General question about Parker value

[Ron Scott]

Originally Posted by Paul Ehlers

IMO; Unless a gun is in extremely high condition or has a unique provenance you shouldn't be looking at it as an investment in the current market with the aging baby boomers.

I've heard that argument before and I think it's basically true in the short term (1-5 years) but I wonder if in the long term (10+ years), as the younger shooters get older, if they might have an interest in classic hand fitted wood and metal guns. There is also normal economic inflation to consider. The Fed has pumped enormous amounts of money into the system through monetary easing over the past 10 years. Stocks have been in one of the longest bull markets in history, yet inflation otherwise has remained low. That can change overnight and hard assets like collectible guns can be an excellent store of value when the stock market turns bearish.

I actually think good collectible guns can be an excellent way to diversify a portfolio -- it's what we call in the investment world a "non-correlating asset." So I'm not ready to throw up my hands and say, "I don't care if my guns go up in value, I just want to enjoy them for what they are." I want both -- I want an appreciating asset, or at least one that doesn't depreciate, and I want to enjoy my investment.

Think about it, you get close to zero percent interest in the bank, the only enjoyment you get is looking at the account statement, and the little you make is taxed! Buy a gun, enjoy using it, and hopefully when and if you sell it you make a little money. And, by the way, you get a very favorable tax treatment on the profit.

[mobirdhunter]

Originally Posted by Paul Ehlers

...Buy the gun because you like it & it makes you happy keeping in mind that you may not get back what you paid for it down the road. Buy it, enjoy it & use it, life is short, live it up!!!

Amen. And know that no one can put a value on the years you use it other than you. What's your life's time worth?

[Opening Day]

Originally Posted by Garry L Gordon

Amen. And know that no one can put a value on the years you use it other than you. What's your life's time worth?

Why is it that when we buy a new car, we don't worry about how much it will deprecate in two years but when we buy a gun and enjoy it for how many years we have to break even or sell at a profit Enjoy the gun and have fun.

[Ron Scott]

Originally Posted by Eric Eis

Why is it that when we buy a new car, we don't worry about how much it will deprecate in two years but when we buy a gun and enjoy it for how many years we have to break even or sell at a profit Enjoy the gun and have fun.

Send me a PM for a list of overpriced guns i have for sale, I’m sure you’d enjoy owning a couple of them.

[Mills]

You don't lose money until you sell. And Garry and Eric are correct

[Dean Romig]

I buy new cars as a rule and drive and maintain them until they start costing too much to own them anymore. But to me, a nice gun is a commodity sort of like a house, that I expect to at least hold its value if not appreciate over time. Unfortunately the market on used sxs guns doesn't work like that. When there is a glut on the market, either in houses or used sxs guns it turns into a buyer's market.





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[Phil Yearout]

I suppose it's different when you're talking about "collectible" guns, but I don't own any. Except for a couple of guns I bought for the express purpose of selling I've never once worried about what it would be worth down the road, nor even what it's worth now - only what it's worth to me. If I bought at or under what it's worth to me I'm happy; somebody else can worry about what it's worth later on .

[charlie cleveland]

i buy a gun because i want it i sell or trade one because it no longer appeals to me.....its hard to sell a gun for what its worth on short notice...thats why sometimes a guy really got a bargain in a gun because the seller needed the money quickly...thats why there is so many pawn shops and title buyers out there....if you need quick cash for a gun or car your on the short end of the stick.....charlie

[Dean Romig]

I completely agree Charlie!





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[Ron Scott]

I never buy new cars -- they depreciate a few thousand $$ as soon as you drive off the lot. I buy one year old low mileage cars and avoid that loss. But guns are different than cars because it's actually possible not to lose money.

I own three types of guns: Collectibles i.e., "safe queens" -- on average they are up in value over the past 10 years. Shooters are for shooting. They are either semi-collectible i.e., high value but not pristine NIB stuff that a little more wear won't depreciate the value or they are guns I don't care if they lose value--guns I bought to shoot and don't care about resale value.

The Parker I am looking for will be a "collectible shooter." I think (and I may be totally delusional) that it's possible to buy a nice 50-60% original Parker, hunt with it and shoot clays with it for the next 10 years and it will be worth more than I paid for it. But if I buy a brand new Browning Citori and shoot it for 10 years I think I'd be lucky to get my money back. Mass produced guns are mass produced guns -- they have zero collector value. Regardless of the whole "end of the baby boomer" argument they aren't making any more Parkers.

Show me a guy who doesn't care if he gets his money back on a Parker and I'll show you a guy I want to buy my next Parker from!