anything other than the listed price; which is very often the highest listed price without regard to condition. Jumping to such conclusions will likely result in disappointment. In order to utilize this book to the fullest, it is of the direct importance to read and digest the section discussing how various degrees of condition are arrived at and how those conditions radically affect price. Equally important is to know that desirable degrees of condition vary considerably with guns of different periods and makers. A discussion of condition has been purposely repeated throughout the book and it is strongly recommended that the reader often refers to that page in Chapter II giving details of standards for condition used for evaluations throughout this book.
COLLECTOR’S GIFT
Having set forth the motives and objectives for this book, and before leaving the reader to his own devices in buying, selling or trading, the author presents herewith a suggested format for an heraldic device the student may wish to use as a pattern for his personally devised crest or bookplate, signifying him a member of the arms collecting fraternity. The legend emblazoned within the riband stands as the most often heard, plaintive cry of the gun trader!
Norm Flayderman Post Office Box 2446 Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 33303 U.S.A.
*I’ve got more than that in it!
Chapter I
Collecting Firearms
RECENT HISTORY AND PROGRESS OF ARMS COLLECTING
It is no exaggeration to say that the growth of the hobby of collecting antique firearms in the years following World War II has been phenomenal. Neither is it an exaggeration to claim for this field the right to be known as one of the fastest growing collecting pursuits since WWII. That era must decidedly be used as the turning point for all types of arms collecting, for it is only since then that these hobbies—especially in the field of American arms—have really taken off and risen to spectacular heights. Those decades since the war feature technological advances along with a tremendous rise in the general affluence of the American public. Plotting the mushrooming of technology and affluence on a graph alongside the increasing importance of antique weapons collecting and their concurrent immense increase in demand and value would undoubtedly show extremely close correlation. Earlier slowdowns in the pace of collecting have noticeably reversed themselves as this ninth edition goes to press. It continues to be brisk ... and in some areas, heated. Although the field is not broad enough nor considered sufficiently important by economists to have had any trend-studies made in the postwar decades, it can be said from first-hand knowledge that interest, demand and values in antique American arms have continued upward on a steady rise over the entire period. (Certain small segments of specialties within the field of American arms collecting have shown sudden spurts upwards in price, leveled off, and then even fallen slightly backward for a short period; those special areas, however, were extremely limited and in general had no influence on the overall antique American gun market.) This steady upward rise included every recessionary era in business and economic cycles. The economic setback of the early 1980s continued that rise to a lesser degree, evidencing a general leveling of prices, while the broad recession of the early 1990s had no adverse affect on antique American arms values which continued their upward trend. Such was definitely not the case in other areas of collecting; such fields as coins, stamps, art and silver are especially notable. This factor has gone unnoticed by antiques commentators and editorialists. The phenomenon is quite intriguing. The author lacks experience as an economist to interpret either the why or wherefore, but it is certainly worth noting and musing over.
Prior to World War II antique guns, especially American ones, were very much on the low end of the collecting world scale. A few of the early Colts, some of the scarcer American martial flintlock handguns, and fine Kentucky rifles were about the only arms which fetched anywhere near noteworthy values. Those values, though, in comparison to other collecting fields, were still on the bottom rung of the ladder; only rarely rising above a three figure status. Fine European arms and armor of the 18th century and earlier were then very much in demand, but the collecting fraternity for those types was also small in size. Collecting of American arms was very much a narrowly confined field that is easily evident by the limited number of short-lived publications devoted to the hobby, as well as few published research studies or books. Antique arms was hardly a field of any prominence when compared to such giants as the collecting of art, rare books, coins or stamps and other similar time-honored and popular hobbies and areas of investment. Since the War, the picture has changed drastically, but it is probably still very much a case of “not seeing the forest for all the trees.” In living during the era and actually seeing the changes take place, it remains difficult to arrive at an overall perspective and visualize what the potential may actually be. Although certainly small by comparison to other collecting fields, the hard fact that not a few antique American arms have achieved price levels into the high six figure mark may very well be considered as a milestone and an indicator of what the future holds for what is still a very young collecting specialty. Proffered advice: condition will play an ever-increasing role in that future potential.
The foregoing remarks about price rises and new plateaus are not intended to indicate a feeling by the author that a stampede is about to take place (nor his hopes that it should!) in collecting American guns. Active, and thus close to this field in the postwar years, the author is hardly a disinterested reporter. He therefore very much wishes to emphasize his observations about the monetary aspects of this collecting hobby; for after all, value is very much what this book is all about.
Immediately following World War II, the collecting of antique arms gained ever-increasing popularity throughout the United States. Attributing this growth to any single specific reason would be in error, but a broad generality considered credible would relate the rising American economy and public affluence combined with the prominence given gun collecting by many writers. These two factors in combination allowed and inspired a relatively undiscovered or unexploited field to blossom. The same has happened in several other collecting pursuits and still takes place occasionally today. One wonders if anything remains “undiscovered.”
With the mushrooming postwar awareness and interest in antique arms and the dramatic influx of new collectors, there simultaneously appeared a number of guides, handbooks and specialized studies. No doubt each book gave further impetus to the hobby. With the rapid spread of knowledge the collector was afforded the opportunity to pursue many avenues of collecting formerly denied him due to a lack of published information. Many of the new books spawned hosts of specialist collectors and students, quite frequently leading to further research studies published in book or periodical form. The effect, although not then obvious, is quite evident in retrospect.
The era of the 1950s ushered in a truly dramatic expansion in the hobby of gun collecting. During those years a few important periodicals devoted almost entirely to antique weapons entered the field, some surviving to the present day. Several other journals have since become available on the subject, and the array of publications now in print is quite impressive. The 1950s also saw the formation of new, as well as the expansion of existing, arms collecting clubs (many of them growing to giant size) throughout virtually every state in the Union. Although antique arms shows were well-known even before World War II, they were usually small private affairs far from achieving prominence in the press or in the arms world. In the 1950s various state clubs began attracting guests and exhibitors on a nationwide basis while at the same time expanding their exhibition facilities from small rooms to grand exhibition halls. In the early 50s it was quite possible to make a few important arms shows in a year; beginning in the 1960s and continuing to the present one could attend two or even three significant (sometimes enormous) shows almost every week of the year somewhere in the country!
Prices for antique arms began their sharp and steady upward trend in the 50s. From that point they never backslid. It is true that all values did not rise proportionately nor at the same time, but plotting on a graph would definitely show a continued and progressive rise on a rather steep incline (with but one narrow plateau) through the late 1990s reaching another slowdown after the turn of the