Pricing trends ?
 

As I mentioned in my first post, I am fairly new to Parkers but have been a collector/trader of other vintage guns for many years.

Looking at recent Parker auction results, it appears to me that prices are not as inflated as a few years ago. A friend's theory is that older collectors more understanding of vintage pre-war guns are dying off, not to mention economic and other socio/demographic factors.

How would you characterize price trends over the past 5-10 years? Would you say prices are firming again? Thanks for your opinions.

I don't think it has anything to do with anyone dying off. When I collected 50s/60s collectors cars, that is what they said about car from the 30s. For a time, no one paid attention to the earlier cars but now the prices for them are good. Not as high as they were a fees years ago, but high nevertheless.

Any collector item is priced high when folks have money and the prices back off when folks don't have money. Based on recent auction prices, they are a lot of good buys out there. If you are buying a Parker for investment, you make your money at the time you buy. If you are buying a Parker because it is what you want, then it doent matter so long as you buy the right gun

i m sure the really higher grade guns are holding firm...they are traded in a circle that us small collectors never get to see..but the shooter type guns are holding thier own as far as i can see..i watch the auctions everday just about andthere are some good buys at fair prices..i would say that prices for good shooters have risen over the past few years...the double gun will never be as popular as it once was but it retains a bunch of us older guys to keep it popular for a few more years anyway...charlie

For the record, I never buy guns for investment, only what I like, but I also do not like to overpay. In the aggregate, I have probably "broken even" on my collectable trades, which is good enough for me.

Anyone with a good checkbook balance could have spent the whole wad at Julia's last auction and been happy to stay home for ten years. Never have such neat guns sold for such reasonable prices. Well, not east of California anyhow.

I have noticed recently that VH and VHE guns have seemed to be moving upwards in price, while grades above those have been holding steady. Could be a faulty observation on my part.

I have noticed that the nicer/more collectable guns are holding their value, auction prices seem to be pretty high right now. However, the lower grade guns (not just shooters, but nice V, G and some D grades) appear to be reasonable right now. I always watch the auctions, and I haven't seen too many "went pretty cheap, wish I put down a bid" guns.

Hammer prices at the recent Julia auction seemed to me to be alot less than asking prices at Chaddick's & others quite a few years ago. Same with other good doubles at similar current auctions.

My observation exactly.

I suggest that it is not accurate to equate asking prices with actual sales prices. Some asking prices are wistful thinking.

Also, it is more accurate to track values by a single gun selling multiple times rather than comparing guns that may not be alike. Some of Chaddick's guns back in the day were the best around. I don't think it would be unfair to say that some if not many of the most recent Julia auction guns had issues and found their appropriate value. My comment does not mean that serious collectors should not look to Julias for bringing fine Parkers to market.

Fine Parkers, high condition, and particularly high condition, high grade, small bores continue to be extremely valuable and bring selling prices to match. Low grade, low condition, common guns muddle along and can be subject to general economic conditions .