Should I overpay?

[Josh Beckett]

I just found out an older gentleman who my great grandpa was friends with has a 98k he brought back. Its in original condition from what I have heard and it has a bayonet with it. I was thinking about offering him 1500 or 2 grand because he would like to pass the rifle down to his children. I dont plan on harrassing him about the rifle so I would like to make an high offer. Is this a good idea? I already have a 98k my grandpa brought back. I planned on saving up for a good rare Japanese rifle, but then again, when else does anyone find a gun that their grandpa brought back.

[steve wilko]

Over pay!!!!

G Day Josh Yes i saw your other K98 bring back....Very nice. Mate it is up too you how much you want the rifle...if it is matching...maybe the bayonet is matching also. Only you can answer that question. I look at it this way ...K98s down here are pushing the same figures in value as in the US now. You buy it now in ten years time or you leave it too the kids( as long as they know the value of it) How much do you think it will be worth!!! It is something you will always have and not kick yourselve later on because you let it go. Best of luck no matter which way go.

[Johnny Peppers]

When you leave guns or any other collectible to your kids, be sure they want it. A few years back I stopped by a sporting goods store to visit with a guy that works there. They had quite a few older S&W pistols in the original boxes. The guy I knew told me I should have seen the whole collection, as there were even pre-WWII S&W's in their original boxes, but they sold first. Seems that a grandfather left his S&W collection to his grandson, and the first thing the grandson did was to try and sell the collection to the store. They told him they weren't interested in buying them, but would put them in the store on consignment.
The grandfather thought the grandson would love the collection as much as he did, but to the grandson all it was was a source of cash. The grandfather would have done better if he had sold the collection and given the money to the grandson.

[Alan Smith]

I run into this "leave it to the grandkids" stuff all the time when working to extract military items out-of-the woodwork from vets. In 99% of the situations I encounter, it is the grandfather who really wants to THINK that his grandkids will be interested in and care for his war items. 99% of the time the grandfather's optimism is just that; mere hope, speculation and conjecture and is not based on fact. The actual fact, in most instances, is that the children, grandchildren, etc. have little or no interest in such items.

I have found that tossing large $$$ figures does not usually do the trick, as the situation is typically an emotional one and not financial for the elderly veteran and/or the family. IMO the best thing to do is gently nudge the vet to make inquiry as to whether the children, grandchildren, etc. really want the items. For example, ask the vet about how often the grandkids visit him to look at the items; how often do the grandkids talk to him about the war; what efforts have the grandkids undertaken to document his war stories (e.g. taking written notes; videotaping his stories; taking his photo with the items - all of which I assume you are doing). Also, in some cases I've gotten the entire family involved (elderly vet and their immediate descendants), shown them my sincere interest in collecting and preserving such items (often by showing them photos of my permanent collection and/or inviting them over to my house to view my "war room").

If you can get the family to participate in such an exercise, it can be a good chance to show them that you are a legitimate collector who is going to preserve the items (not just "flip" them for resale), to allow the family to work through their own internal succession issues about the items, and in most cases will result in you getting the items once the family realizes that none of them are particularly attached to the items and they that the items will "go to a good home" in your collection.

Just by way of example: I was after a really nice Japanese Type 44 carbine for years, visiting with the vet's elderly widow every few months (she lived in my neighborhood). Notwithstanding my repeated inquiry about whether the grandkids had ever shown any interest in the Type 44 (they had not); whether the grandkids ever spent time talking with her then-deceased husband about the war (the had not); etc., I could still not get her to budge on the carbine. Then one Sunday afternoon I was visiting her when her son and daughter-in-law happened to drop by unannounced. I introduced myself and explained my interest in the Type 44, to which the son immediately turned to his mom and said "mom - let this guy have the rifle - we don't have any need for it and he obviously will take good care of it." The old lady was visibly stunned, but somewhat reluctantly complied with her son's directive and I walked back home through the neighborhood with a big grin on my face and the near mint Type 44 in my hand. The son, unfortunately, dropped dead of a heart attack about a week later, so but for that chance encounter I would probably have not gotten the rifle.

In sum, being patient and showing sincere interest will get you a long way with vets and their descendants - tossing $$$ around will most likely not work unless the family happens to be in dire financial need. Good luck.

[bigschuss]

Obviously you are going to first ask to see the rifle before making the offer, correct? To offer sight unseen is unwise. It may be totally legit and matching...but then again it may be sanded down and sporterized.

You already have one K98. To spend that kind of money on a second K98, unless you see youself as a serious K98 collector, IMHO is not money well spent. Here in Mass. I have paid no more for $400 on the last 3 matching (except for bolts) K98's that came out of the woodwork.

I think if you are patient, and really want another K98, one will show up for much less.

That just my 2 cents....but it's your $1500....so good luck if you go for it.

Blair

[Steve Flanagan]

Sentimental rifle

As a regular estate buyer and show exhibitor I know from painful past experience that throwing a large offer at them may backfire making them think they have a REAL TREASURE, and scare them off. You might consider trading them an item of equal value or condition that has no sentimental value to you but is acceptable to them. Find a nice K98 of equal condition and collector quality, meet with them and make the suggestion, give them time to mull it over.

[DennyB]

I used to walk the beat as a policeman in Galveston's Historical District where all the antique shops were and they would always call me when they got militaria in. You would be surprised at the number of young folks that would bring in the war trophies their grandfathers brought home from WW2, sometimes within days of their death. A couple of times I was able to pick up much better deals from the antique shop after they had bought the items than what I had offered the vet when he was still alive.

[foy1944]

try to swap it

i would try to swap it with another gun instaid of paying such a high price ,even if it is from your grand-dad ,it is still a normal k98 .
best regards and good luck with it

[Josh Beckett]

How do I ask about them being interested in this rifle? I am a Japanese collector, but since this was my great grandpas rifle at one time, it has sentimental value to me. I figure it would look nice next to my other 98k if its not messed with (I am pretty sure its not, my grandpa saw it and said it was nice). I was thinking about letting the guys kids know that I am interested in the rifle and if they decide they could care less about it that they could give me first dibs on it. Id just hate to see it bubbatized (its a big thing around here to screw up a military rifle for a deer getter) or sold to some other collector to where I couldnt get it back.

If all else fails, I could offer to trade my mosin nagant or try to find a RC 98k to trade.

[Wolfsburg]

I'd just explain the sentimental connection and simply ask if they'd be willing to part with it. If they are, establish what they'd want for it or if they'd be interested in trades. If they aren't, emphasize that you are still interested and request they keep you in mind should they ever decide to sell.

[PlaceOfBayonets]

Just a thought that came to my mind when reading the OP. It would be a shame if the Kids did want the rifle and grand dad sold it out from under them.

Maybe ask the vet to include a letter of interest to buy the rifle should it ever be for sale so it does not end up in a pawn shop.

W.

[bigschuss]

I just found out an older gentleman who my great grandpa was friends with has a 98k he brought back. .

Wait a minute???? This was YOUR grandpa's bringback? The way you wrote that sentence doesn't make that clear. I thought it was the gentleman's K98?

That changes my answer....if indeed it is a correct and unmessed with K98 that YOUR gramp brought back, I wouldn't hesitate to offer $1500. As far as approaching him....just approach him! No need to beat around the bush. Just explain to him how you feel and see if he'll take an offer.

Good luck.

[Johnny Peppers]

I was having the same problem justifying paying a big price for a rifle that someone else's grandfather brought back.

[History]

I'd do whatever I needed to but if I had the rifle , as bad as I would hate to if the vets grandson called wanting it ,I would probly let him have it. At a price of course.







Maybe trade him a rifle. His kids may or may not care. This crap happens alot, vet saves stuff for kids, grandkids who couldnt care less. Good luck getting it as it only seems right that you would.

[Alan Smith]

I ran across a similar situation with a WWII vet who served Stateside and never made it overseas. He had a SA enlisted man's dress dagger that had been given to him by a friend who was an ETO combat vet (the vet having picked it up in the ETO). The Stateside vet, however, was insistent that HIS grandkids would want the dagger as a remembrance of their grandad's WWII service - even though his own service time had nothing to do with the SA dagger. WTF? I just let that one go as I could tell that no amount of reasoning would change this guy's mind (plus, political dress daggers are not in my area of interest).

No - I did not get it from the original post that this is Josh's grandfather's bring-back rifle. In that case, the other guy's family ought not have any emotional attachment to it. My vote is that Josh approach the guy and his family and make an offer of fair market value, coupled with getting it all out in the open that this is Josh's grandfather's bring-back item.