how to sell unique gun
Hi, I am here as there seem to be alot of experts that deal with raher odd gun items on here. I'm a 18 year old high school senior.
On Dec 2 2010 I managed to get get Sarah Palin to autogragph the stock from my pheasant hunting gun (a Mossberg 500 12 gauge). At the time I didn't realize that it was a big deal. I just thought it was really sweet of her to do it for me.
Ever since then it has been a pain. I contacted several dealers to find out what value the gun now holds so I can have it insured. One of them tried to buy it for $10,000 and the other said it is almost impossible to put a value on it since there does not appear to be any other guns she has signed (at least not any on the market place).
It is the coolest thing I have ever held and today one of our states largest newspapers ran a big article about how I got it signed and even got my picture taken with my yellow lab hunting buddy Rebel!
I have to be realistic. If the gun is worth as much as everyone says then I have to consider letting it go as it would pay for alot of college. On the other hand I would love to someday start a true collection with it as the centerpiece. Please help me with advice...and if your advice is to sell it how to I begin to do so?
Thankyou in advance,
Shell shocked,
Jacob
On Dec 2 2010 I managed to get get Sarah Palin to autogragph the stock from my pheasant hunting gun (a Mossberg 500 12 gauge). At the time I didn't realize that it was a big deal. I just thought it was really sweet of her to do it for me.
Ever since then it has been a pain. I contacted several dealers to find out what value the gun now holds so I can have it insured. One of them tried to buy it for $10,000 and the other said it is almost impossible to put a value on it since there does not appear to be any other guns she has signed (at least not any on the market place).
It is the coolest thing I have ever held and today one of our states largest newspapers ran a big article about how I got it signed and even got my picture taken with my yellow lab hunting buddy Rebel!
I have to be realistic. If the gun is worth as much as everyone says then I have to consider letting it go as it would pay for alot of college. On the other hand I would love to someday start a true collection with it as the centerpiece. Please help me with advice...and if your advice is to sell it how to I begin to do so?
Thankyou in advance,
Shell shocked,
Jacob
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If I were you I would take the 10 grand and run like the wind before the goober changes his mind. 0 -
How did you get a shotgun that close to her? She has her own security staff and thiking WFH, man with gun,,hmmm..anyway if any credence to your story,,two fools met and parted,,with 10,000 k for a S Palin graph...[:0][|)] 0 -
Right now, Sarah Palin is in the news and is popular. You need to ask yourself how long that will last. The only extra value your gun has is what someone else perceives the autograph to be worth. To maximize your gain, you need to sell your gun at the height of Palin's popularity. Maybe it's just me, but I don't see her remaining popular past the next presidential election, and she may not last until then. All that being said, $10,000 for a gun I paid a lot less for, and that I can replace and still have over $9,000 left, sounds like a great deal to me. You may kick yourself if you see it sold for $100,000 later. Do you have the connections to get it sold for that price? If not, take the $10,000 and consider yourself blessed. 0 -
I agree with the others. But, I have often seen the big offers withdrawn when folks say, "OK, I'll take it." If the 10K offer doesn't pan out, I'd send photos to Rock Island Auctions & see what they think; they sell a lot of the high priced unusual guns.
Neal
EDIT: The guys are correct about provenance; i.e., evidence that Palin signed your gun. Hopefully you have high quality photos showing her signing it, with you in the photos. Ideally, the gun's serial number should show in the photos. Yeah, I know, not likely.0 -
quote:Originally posted by mm8nambu
How did you get a shotgun that close to her? She has her own security staff and thiking WFH, man with gun,,hmmm..anyway if any credence to your story,,two fools met and parted,,with 10,000 k for a S Palin graph...[:0][|)]
Not to turn this into a political slugfest, but that is what sets Sarah Palin apart from the rest. She is pro people of the US, not pro US BIG Government. She is a people person, and as such loves people of all breeds...even the communist liberals.
Jacob,
As for your gun, if you really want to know the true worth of it son, you need to get it authenticated, take several good close up pictures of it, and list it on the auction side. I would start it low, around what you paid for the gun, and let the bidding war begin. Also, you might think about waiting untill 2012, or 2013, when Sarah is the next US President...be even worth more.
Best
EDIT 1
Thanks BigLoop. That was an awesome article.
Jacob,
You have a treasure there. Not sure how you should handle it, but to get the very most out of it at our auction side here, run it for 10-14 days. Start low, and go with no reserve.
Best0 -
How to sell it? Lots of good pics, put it on gunbroker, starting bid of what you would be willing to take for it, and let it go from there.
Any provenance regarding authenticity, certification from an autograph dealer, etc. would help. Otherwise the bidder doesn't know if it is Palin or if you just signed it.
I'd take the 10 grand and run. I'm by no means an advanced autograph collector, but have a few hundred in my collection. Figuring the gun itself is worth maybe $500 tops and probably more like $200 for a used Mossberg 500, that means someone is willing to pay over 9 grand for Palin's signature. Considering that autographs of hers on fleabay start around $40 for an index card, up to $129 for a signed book, with very light bidding despite authentication from reputable dealers, I'd say that that guy is offering you 80 times market price. Granted it might be worth more since it is a signed GUN, but 10k? No way. Even a JFK signature isn't usually worth that.0 -
TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN 0 -
You're young so 10k seems tempting and I'd probably be tempted take it. This is classic risk reward. If she stays liable and does get elected to higher office it might be more valuable. But what a family heirloom it could become. As much as I sell on Gunbroker, it is not the best place for a gun like this. If I had it and decided to sell, I'd use one of the more prominant gun auction houses such as Amoskeag, Julia, Butterfields etc. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by tsr1965
quote:Originally posted by mm8nambu
How did you get a shotgun that close to her? She has her own security staff and thiking WFH, man with gun,,hmmm..anyway if any credence to your story,,two fools met and parted,,with 10,000 k for a S Palin graph...[:0][|)]
Not to turn this into a political slugfest, but that is what sets Sarah Palin apart from the rest. She is pro people of the US, not pro US BIG Government. She is a people person, and as such loves people of all breeds...even the communist liberals.
Jacob,
As for your gun, if you really want to know the true worth of it son, you need to get it authenticated, take several good close up pictures of it, and list it on the auction side. I would start it low, around what you paid for the gun, and let the bidding war begin. Also, you might think about waiting untill 2012, or 2013, when Sarah is the next US President...be even worth more.
Best
I am not dissy this or her graph,,,(IF IT HAPPENED) provenence would be the FIRST THING,,I would like to see the newspaper article and the jachis post it...perhaps I am just skepticle about a one poster stating this,,,,I will eat my computer words if he proves it, if not another skunk on the boards..
p.s. for 10k I think I would have to spend the night with her if it was my money.[:)]0 -
Good people,
Here is the article, along with a picture of just the buttstock that Sarah signed:
http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/columnists/gallagher/article_e0baf88e-15a1-55b7-8516-896b8e09f4ed.html
"Election 2012
Gallagher: Nothing says Palin like a shotgun"
"SUPERIOR, Iowa -- Jacob Christoffer wanted Sarah Palin to sign something. He grabbed a baseball, hesitated, and left it at home.
Took his 12-gauge shotgun instead.
After reading a note Jacob scribbled on an index card in the middle of the night, Palin signed the stock of his gun. She also signed his camouflage hunting cap and four copies of her bestselling book, "America by Heart."
Count Christoffer among the millions who will vote for the former Alaska governor should she aim at the Oval Office.
"I got this signed for my dad. He had a heart transplant last year and he's been struggling. His medication costs over $70,000 per year," Jacob Christoffer said. "My dad loves Sarah Palin and I told her it would mean a lot if she would sign the gun stock from the 12-gauge I shot my first pheasant with."
The autographed gun was supposed to be a gift for his father, Bruce Christoffer, who turns 48 on Christmas Day. Bruce used the same kind of gun when he used to hunt.
"Jacob came home and couldn't keep a secret," the elder Christoffer said from their home at Superior. "It would make for a good Christmas gift, but I don't think Jacob will part with it. I wouldn't blame him. He needs to pass this gun to his kids and grandkids."
How many guns have been signed by Palin? A gun collector told the family their gun could shoot all the way to the Smithsonian should Palin ascend to the White House.
"The poor kid can't use his gun any more," Bruce Christoffer said. "It's too valuable."
How a high school senior convinced Sarah Palin to sign the stock of his gun is a tale of persistence and luck, both good and bad.
Bruce Christoffer's heart troubles go back 20-some years. Doctors learned following a series of heart attacks that Christoffer's ticker produces blood clots that break loose. After suffering four strokes, doctors inserted a defibrillator.
"I was on a heart transplant list for 20 months," he said. "A donor came through in September 2009, when I had six months to live."
The transplant at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., didn't go well. Christoffer lay in a coma for 18 days following the procedure.
His condition keeps him from working. It also keeps his wife, Shari Christoffer, at home, tending to his health needs.
That's where their son's political interest took shape. Jacob watched his parents struggle with costs and paperwork that trailed prescriptions, surgery and hospital stays.
"My mom can't work," Jacob said. "Her job is to take care of Dad. It's stupid that the most she can make is $500 per month."
Things get heated in debates at Spirit Lake High School, especially when Jacob is asked to present a Democrat's view during government class. A classmate told Jacob he should camp Wednesday night at Walmart and meet Palin, the much beloved -- and despised -- 2008 running mate of Sen. John McCain.
Jacob Christoffer grabbed a blanket, pillow and two bottles of Mountain Dew and left home at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, bound for Walmart in nearby Spirit Lake, Iowa. He claimed the tenth spot in line and sat up all night inside the store writing notes on index cards, cards he handed to Palin.
She read about his family's struggle and had Jacob step aside. They visited. She signed his books and his hunting cap. He asked for one more: Would she sign the stock from his 12-gauge? She told him to get it.
One security guard, unaware of the autograph request, grew understandably alarmed when a young man toting a brown blanket and gun stock entered the store and walked around the autograph line.
"I kind of got lost in the crowd when I came back in and one of the security guards yelled at me to stop because it looked like I had a gun," Christoffer said.
In seconds, Palin's security personnel escorted Christoffer up front for a private meeting. Palin asked the 18-year-old about his dad and reminded him to watch her TV show Sunday.
What's hardest on Christoffer? The fact his father can no longer hunt with him. His health won't allow it.
A signature by one of the nation's most popular political figures may ease the sting. Sure makes for a good story. And one valuable gun.
"I like Mrs. Palin because she's not an ordinary politician," Jacob Christoffer said. "I really felt she cared about my dad. When I got home I told my parents that Sarah Palin stole my heart.""0
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