P-08 Price

[DennyB]

I was approached by a old friend of the family with an offer to buy some of his guns. He is nearing 80 and is afraid that he will be put in a nursing home and lose them.
So, one is a P-08 Luger 9mm BYF 42 all matching serial numbers but the problem is that somewhere along the line it was re-blued. The numbers are washed out somewhat and I couldn't see a waffenamt anywhere. The gun was obviously buffed pretty extensively before re-bluing. The mag is an aluminum based one with no numbers. From a distance the gun looks pretty good with the shiney blue.
It is in a P-08 holster dated 1941, it is in overall pretty good shape except someone carved their name in the back in pretty big letters and scratched their name in the front of the flap too. The flap has about an inch where the double stitching has came loose and someone tried to do a repair with glue.
I asked him what he wanted for the gun as I figured it would be one that a person could shoot since it's value as a collector's piece being long gone and it seems he thinks the gun is worth around $3,000 since he saw a Luger for sale for that much once.
Personally, I was thinking the gun is worth about $600 (and that was being benevolent) I don't have pictures but from my description would anyone please venture an estimate?
DennyB

[Douglas Jr.]

Denny,

I think you did a very reasonable estimative.
As you already said, the gun is a shooter - and only that. Try to explain this for the old gentleman, but I know it can be a tough mission.

Douglas

[Col.Klink]

The holster is probably worth around $150, and the pistol around $500, so your offers seems pretty fair to me as well.

[Jerry Burney]

Denny, It's going to be a tough sell to budge the old Gent off of his dream $3000. Like the fellows said...$600 is generous in my opinion. You have to ask yourself..do I even want such a thing? $1200 will buy you a genuine collectable pistol.

Jerry Burney

[DennyB]

Thanks for the imput Gents, Jerry, I am not sure if I even want the thing but was going to take it off of his hands but not if it is going to cost me out the wahzoo to help him out.
I did get to see some other guns he had in his safe, 2 old Colt Single Action Army pistols, blued, marked U.S.Army in .45 cal. The serial numbers did not match on them but they had sharp marking and looked to be in pretty good condition, he wanted $1,500 each for them. He had a new Colt Single Action Army, nickle or chrome, .45 cal that he wanted $1,100 for which didn't seem too bad but I don't really need them.

He had an old Spencer carbine that was in pretty good condition. I would like to have had that as my great-great-grandfather carried one of those in the War Between the States as part of the 98th Illinois Infantry (mounted) part of Wilder's Brigade but he wouldn't price it to me, only saying that it was "high".
Denny

[herd118]

"2 old Colt Single Action Army pistols, blued, marked U.S.Army in .45 cal. The serial numbers did not match on them but they had sharp marking and looked to be in pretty good condition, he wanted $1,500 each for them."

You may want to Google 'Colt SAA Artillery Model'. Although a much faked variation, if these are original and in good condition, they are quite valuable.

[Rylan]

I asked him what he wanted for the gun as I figured it would be one that a person could shoot since it's value as a collector's piece being long gone and it seems he thinks the gun is worth around $3,000 since he saw a Luger for sale for that much once.

I know the type... very frustrating to deal with. "I saw one just like it sell for this much once, so mine must be worth that or more!" Just tell him if he gets half that to take it and run, don't waste your time with this Luger.

[DennyB]

Rylan, I am taking your advice. If he can get more than $600 for it somewhere else, more power to him. I never even shot him a price for fear of upsetting him since he thinks it is a $3,000 gun. The gap is too far to bridge between what it is really worth and what he thinks it is worth and he would probably end up ticked off thinking that I was trying to rip him off.