Are Antique & Vintage Guns Good Investments?
truthful
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Having collected old guns since the early 1970s, I am now at the point in life where I am considering disposing of many of them. As part of the process of estimating the current value on each one, I decided to compare recent online retail sales prices for similar guns with what my original purchase price was, inflated from the year of purchase to 2022. I used the official Federal overall inflation rates for each year and compounded them from purchase to 2022. The guns are all from US manufactures and all were made from the early 19th century to the early 20th. Here is some of what I learned:
(1) The only rifles that all have current values greater than the impact of inflation since purchase are Winchester lever actions. As a group they beat inflation by 41%. Model 1866, 1873, and 1895 "flat-side" models did the best many of them beating inflation by 70 - 90%. Surprisingly, Model 1886s were okay, but not stars, and 1894s of all types were positive but not impressive.
(2) The only other category that consistently beat inflation was Colt revolvers. They came out at +18% as a group. SAAs came in at +20% to 25% but 1849, 1851, and 1860 models with identified war use, or London manufacture, were winners at 30% to 45%.
(3) All Marlins, lever actions and pistols, lagged inflation, typically -5% to -10%.
(4) Nearly all Springfield percussion muzzle-loaders, and trapdoors, lagged inflation, some by as much as -28%. The only exceptions were Allin conversions with low single-digit gains.
(5) Smith & Wesson revolvers came out with current values quite close to their inflated purchase prices. The Model 2 "Army" models did the best, but none went over +8%.
(6) Derringers, pepper boxes, boot pistols, etc. lagged inflation, typically about -5% to -10%. The only exception was Remington double-derringers at +11%.
(7) All spur trigger pocket pistols lagged inflation by about 3% regardless of condition or manufacturer.
(8) Other than Winchester levers, and Colt revolvers, US military flintlocks were the only other consistent winners, typically coming in at around +10 to +12%. Civilian models, including Kentucky, mostly were losers.
After all my work, I thought I'd share some of the results. We've been told for years that Colts and Winchesters are the best investments, and my data seems to bear that out. What we have not been told is that most of the others are guns to buy because you like them, not because you think they are a good investment.
Comments
Excellent work. Thank You.
Good research, I've tried to collect nice quaility 73's or ones with history or rarity. I'm not quite to the point of liquidating yet.
Bob
Cody Firearms Member
Winchester Arms Collectors Association Life member
interesting for sure, I'd suggest going over the marlin's again as the 'JM' marlin's have almost doubled in the last couple of years.
Great information to have, thanks for sharing.
You spent some hours there. Interesting info. I "study" gun markets also in a way. I have found anything, almost that is not in production the vast majority in the last five tears have risen significantly. As above JM Marlins, any 16 gauge shotgun, specially those 1100's-1187's, COP derringers for whatever reason, some Belgium Brownings with boxes, ect. I don't have the numbers like you do but seems what I found.
Ravens, Jennings have been bringing 150- for a 20 dollar firearm in some cases.
I've been of the opinion that those of us that appreciate old guns are getting older. The younger generations don't care as much for Grandpa's guns. The market for collectable firearms is slowly shrinking.
That's just my opinion.
Agreed
that,s not only interesting but great information, thanks for sharing. i do have to agree with horse plains drifter and jimdeere. i,m glad i,ll be in the ground when my grandson trades my favorite elk rifle for a x-box paddle and walks away smiling. the way of the world seems sad but i rejoice in the thought that i lived in the greatest times for the firearms made and the men who could used them
I have found the guns I have purchased over the past 50 years that I still own keep going up in value and the bonus is I get to shoot them too. Shooting them adds to the personal value in my mind far beyond the investment value increases. Life ain't all about the all mighty dollar and the return on investment, maybe that is why I am poor 😮.
I do applaud your efforts to produce such a fantastic research effort in value/time and return percentages with firearms. Thank you!
Early 19th to early 20th century? You are talking about guns which are 100 to 200 years old. Most of my guns are in the 20 to 100 year-old range. I have some which have beat inflation, and some which have not. That is not why I buy guns, anyway, because I probably won't sell them.
Great info, thanks for sharing. I think that what most of us think of as collectible guns now, the collect ability will dwindle soon. With all of the new rifles out there, I can see the pre-64 stuff leveling off in prices, since most of the people who think that they are better than post 64 stuff will be gone soon and it won't matter to most.
With the attack on semi auto handguns, I can see classic revolvers such as Colt and S&W's maintaining, or increasing in value once people understand what their unique values are. I can see the Colt "bubble" bursting soon though and coming back down to reasonable prices.
Other, older collectible guns, such as high dollar shotguns, rifles or other rare collectibles will always be worth good money, because there will always be some people with extra cash to pick them up as they are disposed of by family members from deceased collectors who have no use, or idea as to what they really are.