Read and Weep.... the good old days...

joe n said:
I remember in 1975 in Edmonton at the Army and Navy on White Avenue, saw many an Enfield in the wooden crate for $35 with ammo included. Dad had no interest in even looking at them at the time. Having carried one in Europe from 43-46 he saw no modern use for one.
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My dad too.

After fighting in Poland, France, Holland, and doing occupation duty in Germany, he was done. I asked him a few times why he hadn't picked up some souveniers, and he explained in very clear terms that with no home to go back to (Poland was under Russian control), 6 years of fighting for his life, the LAST thing he was interested in was collecting guns.

(....on the other hand, back in the 1980s, when he saw a Browning HiPower I'd bought, his eyes brightened and he said, "Ooo, that's a nice piece!" Never did want to shoot it, though.)
 
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Dad in later years took an interest in my military firearms collecting. When I turned 18 he gave me his Iron Cross and Luger rig he took from a prisoner in Wilhelmshaven. After losing his brother in the war he hated anything military, especially German for decades. But strangely held onto these items, bringing them out from time to time to show relatives or friends. He used to look at all my k98 rifles and always tell me how many of these he had thrown into rivers, as well as Brens, Stens, ect.
But I know he used for years a sporterized .303 he bought in Yorkton, Saskatchewan. And he owned a .45 Colt he traded for cigarettes until he traded it off as well, due to lack of ammunition. Maple Leaf and nntw are absolutely right, there was just no interest in collecting in those years. Makes me wonder what my kids will have for a collecting future.
 
joe n said:
Dad in later years took an interest in my military firearms collecting. When I turned 18 he gave me his Iron Cross and Luger rig he took from a prisoner in Wilhelmshaven. After losing his brother in the war he hated anything military, especially German for decades. But strangely held onto these items, bringing them out from time to time to show relatives or friends. He used to look at all my k98 rifles and always tell me how many of these he had thrown into rivers, as well as Brens, Stens, ect.
But I know he used for years a sporterized .303 he bought in Yorkton, Saskatchewan. And he owned a .45 Colt he traded for cigarettes until he traded it off as well, due to lack of ammunition. Maple Leaf and nntw are absolutely right, there was just no interest in collecting in those years. Makes me wonder what my kids will have for a collecting future.
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'' Look what I found dad! And original, all matching, iPod nano, 1st gen! What a gem, isn't it!''

Or something of that sort. I'm 24 and reluctantly looking to be 54 and be reminded I was young at some point. Heck, I even feel like a dinosaure some days.
 
I dont know about you guys but lets put it this way. A sweedish sniper was $69.50. Average wage was $149.00/week that is about 47%
The same gun is work over $1000.00 So I would need to make about $2100.00 a week to be on the level...............ya not so much in the bank these days.
 
You need to consider scarcity also. It's easy to compare only the price, but stocks have steadily declined, rifles have been bubba'd, deactivated or used as lamp stands everyday. Price will only go up, and even if it feels good to talk about good old days, reality is that everyday, the value of rifles and other collectibles appreciate.

I personnaly collect for the fun of it, but I comfort myself by keeping in mind it's not an expense nor a loss but more like a neutral EV hobby. The day I'll sell all the stuff I collected, I'll expect a little extra, maybe. But it's obvious I could get a better value on other ways of investment such as real estate or stocks. Thing is, I extract lots more fun from shooting guns, manipulating them daily and all, than I can get from owning a Google stock. And I watch the market daily because I like it, so imagine. So let's say the equity on the collecting is more about fun than value when you buy.

Obviously, super rare pieces are on an other level completely. I mean, I can buy a SMLE for the fun of it, but I certainly won't buy a Mondragon just to brag to my friends. I think the only way of being a real predictably profitable way of investing, that gonna beat other ways of investing, is by being at the top of the food chain in term of knowledge/contacts/financial ressources. But it's the same in every ways of life, your edge over the market determines how profitable you'll be.

All in all, collect, have fun, shoot a lot and don't look back!
 
When I was 12 in 1965 I saw those full stock SMLE rifles for $12.95 in the Eaton's catalogue and told my dad about it.

"What do you want one of those shot out old things for?" he asked.

He owned two guns, an old single shot 12 gauge that must have been 65 years old if it was a day and a BSA sportered LE 303.

In those days I don't know any one of my friends' fathers who collected anything. Not butterflies, stamps, plates, cars, paintings or guns. Guys were just working and making a living raising families. Collecting things wasn't on the agenda.

Even the richest guy I knew at the time, my best friend's dad who owned a logging company owned four guns.

A Winchester Model 94 30-30
A Browning .22 semi auto
A Browning SxS 12 gauge
A S&W .38 revolver
 
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