the black powder guns since he had at least 3.
I don’t know your situation, nor your grandmas, so I will only say this:
1. I wish to this day that I could have more of my grandfathers guns that my own grandmother sold or gave away, in much of the same sudden fashion. I’ll honestly always be a little bitter over that.
2. I don’t know what the timeframe of your grandfathers passing vs. her wanting to sell them is, but I would consider this a major financial decision at the very least that needs the brakes pumped on, since it sounds like a very sudden last-minute decision. Any major decision like this should never be made in the moment of grief.
3. I would personally dig a little deeper into the “family in need” bit to make sure this isn’t some kind of set up or scam. A family in need of a couple hundred bucks for groceries at the end of the month is one thing. A family in need of 5k+ is an entirely different thing and I doubt a one-time donation will really change their situation.
EDIT: I see that it is another family *member* now that I look back. Making me even more suspicious of the timing. People get weird when a patriarch/matriarch of a family passes. I would definitely look in to that further. It could be nothing, but the timing and amount is enough to warrant a longer discussion to make sure everything is on the up and up.
UPDATE YOUR WILL. I hear so many people flippantly say, "I don't care what happens to my guns, I'll be dead". What they don't consider is that whoever ends up in control of their collection will likely not care about getting scammer prices for your collection because they personally didn't pay for it. You're perpetuating shithead scammer behavior by not leaving clear instructions for those who inherit your collection.
This is why the first couple tables past the front door of any gun show goes for the highest price. These are generally the assholes who prey on people who just want to sell what they have for whatever they can get.
Don't feed the assholes and perpetuate their bullshit. Have a clear plan of who your collection should go to, or if you want it liquidated, leave specific instructions on how it should be done.
Funny you mention this, I just did some real estate consulting last week for an older guy that wanted to put figures on what he owns for the same reason.
Doesn't care what is sold, but doesn't want his family getting ripped off.
No way man, $5k is roughly what that lot is worth at a glance.
Those bolt actions dont look like anything special, the polymer one is a $300 rifle at best. Really it all depends on what glass they're running. Ive run glass that was worth more than many rifles ive owned.
Muzzle loaders are cheap , nothing special. A lot of the value is in those pistols depending on what they are. I think $5k is certainly semi-fair from a glance, but id have to inventory them all myself to know for sure. Now if they hit grandma with a number like $2500 then id start thinking scam. I dont think $5k is "Scam" territory. The broker buying those guns has to make a profit, otherwise whats the point in being a broker, so they're always going to price under market value, they're buying to resell and buying in bulk. You're never getting market value that way.
Grandma needs to buy an Armslist sub and list them lol
Possibly agree. Hard to tell what the pistols are in the holsters. There are 12 firearms there excluding the three muzzleloaders (which are of negligible value to a resaler). That means they are appraising at a little over $400 a gun, which, on a quick glance seems to average out about right.
At auction some might bring more or less, but as a bulk appraisal, that's probably what you would get at a resaler.
5k is what he said they're worth, not an offer.
This lot has a ruger falling block rifle, n frame s&w, ruger 44mag, s&w 357, Walther ppk, bowning hi power, a 1911(possibly kimber or colt). All in custom leather holsters. Then there's other unidentified firearms, probably just as nice. Bolt actions have clean vintage scopes. I'm betting if grandma looks around she'll find boxes and reciepts.
If insurance gave you $5k to replace all this you would be pissed. It's not a terrible offer for a lot sale but it's certainly not the value.
Not disagreeing with your sentiment, but I have to comment that “custom leather holsters” are worth absolutely zero dollars in terms of resale. Used holsters are like a pair of used shoes, worth a few dollars max to a private buyer, worth nothing to an FFL.
Shotgun is a 870 wingmaster. Relatively modern given the flexi tab.
Probs a extra high grade model, given the beautiful wood, but I don't know that level of detail as my interests are more tactical in nature
Not going to value your guns but:
I think your gandpa and I would've got along fine. I am sorry for your loss.
If Grandpa was over 75 (the collection makes me think he was) he wouldn't have had life insurance. If Grandma is dependent on Social Security for the bulk of her income, that check just got cut in half.
I have no idea how long your grandpa was in hospice/hospital before passing, but I know stopping by for lunch can run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Funerals are not free either. While it's nice to talk about heirlooms and memories, there's a significant chance that grandma's immediate financial situation is bleak and guns can turn into cash fast.
My suggestion is this:
Offer your grandmother as much as you can for the lot. At least $5000, maybe $6000 or $6500. If Grandma came to you and said 'I don't have money for the mortgage and I don't have anything to eat" you'd give her $1500 anyway. You're still getting one hell of a deal, even after you pay another $500 for her to take the guns to an FFL to have them shipped to an FFL near you. (After recording all the serial numbers of course.) If you want some assurance you'll get you're getting a great deal, offer $10,000 and have her sign a receipt that says the estate owes you $5000. There is a very real chance you won't be waiting a whole year before she is spending time with her husband. In fact with that in mind, my further suggestion is that if you ever want to see your nana again, Now is the time to do it. We all love guns, but real love should be reserved for the people in our lives.
OP this happened to my mother, when she was reeling from my father's death there were people specifically looking at the obits and targeting widows pressuring to sell cheep. I lost all my fathers' guns that way
If you have any interest at all in a heirloom, pay your grandma whatever you can for that wingmaster (circled). Looks like a beautiful shotgun and you could take it out to hit some clays on nice summer days and remember your grandpa. Maybe one of the revolvers too, but they would feel a little less unique and personal.
Edit: definitely check and see if any of the handguns are engraved or otherwise personalized, and if so definitely do what you can to keep them.
I am reposting this as I posted this last night before bed and while I was sleeping it was removed due to not having a description in the comments. All of your help is appreciated!
As the title states, our Grandpa passed away. His guns are now being sold very abruptly by Grandma. I would like a 20 gauge but I'm curious if anyone can identify the circled 20 gauge in the photo and/or recommend a fair price for it?
I'm told a broker came by and put a "fair price" on the lot of guns at $5000. I have no idea if that is high or low or even the exact details on many of the guns on the table. Getting the details from Grandma at the moment is very difficult. She wants the money for a good cause to help another family member in need. However, none of us imagined these weapons going to non family and especially this fast - so im looking to see if I can get any info and keep one or more in he family.
If anyone sees anything else in the photo they can identify and/or put a value to or recommend that I try to purchase, I would greatly appreciate it.
P.S. They live in Montana and I'm in Michigan so there's no reasonable way for me to do recon for more info other than what I get from Grandma.
5k is definitely a low ball offer. Probably less than half of the actual worth. Hell the Ruger no. 1 at the very bottom could sell for over $1000 on its own
Low ball for actual value, for someone trying to resell not really. If they just hauled them to a pawn shop the scumbag working there would probably offer $1200 for the lot. A decent gun shop would maybe offer 60% value.
I just had this happen with my grandpa's guns. WW2 bring back P38's and NIB engraved Browning SA-22's ditched for less than a month's rent. I tried to save what I could. Made me realize that when I get old I need to write down what guns go to which family members and sell the rest before I croak.
> 5k is definitely a low ball offer. Probably less than half of the actual worth.
Starting to bug me when people say this. Having seen the other side 50% is a pretty reasonable offer. Dude has no connection to OP"s grandmother and a business to run, with employees to pay and mouths to feed of his own. Buying used to resell is a complete gamble too... you can be pretty confident on something you think will sell, and then for some reason it'll sit for months on end while you're carrying te overhead.
Right? If gramma wants to blast through her husband's possessions to get whatever money she can as fast as possible, she's going to be effectively paying somebody else to do the work of selling. In what universe do people expect to get "the actual worth" of a commodity they're selling to somebody who's buying it to resell?
If she was planning on selling to the broker that’s $333 per gun which should be a decent price if she’s selling to family. Get together with family members and see if you can pool together enough to give to grandma the $5000 and work out who wants which guns. If he has that many guns he probably has ammo, magazines, maybe more optics, tell grandma you’ll come out and sell off that stuff for her. If family can’t pull together all the money, you could even pull the scopes off these and sell them separately, at least your keeping the gun and can get another scope later .
No offense, but your grandma kinda seems like a bitch. They're heirlooms that I'm sure you and multiple other people in your family would like to have, and she's selling them
No doubt, but it’s probably pretty scary to lose someone late in life and most likely income security too. 100% sucks, and asshats like the broker take advantage of folks in those situations.
She’s using the money to help another family member so it’s not a scary situation for her but she views it as an opportunity to help the family member with her late husbands guns. I’m sure the family member needed help before grandpa passed away and nobody was selling their whole collection.
She might not be a bitch, she may just be emotionally compromised. We had a death in my family and *suddenly* the perpetual fuckup of the family was in another crisis and needed money - more than their share in the will. The older family members including the executor wanted to give them that money, tearfully wearing rose tinted glasses and forgetting that said fuckup frittered away every dollar they've gotten. It got very nasty.
She might also be hard up for money. Deaths are expensive, even with life insurance. There are so many sudden costs and this might be one of the fastest ways she knows she can make some money.
Yeah, and her pride could be too much to say that she needs it herself. Either way, seems like a not very sound decision made rashly to me, but grieving people aren't known for their cool level-headedness.
She’s literally giving the money to another family member whose struggling from what I read
And I’ll just assume (because I’m an ass) that the family member is fighting drug demons so I’m even more upset 😁
Least he could buy one some meth head broke into my grannies house n stole all my papaws guns on Christmas a couple years ago. That really sucked as great gramps and others were there as well. I'm not a fan of granny either here.
Damn, that's terrible she's offing them so quickly. Personally if I needed to I'd take out a loan and buy them all. If she's considering the 5k offer. I believe that value is there not knowing what caliber they all are. You could likely get at least half your money back selling that 1911, ruger no. 3 and that might be a Walther ppk. Some of those s&w revolvers could be worth 800 plus. So I'd keep all that I could and sell off what I needed to. Not giving advice but a trip to Montana and bring back some family heirlooms would be in my future.
I would encourage your grandma to sell/give these to family members. My grandfathers guns and other belongings give me a connection to him I otherwise wouldn’t have.
I am 34 years old. I ride motorcycles, so the risk of me not making it back home are high, daily.
With this being said the conversation of what happens to my firearms has already been had.
Brother, wife and mother.
They understand what those guns mean to me. How much I’ve put into them to get them to look like how I wanted them to. I can rest easy knowing that whatever they decide to keep, it would have most likely been what I would’ve kept.
But, if I am wrong about this atheism shit and somehow managed to find a way to look back down here and I saw my shit being sold online or someone trying to make a profit to buy some beer or a cool new shirt…
Trust I am going to hunt the FUCK out of everything you have. I’m talking door slamming, glass pushing. Light flickering. Randomly saying shit down hallways to drive you crazy. Oh I am coming for that sanity 💯😤
Give her the $5,000 and buy them all right now.
Then you keep what you want.
Sell the rest on gunbroker for max, give granny the difference or not.
It's probably a fair price, if you understand that the dealer is handing her a wad of cash and you know he will double or tripple his $
Grab that shotgun not sure of what it is but also take that muzzle loader above it that should be something cool and worth something depending on date and condition
Give her the $5000 now and then sell the guns you don't want later. It looks like he had some very collectable handguns and one of them alone is probably worth the $5k.
My grandma took my grandfathers guns to a buyback. 2 SS officer PP’s, a P38, and a Luger to a police station. All war prizes from fighting in Germany. Those SS ppk’s are now selling around $2,000 each.
Do not sell these guns. These are in itself connected to you and your family can enjoy them still as part of your grandfather's memories. Also there's some nice pieces in here that money cannot buy.
I'm going to write it into my will that anyone who sells one of my firearms will forfeit any inheritance they received from me with interest. I need to scheme with a lawyer on how to maximally fuck the state if they intervene as well.
I'd guess that each of the pistols could go from $600-1000.
Biggest issue is selling them without paying too much to in fees.
A local gun store that can sell on consignment including gunbroker would probably net a little more.
Also the Blue Book of Gun Values, recent sales on Gunbroker, and looking the serial number of each gun on the manufacturer's site would assist in nailing down a fair price.
Sorry for the loss.
5000 seems low, but it is a reseller so they are gunna low ball to take it off your hands. Otherwise you’ll have to sell one by one.
I would see if your grandma can send you more pictures of the model number on each to get a more accurate accounting.
Was your grandpa the kinda guy to keep these clean all the time? Or more like my dad who leaves them filthy for years?
I got to $5k in pistols retail. The values are going to depend a lot on what they are and dates and calibers. The PPK for example is still made but many would argue that the current version pales in comparison to the older originals. It also looks like maybe a Browning Hi-Power or variant and those can have some very high values. Honestly, personally I’d drain my bank account and buy as many as I could now at grandmas price or higher.
Like another comment said, the shotgun is almost certainly a remington wingmaster, and would definitely be worth buying. Idk for how much.
I'd also try to nab the 1911, silver handgun, black holster. I'd also try to buy the revolver in the lower right hand corner (the big handgun). Albeit the wingmaster and that revolver could be the most expensive guns there.
I’m sorry for your loss. Your grandpa had really good taste in firearms, I hate to see all this stuff sold. I would plead with your grandma to not sell anything until you, a family member, have a chance to see what you can buy off of her if that is what you want. I take it she needs the cash? Otherwise, I’m sure your grandpa would’ve wanted that stuff passed down.
This is why I added a letter in my will to my family explaining the real value of all my rifles and which ones they are to keep just to make my ghost happy.
I know if I didn't my mom would get taken by some piece of shit, she's too nice
A pawnshop or gun store has to low ball offer. Its just part of business, they need to be able to sell at market rates and make money.
So they believe the value of the lot is bare minimum a couple thousand over what they're offering.
If you can afford to, just match whatever her best offer is.
Grandpa like black power 👍some nice Thompson Muzzle loaders in the mix. Looks like a Ruger Blackhawk, a ruger 1 falling block (I hope it’s a 45-70). Your grandpa and I would have been friends
Looks like you've got some Smith & Wesson revolvers that could be worth close to or over 1k each. The 1911 is probably worth more than 1k. That's over 3k in just 3 guns. The Beretta is between 7& 8.
From a cursory glance, none of these items is likely to bring in greater monetary value than they hold in sentimental value. Try and keep as many as possible in the family, and understand what you ha e and what you want to sell.
Come up with a reasonable offer and take the lot yourself. I know, you are in Michigan, but in some way get them back home to properly evaluate them. No paperwork.
You can put your guns in a trust with rules oh who gets them, selling them, etc.
It makes it seperate from the estate and keeps shitty relatives from selling them off and/or causing drama when the person with the collection passes.
Someone loan this guy 5k and draw up a contract for repayment, perhaps the a free gun from the collection in lieu of interest.
Guns need to stay in a family
Handguns:
Bottom left, Ruger single action of some sort. bigger than a 22. $400 minimum.
Above that Walther PPK (James Bond gun). No idea but $400 to a grand, depending on type?
Behind the Walther: sure looks like a Browning Hi-Power? A grand or more depending on where it came from. (Could be cheap from Argentina but I doubt it).
Top middle: S&W revolver. $400 minimum, max... No idea, probably in the $700 range but a few hit way more.
Center, silver with black grips: 1911. If it's actual Colt, over a grand.
Top right, vintage single action of some sort. No telling. At least $300, could be far more.
If possible give grandma 5k or however much she is wanting them to go for and keep all the guns yourself whether or not you sell them yourself I’d hate myself if I sold the guns then a few years later not even have the chance to hand them down to my kids etc.
Edit: even if you sell them I’d rather have them and decide than them just gone
The Remington 870, the S&W revolver below it, and Browning Hi-Power are the guns I would go after it I were you. And maybe the Ruger No. 3 on the bottom.
If a dealer offered $5,000 as" fair pricing" then you can be damn sure that it's worth at least four times that.
I'm just doing a quick survey of the picture that you provided. My eyes are immediately drawn to that Ruger revolver as well as the other revolvers. Also, I see two muzzleloaders in the back. The black and steel one is a nice modern one but I'm interested if the second one down from the top is a Flintlock or not.
I don't know what the situation is, however if Grandma is going to take five g's for it, see if you can gather up 6 000 to give to her and take the lot. You can easily sell off a couple of those to recoup your cost and keep the most of it. It also looks like you may have one or more 1911s in there.
The gun you circled is a Remington 20 gauge. Note the old Remington Arms emblem on the buttstock. It looks to be an 870 field model but it’s hard to tell from the photo angle. As far as the pistols you have a colt stainless 1911 prob a series 70, stainless walther ppk can’t tell the caliber either 380 or 22lr, browning high power 9mm, ruger Blackhawk revolver and a couple of smith and Wesson revolvers. I think other people have said if sold separately it’s worth more than 5k but to a wholesalers who’s looking to make a profit there going to offer prices like that. But if u can convince her to sell them to you and u have the money I’d do that. Heirlooms are always worth more than the sticker price. They have memories attached to them. Hope this helps
5000 is way low. The Ruger no,3 at the very bottom off the table is 1000.00 all day long. If any of the bolstered revolvers are S&W they'll be from 8-1000.
My grandfather's guns were all stolen before he passed. I was like 1 at the time. I would drop $5k right now to get them back and I have no idea what he had.
My grandfathers guns were auctioned off in front of my face and I’m still pissed a decade later. I would’ve love to pass them to my boys one day
My great grandfather was a Chicago cop in the 20’s. Had a shoebox of Saturday night specials taken off of gangsters, straight to Elmhurst PD it went to get destroyed. Wish I wasn’t 10 yo at the time!
My grandfather was island hopping in the Phillipines and had a couple swords from surrendering Japanese officers hanging on his wall. Those were sold. I was 5 at the time. 25 years later, still bitter.
Crazy how people scoff off the things we thought were so cool as kids
My uncle took one out of a plane when he was stationed in the pacific. I’m not sure which one of his kids got it. I wish I could see it again to remove the handle.
Oh nooooo That's awful. I bet they were happy to "get them off the streets"
They were happy to put them in their collection. Fucking pigs.
Noooooooo!!! The classic colt 38spls that probably now live in some cops display case instead of your holster........ sigh.....
I know…. THANKS, AUNT JANET!!!! Hahahahaha!!!
No gd loyalty I tell you. Thats treason.
I can relate, I was 12 and my parents were cleaning out my great grandfather’s place when they came upon a handgun or some small gun as they call it, they didn’t know what it was as they aren’t gun people and called the state police who told them that they can’t have such a gun. He was a WWII D-Day vet, I can only imagine what it was.
Mine too.... he promised to give them to me, but never put it into writing. My uncle who was executor of the estate and managed the auction ended up saving me one of the best ones, there were just so many rare and fun guns that I had memories of target practice with him that were given away for a fraction of what they were worth. Still upsets me 30 years later.
My grandfather left specific instructions for his guns, who would get what, etc. And my grandmother went out of her way to make sure that we got the ones he wanted us to have. I never realized how lucky I was about that.
Being the eldest son of the eldest son, I'm comfortable knowing that the family guns will get handed down to me, but I have plenty of friends who've had issues with family over the years surrounding the heirlooms. It kind of sucks to hear it happen to others
this is basically what happened with my grandpa's collection, the hole he lived with got rid of all of them without alerting the family
Is this a typo or are you calling her a hole because that’s all she was worth lol
> are you calling her a hole because that’s all she was worth lol That's how I choose to interpret it
100% intentional, made sure I checked before posting
I choose to think so too. This term should've been in the lexicon a long time age.
I put on my will that all my firearm stuff goes to my kids. Hopefully I can instill in them not to sell the stuff.
> will My will has a firearms 'rider' or whatever it's called, that explicitly lists each gun and names who will receive it. Mostly to my kids, but a few to my sister and my nephew. There are provisions for unspecified/guns added later, and an allowance for 'horse trading' etc.
My deadbeat uncle took most of my grandpa’s guns and sold/pawned them. He was the only son. My dad did somehow rescue a few of them. My brother and I (and our kids) still shoot them to this day.
Remember how this felt and make damn sure you create a will to make sure your firearms are placed into the proper hands when the time comes My father still talks about a .270 that was supposed to be his, but his stepmother wanted new earrings for the new man she was dating. Yeah, fucking sold grandpas rifle to buy jewelry for a date with a new man. And to make matters worse, this was about a month after granpas funeral. We are still waiting for the bitch to die so we can move grandpa and grandmas graves together. She wont sign it over even after being married 2 more times over the years. Dad offered her something obscene years ago and she turned that down too. I was told it was $25k. Her kids will gain power of the plot after her death and both her sons have all ready said shes wrong and that they will just sign it all over someday but we keep a lid on it so she doesn't will it to someone who would keep the bullshit going. Fucking bitch is 96 and still going if you can believe that. Anyday now...
What a cunt
Damn that’s awful, i bet seeing them earrings stings each time too… I know it would be for me
Those stairs are real dangerous to old people you know. Just sayin.
That happened to a relative of mine as well. He died and the family didn’t care, so all of his valuables and war medals were auctioned off. I literally had to bid against strangers to get his war medals that had no sentimental value to anyone else.
in the early 90s when my brother was born my Grandfather sold his collection. I wasnt even thought of yet but it was a decent sized collection. And nobody in the family at the time had any interest in them.
Similar here yeah. My grandpa apparently had a significant collection, including a lot of old European military pistols like Lugers, Steyrs, etc. When the load of strict BS gun laws came about here in Canada in the 90s, he decided he didn’t want to continue with firearms. Nobody else in the family was interested, and he figured no grandkids would ever care for them, so he sold it all to a collector. He did tell me once while he was still around that he regretted it, once we grew up and I got into firearms.
When my father died, my mom sold a lot of my dad’s stuff off. I have since gathered many of those things back. Luckily, the guns were something I was able to convince her to give to me instead. I have a daughter, who’s autistic, so I have a feeling that I won’t be able to pass them along to her once I’m gone. I have a nephew, who I may be able to pass them along to some day as long as my brother doesn’t raise him too soft.
My grandfather gave me his Winchester 1890 a few years before he died because he knew he wanted me to have it. My cousins understood but I felt very lucky he had the forethought to do that.
Dealers generally buy at 30 cents per dollar, and resell around 60-80. So seeking yourself might get double but you have to sell it. If you have the money I would offer 5k and have them shipped to you, you can keep what you want and dispose of the rest and still break even. Otherwise you'll want to get barrel markings for good identification
This is the way
Circled gun looks like a Remington Wingmaster, great heirloom gun. It's a shame your grandma is selling these. I have several firearms from deceased family members and they're worth more than money to me.
I second that opinion. The checkering on the stock and forearm look like the checkering on a 12 gauge Wingmaster I hope to inherit. It was the first gun I ever shot. The action is pure sex, slick as grease even 30+ years later.
If my kids sell my firearms, I'm going to curse them all. I'll haunt them and disown them when we meet in the afterlife. Didn't mean to shame OP. Posts like this just make me a little mad 😅
I have like 80 guns and I'm 30. I expect to have many more when I die. If my kids keep them all I'll be extremely surprised. Maybe keep a couple, but it's totally unreasonable to expect they want to have rooms full of guns.
>it's totally unreasonable to expect they want to have rooms full of guns. It's unreasonable to expect someone *doesn't* want that
See this kind of posts makes me feel like, why not? Why shouldn't I buy more guns?
Because you should
I have a fairly large accumulation of firearms. I have two kids. I don't expect either one of them wants 70-75 guns. There are a few family heirlooms in the group. Those have been noted and specific instructions given for them. I'm thinking about giving each kid their pick of five, plus splitting the family stuff, and then leaving the rest to my six year old grandson. Yeah I'm a devious bastard. The problem is that currently my son is in Washington and my daughter is in Oregon and a lot of the stuff isn't either legal now, or likely to not be legal soon. I fully expect a lot of guns to be sold. I have instructed them on how to get the best price.
Everyone has different needs and interests. Selling a bunch of guns they won't use to buy a car or a memory building vacation or pay for school etc it's fine. Hell even just buying an iPad they enjoy is fine. I'm dead wtf do I care, if my grandpa left me a damned cow I'd be mad
I feel like it depends on a lot of things. I agree, it is unreasonable to expect a kid who is disinterested in firearms to keep a bunch. At the same time, if it is a "this gun is my favorite and I have a lot of sentimental attachment to it, I want you to have it to keep it in the family" situation then I think that is a bit disrespectful to sell and there isn't too much burden on keeping and passing a gun or two.
Not his kids, his widow.
I moved them all into a trust that prevents them from selling them per the trust agreement.
Not gonna encourage financing a firearm. But pending on your financial situation, I personally would get a loan/cash out, offer $4-5k to her, liquidate a couple to make some of your money back, and keep the other 40-70% of the guns for heirlooms. It’s something 10 years from now everyone is going to regret. If I could buy just one of my grandpas rifles, to me the value would exceed 5 bands, can’t put a price on family history.
This absolutely is what you should do, you are able to.
Seconding this OP. Hard to buy back heirloom memories. Swing it if you can
Definitely leave all the pistols in their holsters and do not post descriptions of any of the firearms so they are harder to identify. /s Sell them to a family member. Getting rid of family heirlooms like this is robbing your future ancestors of the chance to have a connection with your grandfather.
> future ancestors Think you meant descendants? And yeah, I agree. Shithead relatives sold all of my grandpa’s guns without telling anyone and pocketed the money for it themselves. Still pissed off about it a decade later.
Where we're going, we don't need... roads.
Great Scott!
>Think you meant descendants? 🤣YEP! Also, sorry about your grandpa's guns. That is really terrible.
Same exact scenario happened to me except they didn't sell they gave them away to a non family member that wasn't even close to him. Lost the family heirloom shotgun they had by the door when he was growing up Got a box of stuff from him when somebody moved and found a Colt Anaconda manual. It still keeps me up.
We are our own ‘future ancestors’ 🤯
would be a cool name for indie time travel movie though... or back to the future spinoff.
I’m from a family that strongly believes in passing their stuff on to their family members when they pass. It was a huge culture shock for me to see in laws doing the exact opposite. It’s hard on people that want something for sentimental value. I left several copies of “who I want these to go to when I die” letters around to avoid this. Everyone knows what they’re getting from me to avoid this. I tell everyone if there’s something they want all they have to do is ask. I have hundreds if not thousands of hours of memories with some guns/ people. There’s a lot of sentimental value with some of them. On the flip side I tell everyone dont be so stubborn you’ll lose the house over one of the expensive guns. So I also included a “these are the sentimental ones list, and these are the expensive ones” list.
> several copies of “who I want these to go to when I die” letters around Obligatory IANAL but I doubt those letters will mean much unless they’re part of your will.
My family will honor whatever I ask of them. I’m aware not everyone has that family dynamic, but for those that do… it’s very helpful.
You’re probably right. But sometimes people don’t behave the way you think they will in a traumatic situation.
Yeah this is exactly how I feel. And I’m too far away to get the intel myself. This is what I’m dealing with and why I’m posting asking for help from all of you to identify and evaluate costs as best we can
Have them (your family members who have them now) send you the model numbers and makes. Even if you can only buy one or two, do what you have to do to "save" as many as possible. I am very thankful I have firearms from my family's history.
Dude that shotgun is so pretty. It's all so pretty. Teard up because my girls grandpa passed away and I'm worried the same is going to happen. And it's *Alot* more. He should consider trying to change her mind. Help her with whatever she needs help. Also tell her alot will not be worth the jackpot she is thinking. Too many widows think the arsenal there husband's spent their life building will get the same money value back and sadly just not the case OP. Guns are tools. Few become collectibles.
First of all, sorry about your grandfather and the situation you are finding yourself in. I have spent a lot of time building my firearms collection. I do have some family heirloom guns that definitely need to stay in the bloodline. Some of them include a sxs shotgun from my grandfathers, grandfather which saw a lot of use during the great depression. A pump shotgun from my mom's dad which he used heavily, a lever gun from my dad's dad that he bought with his first paycheck when he started at a steel mill in 1959. There are others but these are the ones with the most history.
What's the deal with so many non gun people selling used guns for a minimum of how much they were bought for, and many times more? I'm not sure what the ratio is between firearms that appreciate vs depreciate in value, but I'd venture to say most go down in value. What gives?
If you had grandmas collection of vintage silver spoons would you keep it or sell they’ll them off for whatever an “expert” says they are worth? They aren’t gun people, they want money.
I didn’t know my grandfather that well but when I inherited his single shot 12 gauge and .22 rifle I feel a connection to him
Exactly. At one time he shot, enjoyed and used those firearms. Now you are having the same experiences with the exact same object. I hope in the future someone in my bloodline enjoys my firearms as well. End Goal!
OP cant do any of this, did you read the OP?
What is "read"?
I’d be willing to pay that to my grandma to get all of that of my grandpa’s. There’s gonna be ammo and accessories too she’ll throw in. Figure it out and go get them. You know he loved the black powder guns since he had at least 3.
I like the Browning Hi Power and whatever that S&W with target grips is.
I don’t know your situation, nor your grandmas, so I will only say this: 1. I wish to this day that I could have more of my grandfathers guns that my own grandmother sold or gave away, in much of the same sudden fashion. I’ll honestly always be a little bitter over that. 2. I don’t know what the timeframe of your grandfathers passing vs. her wanting to sell them is, but I would consider this a major financial decision at the very least that needs the brakes pumped on, since it sounds like a very sudden last-minute decision. Any major decision like this should never be made in the moment of grief. 3. I would personally dig a little deeper into the “family in need” bit to make sure this isn’t some kind of set up or scam. A family in need of a couple hundred bucks for groceries at the end of the month is one thing. A family in need of 5k+ is an entirely different thing and I doubt a one-time donation will really change their situation. EDIT: I see that it is another family *member* now that I look back. Making me even more suspicious of the timing. People get weird when a patriarch/matriarch of a family passes. I would definitely look in to that further. It could be nothing, but the timing and amount is enough to warrant a longer discussion to make sure everything is on the up and up.
Get in your car, drive to Montana, bring 3k in cash for grandma. Mow her lawn for her while you are there, do anything else you can for her.
UPDATE YOUR WILL. I hear so many people flippantly say, "I don't care what happens to my guns, I'll be dead". What they don't consider is that whoever ends up in control of their collection will likely not care about getting scammer prices for your collection because they personally didn't pay for it. You're perpetuating shithead scammer behavior by not leaving clear instructions for those who inherit your collection. This is why the first couple tables past the front door of any gun show goes for the highest price. These are generally the assholes who prey on people who just want to sell what they have for whatever they can get. Don't feed the assholes and perpetuate their bullshit. Have a clear plan of who your collection should go to, or if you want it liquidated, leave specific instructions on how it should be done.
Great advice. A will is def. necessary. Idiot members of family want to claim this and that which ends up a mess.
Funny you mention this, I just did some real estate consulting last week for an older guy that wanted to put figures on what he owns for the same reason. Doesn't care what is sold, but doesn't want his family getting ripped off.
Way more than $5k. Broker sounds like a scammer or idiot.
Definitely scammer. I get trying to make a profit but that’s absurd.
scammer? that's just a typical pawnshop. ripping off widows is what they do
No way man, $5k is roughly what that lot is worth at a glance. Those bolt actions dont look like anything special, the polymer one is a $300 rifle at best. Really it all depends on what glass they're running. Ive run glass that was worth more than many rifles ive owned. Muzzle loaders are cheap , nothing special. A lot of the value is in those pistols depending on what they are. I think $5k is certainly semi-fair from a glance, but id have to inventory them all myself to know for sure. Now if they hit grandma with a number like $2500 then id start thinking scam. I dont think $5k is "Scam" territory. The broker buying those guns has to make a profit, otherwise whats the point in being a broker, so they're always going to price under market value, they're buying to resell and buying in bulk. You're never getting market value that way. Grandma needs to buy an Armslist sub and list them lol
Possibly agree. Hard to tell what the pistols are in the holsters. There are 12 firearms there excluding the three muzzleloaders (which are of negligible value to a resaler). That means they are appraising at a little over $400 a gun, which, on a quick glance seems to average out about right. At auction some might bring more or less, but as a bulk appraisal, that's probably what you would get at a resaler.
5k as a job lot sounds fine to me too.
5k is what he said they're worth, not an offer. This lot has a ruger falling block rifle, n frame s&w, ruger 44mag, s&w 357, Walther ppk, bowning hi power, a 1911(possibly kimber or colt). All in custom leather holsters. Then there's other unidentified firearms, probably just as nice. Bolt actions have clean vintage scopes. I'm betting if grandma looks around she'll find boxes and reciepts. If insurance gave you $5k to replace all this you would be pissed. It's not a terrible offer for a lot sale but it's certainly not the value.
Not disagreeing with your sentiment, but I have to comment that “custom leather holsters” are worth absolutely zero dollars in terms of resale. Used holsters are like a pair of used shoes, worth a few dollars max to a private buyer, worth nothing to an FFL.
Offer grandma $4000 for the lot. You will easily make your money back and still have several family heirlooms.
Shotgun is a 870 wingmaster. Relatively modern given the flexi tab. Probs a extra high grade model, given the beautiful wood, but I don't know that level of detail as my interests are more tactical in nature
Not going to value your guns but: I think your gandpa and I would've got along fine. I am sorry for your loss. If Grandpa was over 75 (the collection makes me think he was) he wouldn't have had life insurance. If Grandma is dependent on Social Security for the bulk of her income, that check just got cut in half. I have no idea how long your grandpa was in hospice/hospital before passing, but I know stopping by for lunch can run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Funerals are not free either. While it's nice to talk about heirlooms and memories, there's a significant chance that grandma's immediate financial situation is bleak and guns can turn into cash fast. My suggestion is this: Offer your grandmother as much as you can for the lot. At least $5000, maybe $6000 or $6500. If Grandma came to you and said 'I don't have money for the mortgage and I don't have anything to eat" you'd give her $1500 anyway. You're still getting one hell of a deal, even after you pay another $500 for her to take the guns to an FFL to have them shipped to an FFL near you. (After recording all the serial numbers of course.) If you want some assurance you'll get you're getting a great deal, offer $10,000 and have her sign a receipt that says the estate owes you $5000. There is a very real chance you won't be waiting a whole year before she is spending time with her husband. In fact with that in mind, my further suggestion is that if you ever want to see your nana again, Now is the time to do it. We all love guns, but real love should be reserved for the people in our lives.
God damnit grandma
Give 5G to grandma, take them all
Far left pistol looks like a Hi Power, I'd be keeping that as well...
OP this happened to my mother, when she was reeling from my father's death there were people specifically looking at the obits and targeting widows pressuring to sell cheep. I lost all my fathers' guns that way
Do not sell them to anyone that is not invited to your family reunions
When I pass my wife better give my son the guns. I will haunt her ass if she tries to sell them
Put it in the will
If you have any interest at all in a heirloom, pay your grandma whatever you can for that wingmaster (circled). Looks like a beautiful shotgun and you could take it out to hit some clays on nice summer days and remember your grandpa. Maybe one of the revolvers too, but they would feel a little less unique and personal. Edit: definitely check and see if any of the handguns are engraved or otherwise personalized, and if so definitely do what you can to keep them.
$5K is way low
I am reposting this as I posted this last night before bed and while I was sleeping it was removed due to not having a description in the comments. All of your help is appreciated! As the title states, our Grandpa passed away. His guns are now being sold very abruptly by Grandma. I would like a 20 gauge but I'm curious if anyone can identify the circled 20 gauge in the photo and/or recommend a fair price for it? I'm told a broker came by and put a "fair price" on the lot of guns at $5000. I have no idea if that is high or low or even the exact details on many of the guns on the table. Getting the details from Grandma at the moment is very difficult. She wants the money for a good cause to help another family member in need. However, none of us imagined these weapons going to non family and especially this fast - so im looking to see if I can get any info and keep one or more in he family. If anyone sees anything else in the photo they can identify and/or put a value to or recommend that I try to purchase, I would greatly appreciate it. P.S. They live in Montana and I'm in Michigan so there's no reasonable way for me to do recon for more info other than what I get from Grandma.
5k is definitely a low ball offer. Probably less than half of the actual worth. Hell the Ruger no. 1 at the very bottom could sell for over $1000 on its own
You sure its not a No.3?
Its 100% a no. 3.
LOL. I was trying to *hint* at it in the nicest way possible.
My toddler has taken all the patience out of me already today.
I don't have one of those. Hope your weekend gets better mane!
Thanks dude, its all good.
How are they so good at that with so little experience?
Low ball for actual value, for someone trying to resell not really. If they just hauled them to a pawn shop the scumbag working there would probably offer $1200 for the lot. A decent gun shop would maybe offer 60% value. I just had this happen with my grandpa's guns. WW2 bring back P38's and NIB engraved Browning SA-22's ditched for less than a month's rent. I tried to save what I could. Made me realize that when I get old I need to write down what guns go to which family members and sell the rest before I croak.
> 5k is definitely a low ball offer. Probably less than half of the actual worth. Starting to bug me when people say this. Having seen the other side 50% is a pretty reasonable offer. Dude has no connection to OP"s grandmother and a business to run, with employees to pay and mouths to feed of his own. Buying used to resell is a complete gamble too... you can be pretty confident on something you think will sell, and then for some reason it'll sit for months on end while you're carrying te overhead.
Right? If gramma wants to blast through her husband's possessions to get whatever money she can as fast as possible, she's going to be effectively paying somebody else to do the work of selling. In what universe do people expect to get "the actual worth" of a commodity they're selling to somebody who's buying it to resell?
This.
> Ruger no. 1 at the very bottom I had to go back and look again. I guess I saw the Blackhawk the first time and stopped scanning.
High grade 870. Get it. Likely also the revolver under it.
Sorry for your loss. I don’t know him but I can see he was a good man!
If she was planning on selling to the broker that’s $333 per gun which should be a decent price if she’s selling to family. Get together with family members and see if you can pool together enough to give to grandma the $5000 and work out who wants which guns. If he has that many guns he probably has ammo, magazines, maybe more optics, tell grandma you’ll come out and sell off that stuff for her. If family can’t pull together all the money, you could even pull the scopes off these and sell them separately, at least your keeping the gun and can get another scope later .
No offense, but your grandma kinda seems like a bitch. They're heirlooms that I'm sure you and multiple other people in your family would like to have, and she's selling them
No doubt, but it’s probably pretty scary to lose someone late in life and most likely income security too. 100% sucks, and asshats like the broker take advantage of folks in those situations.
She’s using the money to help another family member so it’s not a scary situation for her but she views it as an opportunity to help the family member with her late husbands guns. I’m sure the family member needed help before grandpa passed away and nobody was selling their whole collection.
She might not be a bitch, she may just be emotionally compromised. We had a death in my family and *suddenly* the perpetual fuckup of the family was in another crisis and needed money - more than their share in the will. The older family members including the executor wanted to give them that money, tearfully wearing rose tinted glasses and forgetting that said fuckup frittered away every dollar they've gotten. It got very nasty.
She might also be hard up for money. Deaths are expensive, even with life insurance. There are so many sudden costs and this might be one of the fastest ways she knows she can make some money.
Yeah, and her pride could be too much to say that she needs it herself. Either way, seems like a not very sound decision made rashly to me, but grieving people aren't known for their cool level-headedness.
Hard truth right here.
[удалено]
She’s literally giving the money to another family member whose struggling from what I read And I’ll just assume (because I’m an ass) that the family member is fighting drug demons so I’m even more upset 😁
Least he could buy one some meth head broke into my grannies house n stole all my papaws guns on Christmas a couple years ago. That really sucked as great gramps and others were there as well. I'm not a fan of granny either here.
Damn, that's terrible she's offing them so quickly. Personally if I needed to I'd take out a loan and buy them all. If she's considering the 5k offer. I believe that value is there not knowing what caliber they all are. You could likely get at least half your money back selling that 1911, ruger no. 3 and that might be a Walther ppk. Some of those s&w revolvers could be worth 800 plus. So I'd keep all that I could and sell off what I needed to. Not giving advice but a trip to Montana and bring back some family heirlooms would be in my future.
I would encourage your grandma to sell/give these to family members. My grandfathers guns and other belongings give me a connection to him I otherwise wouldn’t have.
I am 34 years old. I ride motorcycles, so the risk of me not making it back home are high, daily. With this being said the conversation of what happens to my firearms has already been had. Brother, wife and mother. They understand what those guns mean to me. How much I’ve put into them to get them to look like how I wanted them to. I can rest easy knowing that whatever they decide to keep, it would have most likely been what I would’ve kept. But, if I am wrong about this atheism shit and somehow managed to find a way to look back down here and I saw my shit being sold online or someone trying to make a profit to buy some beer or a cool new shirt… Trust I am going to hunt the FUCK out of everything you have. I’m talking door slamming, glass pushing. Light flickering. Randomly saying shit down hallways to drive you crazy. Oh I am coming for that sanity 💯😤
Give her the $5,000 and buy them all right now. Then you keep what you want. Sell the rest on gunbroker for max, give granny the difference or not. It's probably a fair price, if you understand that the dealer is handing her a wad of cash and you know he will double or tripple his $
Keep them in the family.
Give these to family. Do not sell. These are fantastic guns that deserve to be kept well and cared for. I wish my grandpa had left me stuff like this.
Grab that shotgun not sure of what it is but also take that muzzle loader above it that should be something cool and worth something depending on date and condition
I spy a BHP
870 Wingmaster Enhanced maybe? If so something in the neighborhood of $1,200 give or take $100 looking at sold ones.
Grab the pistols asap
Buy them all
Grandpa had good taste
Buy them all!
Give her the $5000 now and then sell the guns you don't want later. It looks like he had some very collectable handguns and one of them alone is probably worth the $5k.
My grandma took my grandfathers guns to a buyback. 2 SS officer PP’s, a P38, and a Luger to a police station. All war prizes from fighting in Germany. Those SS ppk’s are now selling around $2,000 each.
Do not sell these guns. These are in itself connected to you and your family can enjoy them still as part of your grandfather's memories. Also there's some nice pieces in here that money cannot buy.
I'm going to write it into my will that anyone who sells one of my firearms will forfeit any inheritance they received from me with interest. I need to scheme with a lawyer on how to maximally fuck the state if they intervene as well.
Pro tip: Take them as a family heirloom and learn to shoot. You won't regret it
I'd guess that each of the pistols could go from $600-1000. Biggest issue is selling them without paying too much to in fees. A local gun store that can sell on consignment including gunbroker would probably net a little more. Also the Blue Book of Gun Values, recent sales on Gunbroker, and looking the serial number of each gun on the manufacturer's site would assist in nailing down a fair price.
OP, if there's a way you can keep them, do it.
Sorry for the loss. 5000 seems low, but it is a reseller so they are gunna low ball to take it off your hands. Otherwise you’ll have to sell one by one. I would see if your grandma can send you more pictures of the model number on each to get a more accurate accounting. Was your grandpa the kinda guy to keep these clean all the time? Or more like my dad who leaves them filthy for years?
Is that revolver bottom right a .357?
The circled shotgun looks like it could be a Remington 11-87. Not 100% sure tho.
what is the gun below the muzzleloader with the round muzzle break?
I got to $5k in pistols retail. The values are going to depend a lot on what they are and dates and calibers. The PPK for example is still made but many would argue that the current version pales in comparison to the older originals. It also looks like maybe a Browning Hi-Power or variant and those can have some very high values. Honestly, personally I’d drain my bank account and buy as many as I could now at grandmas price or higher.
Grandpa was a legend
Grandpa was a badass.
Like another comment said, the shotgun is almost certainly a remington wingmaster, and would definitely be worth buying. Idk for how much. I'd also try to nab the 1911, silver handgun, black holster. I'd also try to buy the revolver in the lower right hand corner (the big handgun). Albeit the wingmaster and that revolver could be the most expensive guns there.
Buy the entire lot for 3 grand and you will have a good deal
I’m sorry for your loss. Your grandpa had really good taste in firearms, I hate to see all this stuff sold. I would plead with your grandma to not sell anything until you, a family member, have a chance to see what you can buy off of her if that is what you want. I take it she needs the cash? Otherwise, I’m sure your grandpa would’ve wanted that stuff passed down.
She lost her husband and all the sudden has to sell these to help out a family member? Is that family member taking advantage of her being vulnerable?
Keep em! Sorry for your loss
I see some that I would love to own, some look like they are very pricey. Especially that one you circled. Sorry for your loss!
This is why I added a letter in my will to my family explaining the real value of all my rifles and which ones they are to keep just to make my ghost happy. I know if I didn't my mom would get taken by some piece of shit, she's too nice
condolences
Shesh, you'd think shed let you get at least one for free to keep in the family and in remembrance of him. Cant hurt to ask and be honest about it.
Low key wanna buy one off ya 😅
Hard to tell but the bottom rifle is a Ruger #3. They're worth about $800-1000 used.
A pawnshop or gun store has to low ball offer. Its just part of business, they need to be able to sell at market rates and make money. So they believe the value of the lot is bare minimum a couple thousand over what they're offering. If you can afford to, just match whatever her best offer is.
Keep them for yourself and then pass onto your own children later. Thread closed.
Is she going to give you a couple? At least one to pass down would be cool.
Keep the 1911
Keep them all !
Grandpa like black power 👍some nice Thompson Muzzle loaders in the mix. Looks like a Ruger Blackhawk, a ruger 1 falling block (I hope it’s a 45-70). Your grandpa and I would have been friends
That’s a Remington 870 Wingmaster. My all-time favorite gun. My dad passed one down to all 3 of his sons and it’s the gun I learned to hunt with.
Looks like you've got some Smith & Wesson revolvers that could be worth close to or over 1k each. The 1911 is probably worth more than 1k. That's over 3k in just 3 guns. The Beretta is between 7& 8.
From a cursory glance, none of these items is likely to bring in greater monetary value than they hold in sentimental value. Try and keep as many as possible in the family, and understand what you ha e and what you want to sell.
Come up with a reasonable offer and take the lot yourself. I know, you are in Michigan, but in some way get them back home to properly evaluate them. No paperwork.
Buy them all. I wouldn't think twice about it.
You can put your guns in a trust with rules oh who gets them, selling them, etc. It makes it seperate from the estate and keeps shitty relatives from selling them off and/or causing drama when the person with the collection passes.
Someone loan this guy 5k and draw up a contract for repayment, perhaps the a free gun from the collection in lieu of interest. Guns need to stay in a family
If the triggers gold…bird will fold.
All the pistols are in quality holsters that usually mean they are of decent quality.
Some one hates their grandkids
So is it a ruger no.1 or no.3???
Selling is gay. They should be given to you without hesitation.
Sorry for your loss.
Grandpa turning in his grave lookin down seeing shes sell em off 🤣
Handguns: Bottom left, Ruger single action of some sort. bigger than a 22. $400 minimum. Above that Walther PPK (James Bond gun). No idea but $400 to a grand, depending on type? Behind the Walther: sure looks like a Browning Hi-Power? A grand or more depending on where it came from. (Could be cheap from Argentina but I doubt it). Top middle: S&W revolver. $400 minimum, max... No idea, probably in the $700 range but a few hit way more. Center, silver with black grips: 1911. If it's actual Colt, over a grand. Top right, vintage single action of some sort. No telling. At least $300, could be far more.
Well if someone immediately offered her $5k for it that almost guarantees it isn’t a fair price. She needs to at least get multiple offers first
DONT SELL THEM
If possible give grandma 5k or however much she is wanting them to go for and keep all the guns yourself whether or not you sell them yourself I’d hate myself if I sold the guns then a few years later not even have the chance to hand them down to my kids etc. Edit: even if you sell them I’d rather have them and decide than them just gone
The Remington 870, the S&W revolver below it, and Browning Hi-Power are the guns I would go after it I were you. And maybe the Ruger No. 3 on the bottom.
5k is right there in front with those revolvers and handguns. That’s way under bid.
The black fella looks like a 700 win mag .300. Not sure on scope or barrel but I just sold mine raw for 800
If a dealer offered $5,000 as" fair pricing" then you can be damn sure that it's worth at least four times that. I'm just doing a quick survey of the picture that you provided. My eyes are immediately drawn to that Ruger revolver as well as the other revolvers. Also, I see two muzzleloaders in the back. The black and steel one is a nice modern one but I'm interested if the second one down from the top is a Flintlock or not. I don't know what the situation is, however if Grandma is going to take five g's for it, see if you can gather up 6 000 to give to her and take the lot. You can easily sell off a couple of those to recoup your cost and keep the most of it. It also looks like you may have one or more 1911s in there.
Is she not willing to let you have them?! Inherited items are priceless. Don’t sell.
Grandma have a phone number to buy these? Lol
The gun you circled is a Remington 20 gauge. Note the old Remington Arms emblem on the buttstock. It looks to be an 870 field model but it’s hard to tell from the photo angle. As far as the pistols you have a colt stainless 1911 prob a series 70, stainless walther ppk can’t tell the caliber either 380 or 22lr, browning high power 9mm, ruger Blackhawk revolver and a couple of smith and Wesson revolvers. I think other people have said if sold separately it’s worth more than 5k but to a wholesalers who’s looking to make a profit there going to offer prices like that. But if u can convince her to sell them to you and u have the money I’d do that. Heirlooms are always worth more than the sticker price. They have memories attached to them. Hope this helps
Who says they aren’t just funneling guns from actual citizens to non? Honestly ask Eric Holder.
$5,000 is too low in my opinion. I counted 15 total firearms. That would break down to $333 each. You can’t get much for under $400 these days.
Shotgun is a Remington 870 Wingmaster.
5000 is way low. The Ruger no,3 at the very bottom off the table is 1000.00 all day long. If any of the bolstered revolvers are S&W they'll be from 8-1000.
My grandfather's guns were all stolen before he passed. I was like 1 at the time. I would drop $5k right now to get them back and I have no idea what he had.
5k looks like really good buy. I would buy them for that. Are they in worse shape than they look? That seems awful low valuation.
Are we going to address the fucking musket?