Going to downsize

[Brad in Idaho]

This Fall and Winter I plan to get serious about reducing the amount of guns I own. I am of the age now where I don't shoot as much and don't really want to leave the job of selling my collection to my heirs who, honestly, don't have the time, knowledge, or interest. Among the herd I want to thin will be some M1 Carbines. I haven't decided which ones yet, or even how many are going to go. They are all CMP purchases from a few years back (Italian returns), nothing highly collectible. I have inspected, test fired, and thoroughly cleaned each. They all function perfectly and are safe, sound shooters.

OK, so I am looking for some input from those who know what (approximately) these rifles would be worth. I know it depends on condition, etc. The only things I have done to these rifles since I got them from CMP is test fire and clean. NO refinishing at all. Generally I would rate condition as VG to VG+. I have the CMP paperwork on all of them, and the boxes they were delivered in.

I'm not looking for an insurance type appraisal, just some guidance about current values, and I stress again I HAVE NOT decided how many or which will be for sale. I will most likely post on the For Sale forum here when I decide. Any info is appreciated.

[leftyo]

only sure thing is they are worth more than you paid for them. without detailed knowledge of each carbine hard to come up with any kind of values.

[Tuna]

It will depend on the grade of the CMP carbines too. But in general you should be able to get in the $800 to $900+ range for them. For one of the in demand carbines like Rock-Ola or even Winchester you can get more say the $1000 to $1100 range.

[Brad in Idaho]

Tuna, these are all Italian returns that CMP was selling a few years ago. I don't think there were different "grades". IF CMP graded them, they would fit in Service Grade IMO. In general they are all VG and all of them function correctly and are missing nothing. I supplied each with a repro sling and magazine which was not included from CMP. Thx for the input.

[Tuna]

Brad, CMP had at least two grades of carbines. Service grade and rack grade.

[Deano41]

After a medical misadventure four years ago, I decided to start selling my collection of military surplus rifles acquired over the last thirty years. I have been using "The Standard Catalog Of Military Firearms" as a pricing guide. With the exception of a couple of pistols that I had under-priced, and were marked up and sold by the dealer I'm working with, the price guide. has been very useful.

Note: In the book, the author mentions "The Civilian Marksmanship program was selling M1 Carbines brought in from Italy. These ran out in 2010. The Cmp price for these Carbines has raised the base price on the U.S. market."

You might check with what Carbines are going for over on Gunbroker. That should give you some idea. (I mean actually selling for, not somebody's "vision in the night".)

Good Luck!

[Brad in Idaho]

Brad, CMP had at least two grades of carbines. Service grade and rack grade.

I don't remember buying any rack grades, I'll double check the paperwork but I'm sure they must be SG. Thx again.

[SPEEDGUNNER]

Brad,

You are getting some good advice in this thread. If your carbines are the typical ones with the "FAT" marked stock that they were selling for $495 you can expect that they will now sell for $750-850 without too much issue. A collector can easily replace the "FAT" wood with a USGI set and who is to know the difference. Obviously the less common makers may bring a premium, as will condition and amount of correct parts. I am sure you have the CMP Certificates to go with the rifles, that will help you realize maximum price.

Post 'em up here, give the guys a shot. A good description and some clear pictures make all the difference.

Good luck.

[Tuna]

Do not use auction sites like Gun Broker to give you an idea of what to price yours at. Only ones that sell are well under priced or those that are collectable. Standard ones are well over priced and just do not sell at all.

[1mark]

You can contact auction company such as Rock Island, Cowans, Little Johns etc. Most will pick up your items. They do charge a seller premium of around 25% to 30%. But I have negotiated it down to 15%, which is a little more than you will pay but sell on Gun Broker. Plus you do not have to put up with shipping and complaining.
Getting the premium just remember, tell them there are other companies out there. Also the more you have to sell the better your position will be. Also negotiate the time frame they will sell. Make sure they sell within the first 2 or 3 hours of the auction not at the end.

[duke133]

1mark,
Thanks for your input on this post. I know I'm a little late on this. I am going to include your tips in my When I die document pertaining to my collection. I had already mentioned a couple auction houses but the negotiation part had not occurred to me. I'm not quite where Brad is but the time is coming and I'll probably end up trying to decrease my holdings somewhat in the next few years. Thanks.

[togor]

Do not use auction sites like Gun Broker to give you an idea of what to price yours at. Only ones that sell are well under priced or those that are collectable. Standard ones are well over priced and just do not sell at all.

It all depends. Periodically you get a seller who runs a true auction, starts at .01 with no reserve, and uploads good photos. Those are the auctions to watch because someone will win it and the selling price becomes real data. I agree with you that auctions set with high reserves and no bidders are useless for establishing a price point.