Which Crosman pistol is the most rare?

[eric]

    the Crosman Skanaker match pistol    ----    this one fetched 295 US dollars ,sure they can be had for more .the most sought out crosman in my mind would be the MKI or II . note i didn't SAY rare anywhere 

[1377x]

crosman 451


this one could fetch $250
the one i saw was mint with mint box and paperwork 2x the price

[sandpiper]

These old rare pistols have me thinking. Is it better to restore an old pistol, one that is very rare or to keep it in its original condition?

My first thought was, who wants an old crappy looking gun? But then I started thinking that it would probably be better to keep it in its original condition as it would show its history and character, each scrape, ding and chip from its past.

Any thoughts?

[1377x]

leave it alone if you want it to keep its value
collectors dont like collectibles messed with

[eric]

for you any condition is good  for someone buying or selling the better the condition (like anything  else) is better . a true collector shouldn't really care about condition as long as he/she know what the true value is of any given piece .my thoughts atleast

[1377x]

for you any condition is good  for someone buying or selling the better the condition (like anything  else) is better . a true collector shouldn't really care about condition as long as he/she know what the true value is of any given piece .my thoughts atleast

i see old gun getting restored a lot
collectors care if its been repainted original finishes no matter how worn usually fetch a better price
i have seen buyers pass up re blued brass guns at a cheaper price for the more expensive original finish gun no matter how worn the blue was

[Capt. Thomas]

Very true on reconditioning any collector gun other than those that are in the worst of conditions (read scrap). Even if its "pretty rough looking", leave it alone if you want to maintain the collector value. If it's not worth selling it for a reasonable price, I have on occation done a restore and sold it for enough to make it worth the effort as a "restored shooter" that you don't have to worry about using 

Honestly though, in the case of 600's MKI's & II etc. I just don't see it. They were made for years and literly hundred's of thousand were sold. The 451's etc ..... Sure, not every day you find them due to the short production.

Capt. Thomas

[1377x]

Very true on reconditioning any collector gun other than those that are in the worst of conditions (read scrap). Even if its "pretty rough looking", leave it alone if you want to maintain the collector value. If it's not worth selling it for a reasonable price, I have on occation done a restore and sold it for enough to make it worth the effort as a "restored shooter" that you don't have to worry about using 

Honestly though, in the case of 600's MKI's & II etc. I just don't see it. They were made for years and literly hundred's of thousand were sold. The 451's etc ..... Sure, not every day you find them due to the short production.

Capt. Thomas

thats why you see so many 600's and mk's getting modded
i dont think you will see a sears 600 getting modded though

[eric]

thats why you see so many 600's and mk's getting modded
i dont think you will see a sears 600 getting modded though

   "most sought after"  far from rare     

[NorthStaR]

The rarest pistol is *************.  It's the one we've never heard of and never knew existed! 

[droid]

Old thread I know but it got me curious.

A friend of mine over in the States gets a lot of the Crosman prototypes for his collection.

What kind of value could you put on those ? Indeed can you put a value on a prototype ?

Don't get me wrong I buy the rare guns in my collection because I want them and because of historic value rather than monetary value. Sadly they tend to cost more 

Gary

[arkmaker †]

Yes, you can put a price on a prototype. It was done within the last year or so on the Yellow. About a half dozen Crosman prototypes showed up for sale. Nothing I was interested in, but if you are a serious Crosman collector and historian, then they would be for you!


Back to wither or not you should restore an old air gun or not........... my take is if it can only sell for say $50. because of it's crapped out condition, then you have nothing to lose, by restoring (notice I said restoring). On the other hand, if you have a $2000. very rare airgun it might be best to leave it alone. Just my take.


Rich

[droid]

Yes I agree Rich, it would not be right to wreck a minter or rare gun.

Saying that I tend to get a minter then one of the same to play with. Just got a new project with polishing my Mac1 LD. It helps that even brand new the mark 1/2 guns didn't have a great paint job.

Gary