lewis gun.

petrick

October 21, 2003 15:43

I hope anyone of your experts can help me. Recently i was given a lewis machine gun. Made by BSA (england) for the belgium army. It seems that this one is the only surviving Belgium lewis. Can anyone give me an estimate of what its value money wise it is today?
The gun is in excelent condition.

Thanks

Australian light horse reenactor

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  p3skyking

  October 21, 2003 17:13

  You have a bit of a problem setting a price with something unique. Would Belgium want it? Would the Smithsonian want it (last year they offered one of my customers three quarters of a million for two Singer .45's, consecutive numbered in the box he had brought in the shop for me to tell him who the maker was!!!)?
  
  If they still fire (I assume they do) perhaps Mark can direct you to a buyer.
  
  Otherwise I would auction. You never know what someone will actually pay just to have the only one!
  
  
  A man who starts imagining that others think good because he does is simply out of his mind
  It behooves one to be wary when among strangers and not to trust too much L'Amour

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  mark christian

  October 21, 2003 17:19

  Here in the United States a machinegun such as a WWI Lewis gun must have been registered in or before 1968 in order to be legal for private individuals to own. Machineguns not registered during this time frame can not now be registered and basically have no market value because they cannot legally be sold or possessed. Most Lewis guns in the United states range in value between $12,000 to $15,000. There are slight premiums for Savage Arms made Lewis guns since they are harder to find and since they were produced in the United States are some what more popular with American collectors than the British built examples. The prices I mentioned are for original guns which are actually capable of firing and have not been modified.
  
  Mark T. Christian

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  petrick

  October 22, 2003 15:25

  Thanks for the info.
  What would happen to the value if the lewis would be made a non firing weapon. I supose value would drop. Weapon is still in firing condition and stil in belgium. Our laws in the netherland requier it to be in non firing condition and that is very drastic.It would be massacred over here.
  
  greetings Patrick
  
  Australian light horse reenactor

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  mark christian

  October 22, 2003 15:50

  The values I quoted to you were what a live (firing) Lewis would be worth in the United States, but I have absolutely no idea what any firearms value would be in the Netherlands. That Lewis gun has ZERO value in the United States because it cannot be legally imported for sale to a collector-- the time for that passed by 35 years ago. The receiver itself would have to be totally destroyed in order to even bring the gun is as a parts kit and those parts are not going to be worth even a fraction of the value of the machinegun as a whole. If you had this machinegun here in the United States your only option would be to donate (give) it to a museum to avoid having to destroy it and since you claim that it is a rare example why not do the same thing-- donate it to an arms museum. Another option is that since the weapon is currently in Belgium you could try to sell it to a dealer or collector in that country to avoid the import/export problems. There is no way that this gun can be exported to a collector in the United States so this is not an option to even consider. Good luck.
  
  Mark T. Christian

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  Der Gebirgsjager

  October 23, 2003 19:55

  This really a sad thing, isn't it? A historical American-designed weapon no longer welcome in our country.[:(!]

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