30/30 Winchester Rifle
My sister has a 30/30 Winchester rifle she wants to sell and we need some advice. It is a commmemorative Edition rifle, with a low serial number,22 karat gold, never been fired, in mint condition. This rifle was only sold in Europe, through the Military Rod and Gun club, and was purchased when it first came out 30 years ago, while our family was stationed in Germany. It comes in a fringed leather pouch and has a gold plaque of a "Sioux Indian" on the stock or butt of the weapon. There were only about 10,000 of these rifles made. What is the value of this rifle now and how would one go about selling it? Thanks!
0
-
I was able to find a 1976 Winchester "Sioux Commemorative" in one of my references. Don't know if this is the one your inquiring about? 10,000 were manufactured and sold. The reference notes that they would only have collectors value if being new in the original box along with all paper work and accesories, virtually untouched. Any handling or wear marks would have a negative effect on value, even if the rifle was unfired. It's value would be similar to a Winchester Model 94 of the same era otherwise. 
0 -
We see NIB commerative '94s for sale at gunshows all the time. A few folks collect them, but the vast majority of models do not appreciate much over time (a few like the John Wayne models do), and the market is small. An online auction like Gunbroker might be a good place to offer it. Gets you a large potential market. A dealer would not give retail for it, likely less than you gave, and most gunshops would not take it for lack of market. 0 -
Thanks for your response, but this is a "rifle" and as described with 22 karat gold. I'm sure it's a collectors item and was never meant to be fired. A friend has said that it is worth around $5000.00, but we want to check around. If you find anything else, please let me know. quote:Originally posted by rufe-snow
I was able to find a 1976 Winchester "Sioux Commemorative" in one of my references. Don't know if this is the one your inquiring about? 10,000 were manufactured and sold. The reference notes that they would only have collectors value if being new in the original box along with all paper work and accesories, virtually untouched. Any handling or wear marks would have a negative effect on value, even if the rifle was unfired. It's value would be similar to a Winchester Model 94 of the same era otherwise.0 -
BigRed, we are talking about rifles. Model 94 Winchester. The photo on Rufe's post is just a signature luger, not what he thinks you have. I promise it is worth no where near the figure you quote. Theses are sort of like Franklin Mint "collectables," they just don't appreciate that much because there is a tiny secondary market. 0 -
The onlt 2 European Commemratives I can find are the 1978 and the 1986 series of which only 1,000 of each were made. This does not sound like one of them. But these 2 sold for $5,000(1976) and ($6,000)1986. The 1976 version is listed as being worth $7,995 in the 23rd Edition of Blue Book and the 1986 version as $6,500. Of course we all know that the Blus Book is off in one direction or another due to how long it takes to get on the market and that not all firearms in it are researched on a yearly basis. If you look at the Shilen rifles in the Blue Book you will see the most currene information. Well I had to call Mr. Fjestad in 1994 to get that current information to him as they were listing Shilen rifle information that made no sense. I called Shilen to get the quantity of a certain rifle manufactured and the last MSRP on the rifle. I then relayed that information to Mr. Fjestad.
AlleninAlaska
Delta Firearms & Supplies
http://www.galleryofguns.com
aglore@gci.net0 -
I agree with HeDog, the best way to get top dollar for such a collectible would be right here at Gun Broker.
Do you have the original box and all the paperwork? Posting a picture or a definite model designation would help us determine a ballpark value on what you have.
Semper Fi
Remember Ruby Ridge.
What if there were no hypothetical questions?
Check out what I've got on the block!0 -
Unfortunately, Winchester came out with so many commeratives, they have not appreciated as many would like.
NRA Life Member0 -
Top retail with box, papers and no marks around $750.00. check with www.cherrys.com
I WOULD RATHER BE DUCK HUNTING.0 -
Bigred alot of different commeratives "and other guns" have 22K gold inlay.its not a big deal,its just an overlay and can even be rubbed off with time,if you have the box and all the original paperwork proving where it came from and when its worth maybe a $1000,without it $350-$450 according to the market 0 -
If this is it, Cherry's lists it at $795. Listed as Winchester Sioux. Issued in 1976, issue price $279.95. 12,000 made.
Believe nothing you hear and only half of what you see !!
NRA Life Member0 -
Hello bigread4,
Undoubtedly, your sister has a 1976 Sioux Commemorative. There were 10,000 of them made, and the current market value for one that is NIB (New In the Box) with the paperwork is $750. Your friend (who told you it worth $5,000) is full of horse manure[xx(].
Bert H.
Real Men use a SINGLE-SHOT!0 -
Dear bigred...
The unfortunate news is that what the folks here are saying is the truth. Even with the gold plated receiver, the Winchester 94s just aren't worth that much. I tried to sell one for a customer a few years back. It wasn't a commemorative as is yours, but it had a gold plated receiver, extra fancy walnut stock, special checkering and was new in the box. I even spent the money to get a letter from Winchester which stated that this was a "factory custom" order. The customer was expecting something more than than $2000.00. The best I could do after 6 months of trying was an offer for $1200.00 which he declined. I think at first he thought that I was trying to steal the rifle, but I turned all the names of prospective customers and offers over to him and he finaly, but reluctantly, came to accept the fact that it just wasn't worth what he had hoped and imagined. Now, admittedly, there are exceptions to every rule. You may find a Winchester collector who just simply has to have your rifle to fill out a collection, but that kind of situation will require you being in the right place at the right time. Several folks have suggested listing it here on GB, but the problem with that is that most of the folks who use GB are pretty savey about prices. If you really want to get the most possible out of it, there are some other options to consider.
1. Local auctions -- Guns often sell for more than their value at local auctions. Is there an auctioneer locally who has an upcoming sale with a few other guns that he might add yours to? He'll have to advertise it as something special to bring out bidders and you'll want to have a pretty high reserve, but it's a thought.
2. Display it at some retail establishment as something special. For example, is there a western steak house or other business with a western or Indian theme in your area? Work out an agreement with the owner to put it on display after having a plexiglass case made to protect it and adequate insurance for it. After a while, I'm sure that some customer will develop a case of the "gotta have it's"
3. Raffle -- this one is a little more tricky because when most people here raffle, they automatically think charity. That ain't necessarily so. If you have a big gun show in your area, you could get a table and set up the gun on display and sell tickets. There may be some legal begal type who will try to say that its gambling, but I think you might be able to sneek this one through--just don't make a habit of it. You might even hook up with some charity, explaining your situation and proposing that you raffle the gun and split the proceeds fifty/fifty. In most cases like this people give the object directly to the charity and then let the charity handle everything, taking a tax right off for the value of the item. In this case, however, you'd only be able to right off the current value which is way less than you want. Well, explain to the chairty that you'll do all the work of selling the tickets, taking it to gun shows, etc. and all they have to do is let you use their name and accecpt half of whatever you take in. Provided it was the right kind of non-profit group, they'd also get lots of great publicity out of it.
Well, I hope this hasn't been too discouraging and has given you something to think about in terms of getting more than the current "book value" from your rifle. Best of luck and let us know what you decide. Steve0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
12 comments