Dec.4th.s.a.r.show Report.

[philasteen]

Is possible what we are seeing in pricing is not "greed" but merely market forces inflating the demand for an item in limited supply?

[colt21a]

hey phil anybody that i've heard and seen them pop $20,000.00 for a gun then ask $25,000.00 the next day or whatever the price is freakin greed.plain and simple.some don't want to see or hear that!! heck they ain't clearin more then 5% on some money market's,maybe 10% with luck..and they expect a 20% rate of a return in a few days or week's i heard guy's brag at the show> hey i bought this for $1,500.00 now i want $3,000.00 whats this 100% mark-up world..

 

maybe when i bought all those nice thompson's..for $5,000.00 and $10,000.00 i should have been the all time pxxxx and asked $25,000.00 back in 1993> through 1998......then maybe the gun's would be all over $60,000.00 today based on this so called limited supply??

 

then nodody out there now could or would buy one...oh maybe the rare rich man....however my cased set's then would be $125,000.00..................heck man let's just all make them $100,000.00 each...and set the scale..........

 

then when somebody sell's for less.we can all cheer and say... WOW a really good deal for once..

 

i don't care how long a guy is in bizz..the price's bite...and some admitted to me at the show..they are paying more...and selling for WAY MORE!! notice i said "way more!!" not just a little...some have a mark-up of 30 to 40% ya know how i know it.they told me that's how they do it...

 

guess they have to pay the bank's 20% blood money rate.to borrow... and alot of them do...have the house car's hocked with credit line's..and just sometime's O.P.M.

wink!! yep it's all fun... take care,ron

[LIONHART]

Damn right Brother!

[Murray]

Ron,

Firstly it was great to see you again at the SAR show and pass some time of day with you on important Thompson matters,

 

While I aggree with a lot of your comments about the show, there were some dam good buys to be found, if one took the time to really go through some of the stuff, there were goodies to be had, such as mint unissued WW2 drum mags and 20 round stick mags.

I picked up a number of correct patent date, incorrect patent date , blank mags and even a sloping hyphen patent date mag in with the "Russian" 20 round Auto Ord mag. These were all in pristine condition and all at 20 bucks each.

I also got some relly nice WW2 "L" drums at a really keen price including one for $150.00 though admittedly is was damaged but Merle repeairable.

 

The 30 round H&K SA80 mags which fit the M16 we were selling 3 for $100 were less than half price and thus sold in record numbers and in record time.

 

With respect to the Thompson prices, one has to start to realise that these guns have ceased to be "collectors" or "shooters" items any longer and have become real tradeable commodities as such, for a multitude of reasons least of which is the supply and demand situation.

 

One, and ones wife does not think twice about buying a new or near new SUV for $25K to $35K which in ten years time will be valueless but cannot accept a similar investment in a 1921 Colt that as time has proved will not lose its value and when finally sold has a Tax free gain, well at least it is in our country.

 

Furthermore, while SUV are continued to be manufactured in the millions, they ain' making any more Colt 1921, 1923. 1927.1928"s any more, or the original accessories for that matter.

 

While your interest rates remain so low on world standards,(our lowest is currently 7%) investment in collectable firearms is fair tax free gain and thus the value of the commodies increase accordingly.

 

Kind regards and merry Christmas and a happy Thompson new year!

http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/soapbox.gif

Murray

 

 

[colt21a]

murray glad you piped in...you remind me of a man of the queen's guard's that would have fought off against all odd's a holding action in some long lost outpost!! do we have a movie here? wink!

 

anyhow back to s.a.r. yes i saw all the thompson item's and the ryton table's of goodie's and a few other table's.

i made the rounds to the tent's and other five building. and talked with a number of collector's of all type's of item's.. and what you say is true on the investment end...however sad that a part of u.s.history has become a investment toy,or object.and alot of the history is lost at that... it then just become's some stock certificate in steel and wood.

 

heck even a s.u.v can take you to work and keep you warm in winter or cool in summer.

 

a thompson is supposed to just "keep you"

 

not be a object of so much$$$$$ i've even heard of people trying to trade jewelry and rolex watche's for them..now it's just a com/oddity..for people to trade in..

 

it once was used "on the side of law and order" now just a trade item for other $$ item's..kinda a disorder.

 

glad you picked up some deal's..everything i looked at mainly alot of gun's.was no wheelin dealin...and alot of table's had so many bad part's and rusted thing's.. what can i say.i'm spoiled.i was from a time of nice cond.and minty shape and very few owner's,some first hand...that was the world 25 30 year's ago. you know luger's and mauser's...and 35 and 40 year's ago,the bargain's they had.

 

well e-nuff thompson crate box talk..

 

i won't change anybodie's mind on anything..don't care to or want to. they are all big boy's.and can make them big buy's without any input....just shop around have fun with it.when it become's too much, move on to something else,life's way too short to get a ulcer over it...havea good christmas and new year. stay safe and healthy.take care,ron

[Z3BigDaddy]

...One, and ones wife does not think twice about buying a new or near new SUV for $25K to $35K which in ten years time will be valueless but cannot accept a similar investment in a 1921 Colt that as time has proved will not lose its value and when finally sold has a Tax free gain, well at least it is in our country...

 

 

Murray,

 

 

Not in the good ole USofA..... Of course private capital gain rarely is reported outside of home sales...... http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/dry.gif

[colt21a]

phil you summed it up in a long post but well worth reading the word's..and darn right..the gov.can make all these $30,000.00 to $50,000.00 wonder's over night junk!! short gun show tale.a guy walk's in with a 21a colt nice shape want's to peddle it...everybody is crawling all over the guy.he get's spooked..i talk with him later....

 

the freakin gun has no paper or trail...his uncle passes. and he get's it from the aunt..

 

and they can never locate anything for over six month's.. and he tell's me some guy say's he will give him $20,000.00 another even more...

 

i tell them go get the checkbook.. however that little piece of paper is not included..so watch them run the other way..

 

i tell him honestly you might get $5,000.00 for it in part's..because of the greed thing..

 

and most of the guy's are dealer's and some low ball lowlife's trying to steal it.. this guy knew and know's nothing at all about gun's..and think's can i register and keep it.

 

off he go's after buying a $20.00 case to put it in..

i wish him good luck,i'm sure some chased him after i left today...however he now has that $5,000.00 figure in his head with him now... some might ask why i did not buy it..

 

because i'm not about to rip somebody off,and not into choppin thompson's..there was two crate's of chopped thompson's already at the show with dummy top end's for $900.00and people really asking are these full auto and do they shoot??? and thats the truth..

 

and it's really only a investment if you can sell it in 24 hour's for quick cash..to anybody you call that has the cash....if you have to advertise and wait six months to sell it's a bank c.d. with no penalty.wink!

 

murray has the perfect place to buy and sell. in u.s. a. ' yes we are free.. but try to make anymore or import anymore.. the freedom train stopped there!!so whats really so free about it.because they let us trade in something that was registered in 1934 and 1968..yep FREEDOM

 

over and out.ron

[colt21a]

i explained to him about sawing it {but not yet}and all the legal stuff....he was more interested with getting cash....and i said exhaust all avenue's of looking for paperwork,old aunt say's she can't find anything.

 

and think's he never had it to begin with!

 

i've also noticed the average age at show's is becoming now around 60 year's of age.and some much older...and with not much new blood coming in..and the two show's in last two week's proved that out.it was either banger's looking for glock's, tec-9's and something cheaper...avg.oldster at 65 and a few in mid 50's..

 

that doe's tell me thing's will change in less then 20 year's... will iraq vet's and desert storm enter the fray??i think a different mind-set from ww2, korea, and nam for sure!!

 

i'm not painting the whole canvass black...but a large portion of it will be in the future.bleak for future ownership..as the older pass on..........heck how many gun's have turned up in past ten year's because the kid's of pop's and uncle joe left something..and they just wanted the cash it brought?? same-o with this 21a colt.

 

if the widow's of today don't want it.it go's.. and how many wive's today can care less about hubby's old gun's. {or newer one's}

 

i hate to admit it. besides a nice old thompson. my lady can give a krap or thought about any of it..after 33 year's of it she's tired!!

 

maybe that is why i've had the quick sale for past five year's.i don't want gun folk hanging round askin how much?? what's left darlin?? will you take $200.00 for that drum??

 

since i've never been a "coffin digger" even from friend's that have past...a few of my other friend's got that stuff. and bragged about it. sad!

 

anyhow some deep thought's, other's don't probably ever look at thing's the way i do.then again.thats what make's me,me.

wink! take care,ron

[colt21a]

we can't add the current sling that sold to the s.a.r.band of brother's sale item's. however the one's at the show brought in around $60.00 and lower...

 

it's gotta be the "show thing" or the "auction bid thing" we are like following duck's we want no other's to get it.so we gobble it all up...and sink to the bottom of the cess-pool.

 

and i guess in 2005 some have not topped each other yet.. we still want to pay crazy price..cannot control the wallet.MUST HAVE, MUST SPEND!!

 

i say price it all at $100,000.000 every item...and print up some "Thompson Dollar's." funny money!and pay with that..kinda like monopoly!

 

take care,ron

 

yep "Thompson Dollar's."for stupid overpriced now item's.