On the eve of 1914… what will happen to WW1 milsurp values?

Claven2

Claven2

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On the eve of 1914… what will happen to WW1 milsurp values?

Show of hands - anyone here think WW1 milsurp values are about to spike?

My take on the issue is a bit complex. For starters, MANY MANY people have no concept of the Great War any longer. When I was a kid, it was taught as thoroughly as WW2 and WW1 vets some on November 11th, but with all the vets now dead, WW2 is FAR more "known" among younger collectors.

Next, in the USA, kids are taught the war began in 1917 - because no war really starts until Iowa farm boys are dying in it, I guess. Typically the US interest has had a driving affect on global milsurp pricing.

My final word? I think much depends on whether HBO or Hollywood produces anything worthwhile ala "Saving Private Ryan" or "Band of Brothers" to commemorate the seat of WW1. It's doubtful they will until 1917, but if they do, and it's decent, prices will skyrocket. Sad to think this would be the required trigger, but I think it is :(

What are your thoughts?




 
I do believe that if many gun owners / collectors are "on the fence", been thinking about it for a while... these will be convinced that now's finally the time to get one of these "old guns", just for the heck of it. I think that at the very minimum, there will be a slignt but measurable increase in interest.

Lou
 
I have an interest in WWI small arms. I'm relatively young at 33 too. I covet your French collection there (see what I did there?). Those are rare to find in one place. I'm not sure what happened to all the French milsurp. We hear so little about it here.

I have a specific interest in Canadian small arms from WWI. I have only obtained a sportered Ross thus far, but I've got time. I hope all WWI era milsurp drop in value, so I can get my hands on some cheaper stuff.
 
Claven2 said:
My final word? I think much depends on whether HBO or Hollywood produces anything worthwhile ala "Saving Private Ryan" or "Band of Brothers" to commemorate the seat of WW1. It's doubtful they will until 1917, but if they do, and it's decent, prices will skyrocket. Sad to think this would be the required trigger, but I think it is :(
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I agree completely.

Prices for US martial arms increased with the release of Saving Private Ryan in 1998, which is interesting as they didn't increase noticeably with the 50th anniversary of D-Day in 1994.

I'll be keeping an eye out for any decent 1914-18 military rifle at a good price in the next few years, even if they aren't part of my collecting focuses (focii?).



















 
It was only a few years ago that no4mk1s were hot, and no1mk3s were not. It was almost hard to sell a no1mk3 at half the price of a no4. But that seems to be turning around at the shows right now. At the Brandon show a few weeks ago I saw more no1mk3s leaving the show with happy buyers than no4s. I even managed to pick up a Cdn C/l\ marked no1mk3...matching numbers on the receiver, wood and nose cap. Unfortunately the bolt had been swapped somewhere in the past.

Then again, many of the young kids today do not seem to know the difference between the first and second world wars, so maybe it won't matter.....all the milsurps may go up.
 
Remember what happened when Band of Brothers and The Pacific came out ? Prices for Arisakas and Garands double or tripled and we are stuck with those damned prices now.
 
Well I hope they stay low enough that I can snag a few more. Just got my first more or less complete WWI issue. A 1916 Aussie SMLE. Only things missing are the volley sights and cutoff, rear volley and cutoff are already in the mail. Just need that pointer arm for the front now.
I'd sure like to get a Berthier, seems there were a few around until recently. The Gew 98's I've seen are mostly out of my price range until I hit Lotto Max on Friday.
 
I was lucky and bought my P17 before anybody knew much about them and paid $35. I had a 303 but sold it due to it not shooting worth beans.That one was expensive at $15.
 
Raton57 said:
I was lucky and bought my P17 before anybody knew much about them and paid $35. I had a 303 but sold it due to it not shooting worth beans.That one was expensive at $15.
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I have a very expensive Parker Hale LE, it was $39.00 at Eatons:) Those where the days.
 
Of all the Mausers I have, I don't have a WW1 German one. My interest in them has steadily been growing but I'm still stuck on the WW2 K98k's. This is something I need to remedy soon though so I will probably contribute to the rising demand and prices.
 
You could sell one of your beauties and find a WW1 beauty to fill in ;).

jbmauser said:
Of all the Mausers I have, I don't have a WW1 German one. My interest in them has steadily been growing but I'm still stuck on the WW2 K98k's. This is something I need to remedy soon though so I will probably contribute to the rising demand and prices.
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Well, you're going to have a whole lot of potential new collectors who won't buy much of anything that they can't get cheap ammo for, because who wants a wall hanger? That, and the fact that the likes of the Steyr and Carcano have less historical interest on this continent than other arms have, so I think they and their like will remain reasonably priced curiosities.
 
Mark-II said:
Well, you're going to have a whole lot of potential new collectors who won't buy much of anything that they can't get cheap ammo for, because who wants a wall hanger? That, and the fact that the likes of the Steyr and Carcano have less historical interest on this continent than other arms have, so I think they and their like will remain reasonably priced curiosities.
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And hopefully the few that do appreciate them will have them all! (fingers tented)
 
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