San Juan hill carbine?????

[Texraid]

A friend sent me these pictures and I apologize for the quality. These are the only photos I have. I haven’t seen it in person.The inscription “Mala bicha” is bad bitch in Spanish. Serial number is 77596 and as I understand it is 9 digits off of known carbines, no SRS hits.
It is my understanding the 9th Calvary was absorbed into the 10th.
Opinions anyone?50282502835028450285

[Dick Hosmer]

Looks genuine from the limited info available, but I question the use of a thin-wrist stock that late in production. As to usage, short of an SRS HIT, it could be whatever anyone wants to dream, I guess. Federal troops were not supposed to mark their guns - even with unit stamps, so that is probably post-use. It would help to see more pictures, of course.

[Texraid]

Thank you, I was hoping you would see this.
Given the limited information, lack of detailed pictures and actual provenance, do you have a guestimate on value? I realize that’s a highly subjective question.

[sdkrag]

Part of the value would depend on the rear sight. Is it a carbine sight?

[Texraid]

Part of the value would depend on the rear sight. Is it a carbine sight?

Yes, everything is original and doesn’t appear to ever gone through an arsenal.

[Dick Hosmer]

Well, it would have to be worth $1500 at least, maybe $2000, even more to an eager buyer - that presumes that everything IS right of course.

[Texraid]

Thanks for all the information.
Here is the back story on it. A gun store in Louisville had a guy walk in with it a few weeks ago and paid him $150 for it. The LGS owner had no clue what he had when my friend saw it and told him what it was. Subsequently, the owner tried to donate it to the Frazier museum in Frankfort who told him they had a better one and not interested. Recently a relative of an employee of the LGS bought it for 2k. I was told I could maybe buy it from him and 3k was thrown out as a possible offer.

Such is my luck, a day late and a dollar short.

[Dick Hosmer]

Ahh, the buzzards were circling! IMHO, 3k is way too much for that gun without provenance. I feel sorry for the guy who got $150 - he was ROBBED. I don't care HOW ignorant the owner of the LGS is, he HAD to know it was worth way more than that. All he needed was a minute or less on his computer, the greedy bastard.

[jon_norstog]

The Ninth and the Tenth Cavalry were separate units at that time, but some of what I'm reading suggests that some troops of the 10th stayed in Florida or were deployed in other areas of Cuba. As far as the Ninth goes, Some of them may have been incorporated into the tenth for the assault on Kettle and San Juan Hills. Wikipedia says one thing, Spanamwar.com says another. I'm not sure the "9" on that carbine indicated the unit it was issued to, either. It looks rusty enough it might have been in Cuba, though, and didn't get refurbished when it came back.

It would have been a killer buy if the gunshop owner just decided to double his money and take it to the baNK - ore even triple it.

jn

[Kragrifle]

The more likely story is the carbine was put together long ago when parts were plentiful and cheap. Since it was cheap it was used a lot and hard. The carving on the stock was done by some guy messing around with a cheap carbine that was put up and forgotten. The guy who received $150 did get the short end, but the relative proved the old adage that a fool and his money are soon parted!

[Dick Hosmer]

I think the retail value of that carbine is WAAAAAY closer to $2000 than $150 - IMHO, the relative didn't do too badly.