Mint condition VS . Unfired?

ap3572001

I was always wondering about the typical difference in value of "Unfired in the box" pistols VS, Mint (or 99%) condition?

givette

Mint "unfired in the box" eliminates any subjectiveness on the part of the seller. It is how it left the factory. Educated buyers will be more apt to consider such a purchase.

XXpct condition is up to the seller and the buyer to agree on the percentage value. With a 99pct firearm, seller is well served to show a closeup photo of that one percent that kept the firearm from being 100pct..so the seller can judge for himself.

In collecting circles, less than 98pct. drops the value considerably. Hope I helped. Joe

EDIT:
AP..givette here again. I just read your post below. The answer is this..do you want to enjoy it, or save it for increased valuation? If the former, you will take a hit on value if you fire it. If the latter then put it away. A collectors' piece is best left unfired. That begs the question: is yours a collector piece?

If you search the auction side and come up with several for sale, best to shoot the thing and enjoy. Life's too short. Again best, Joe

ap3572001

Thank You. Also , does it depend on the firearm? For example, lets say You gor a 1985 import Pre B CZ75 in original box with al the paperwork. ( Properly stored). How much of its value will be gone if it get shoot once in while? I do understand that a highly collectible firearms are best to leave unfired ( if You got them that way).

bobski

the term mint came from coin collecting. mint means it was sealed in a wrapper and sold from the u.s. mint, uncirculated in the market. mint coins are used as proofs that all others are graded by.

the term most widely used in the gun realm is NIB (new in box). a NIB gun in a sense should be a gun that all others are graded by. if a gun is in its box unfired, or assembled, its considered mint.

back to the coins...if you take a mint coin out of its u.s. mint wrapper and touch it, its no longer mint. it drops to circulated and loses value steeply.

same with a NIB gun. if its been assembled, its not NIB any longer, and being assembled, its been used, thus its not mint, rather 99.9%.

many people in the gun world will accept a unfired gun 'assembled' as mint. some dont.

again, its a game of splitting hairs, but for the most part, if the gun can be used to measure all other specimans by, odds are, its mint.

Werwolf

Technically all firearms are test fired from the factory before they go out the door, at least they are supposed too have been.

ap3572001

OK , I guess what I want to know is if shooting some of mine unfired pistols would hurt their value should I decide sell them. I have several nice unfired pistols.

nmyers

Yes, handling &/or shooting any gun will show wear, & decrease its value. How much value is lost depends on the gun, & how much wear can be seen.

I have some guns that are unfired, but I rarely, if ever, handle them. When I do, I wear white cotton gloves, & don't rack the slide or cock them. Even opening & closing most boxes will cause wear that devalues the box.

Neal

ap3572001

Understand. But doesn't it depend WHICH guns we are talking about. My example with an unfired , boxed CZ75 from the 80's. Whoudl shooting it , hurt its value in any big way? Or an unfired mid 80's Interarms PPK? Whould shooting it really bring down the value?

Werwolf

As compared to firearms that had not been handled or shot yes, but not by much provided how noticeable it is or is not, just be up front with the buyer and explain the situation and keep in mind that reputation is everything on auction sites. Some firearms will keep their value despite firing and handling as they may be in high demand and would make little to no difference especially to the right buyer that is specifically looking for what you have for sale.

givette

quote:Originally posted by ap3572001
Understand. But doesn't it depend WHICH guns we are talking about. My example with an unfired , boxed CZ75 from the 80's. Whoudl shooting it , hurt its value in any big way? Or an unfired mid 80's Interarms PPK? Whould shooting it really bring down the value?


Very subjective. (items in blue). You will lose some value. The more you shoot, the more the gun will look like it's shot. Since you have asked again for "how much" loss, and the firearms are of differing values, lets go with a percentage scale (and this is out of character for me-to commit to making a statement that can't be nailed down by numbers)

1st shot: 3-5pct loss in value (over NIB)
1 box: 20pct loss in value (over NIB)

This is assuming that there is no exterior wear to the finish from handling. With signs of handling, add another 5-10pct loss.

Observation: since you inquired more than once on the "value loss" issue, don't fire them. Get some used guns, or don't concern yourself over value loss when you do shoot them. Best I could do. Sincerely, Joe

beantownshootah

Guns aren't coins, so technically none of them are "mint". The term generally means the gun is 100%, ie in the box with all associated documentation, without any visible marks or defects.

Also a gun might never have been fired, but that doesn't necessarily mean its in 100% condition. For example, revolvers that have been dry fired might have a drag line on the cylinder, or fingerprint or other marks from being handled or dropped, etc. Plenty of gun stores have unfired guns with marks on them, for example.

In terms of collectibility, I think the rule is pretty simple. If you want the gun to retain as much value as possible, you don't shoot it, *particularly* if its a "mint" type gun.

If you are buying the gun as an investment or a collectors piece, you're best off not shooting it, though there may be exceptions. If the gun has already been shot a whole bunch, for example, but just has extra value because its rare or unusual, a few more rounds probably won't make any difference in value.

As to how much value an in the box pre-B CZ75 might lose from being fired once, there is no answer to that question. Those guns aren't all *that* precious, there aren't that many who collect them, and it would depend on the market for the gun at the time you tried to sell it. Assuming the gun is otherwise 99%+ it probably wouldn't make much of a difference, but again, if you are REALLY an investor (instead of a shooter) why take the chance?

I'll tell you (as a caution) that the original plastic CZ-75 grips aren't all that durable, so be careful about firing the gun with a ring on (for example) if you want it to stay 100%.

Personally, I say if you bought it because you want to shoot it and didn't pay a huge premium for it being "mint", then shoot it. Pre-B CZ-75s are unusual in the USA because of Cold-war era importation restrictions, but there are a zillion of them "out there" in Europe. This isn't a gun that is likely to be precious any time during your lifetime, and getting absolutely top dollar for a gun like this isn't that easy anyway.