Winchester letters

Fazer1

I'm getting to the point that I have to worry about falling off the perch. I have some pretty decent rifles and really no one to pass them onto. I have a list of all with prices that I think they are worth.

Some of them are Winchesters. Does a factory letter help with the value. I guess it is the same with the Colts.

Thanks

He Dog

Yes, it does help some, particularly if it shows the rifle shipped in the same configuration it is in today. If it shows it originally shipped in a different caliber, with a different barrel configuration etc. not so much. For the record, what you think they are worth may not bare much similarity to sales reality. The market trends up and down. High condition Winchesters do better than most things though. Check completed auctions here for similar condition rifles for an idea of current market value.

oldWinchesterfan

Best thing you can do for you heirs, if you know they don't want you're collection, is to make sure they know how to dispose of it without getting shafted. Sure, they might want to keep a few, but they need to know what to do with the rest. I don't know what you have so it's hard for me to know what your best option might be.

At a minimum options range from just selling the lot to a dealer you trust, consignment at one or more shops, turning them over to an auction house (tough way to go with the house charging both seller and buyer commissions) selling them on GunBroker themselves or getting them to someone like Locust Fork. The key is they won't know the best to approach to monitize your collection unless you give them some direction.

As mentioned, factory letters can help but are not the full answer. Good luck to you sir!

yoshmyster

Since you ain't got no one to "leave" them sell it before you kick ASAP. So you can enjoy the cash. Do as I will sell everything and live in a Vegas casino Howard Hughes style (your budget may vary). I reckon mine will be on the lower rent side way, way off the strip. With rot gut booze and even rougher hookers.

Don't know how long it takes to get the letters or how long you got left on the tank. It's a toss up. Get max pay or get paid now. Then throw in the "market" then you might need the papers to get a fair offer.

Just need a boon in housing market like pre-2007, a panic buy on firearms and I'll be set to live out in Vegas.

Old-Colts

In my experience, Winchester letters do help; especially if you have any Winchesters that are in other than standard configurations. They do more to help you sell them for their full market value than add any additional value.

With Colts it is a different story, especially for prewar Single Actions. Not only do they confirm standard or special order configurations, but the ship to location can add significantly to the value if the letter lists that it shipped to a notable individual or historically significant location.

I recently completed selling off my collection of prewar Colt Single Actions and Winchester Lever Actions. All of my Colts were standard configurations for the time, but I had a few special order Winchesters. The Winchester letters helped the sale of the special order guns, but the Colt letters added significantly to the Single Actions that went to historic or western locations.