Prices for late war K98?

[Sebastian Bianchi]

Folks,

What's the going price for a late war (44-45) K98 without the bayonet slot?

That's my main question, but out of curosity, what about prices do you see in your area for early and mid war, matching rifles? Last time I went to a gun show was in KY and I saw them, if memory serves, from 700 on up.

[Bill Grist]

98ks

Seba, Some late war 98ks bring a large amount such as the swp45 sheet metal rear sight, and the bnz 1945 vk98, but on the adverage a late war 1945 98k should be in the 700 to 1200$ range, for all matching, and depending on condition..wfg

[Michael Page]

What about a brno (dot 44) with all matching numbers and in excellent condition? That's the only Mauser I have and I would think it's in the 200 dollar range. Have Mausers gone up in value recently?

[leondes]

Hi Michael,

$200 would be a cheap shooter price for a WWII K98k, IMO. At the recent Rock Island Auction, the least expensive K98k sold for $1600. Of course, I feel the prices paid at the auction were somewhat inflated but I saw a VG+ all matching ce43 sell at a recent gun show for $900. I recently sold an EX all matching byf42 for $1500 and an EX 1939 Mauser Borsigwalde for $1750. Original, all matching, high condition K98ks are very much in demand and very difficult to find, especially the scarcer codes.

My opinion only.

Regards, Leon

[Mike Steves]

K98 values

I have to agree- late war mausers in particular have gone up in value. It used to be the early war guns commanded higher prices, with later models cheaper. Even your dot 1944 is a valuable gun now, as long as it is matching and in 90% plus condition. I have paid as much as 1100.00 for a dot 1944 kriegsmodell- OUCH!

[grovb]

What would be the price for a dou 44 matching serial numbers, and in overall good condition.Brandyn Grove

[leondes]

Hi Grovb,

It is very difficult to value a gun based on a brief description. Even pictures are not enough, usually, to get a good feel for a gun. Your dou44 should be worth about the same as a dot44, IMO. Rating a rifle as good condition is very subjective. If original finish and all matching it could be worth from $700 to $1000 but that is just a guess on my part based on your description. I would have to see and hold the rifle to get a better grasp on value.

Keep in mind that after you establish original and all matching, what's left is rarity and condition. As the rarity and, especially, condition goes up the value goes up exponentially.

Hope this helps a little.

Regards, Leon

[nutmeg]

What about a 1944 Dou in excellent shape , all matching except the bolt assembly? How much does that effect the price?

[Mike Steves]

non-matching dou 44

Mismatched bolts affect the price substancially- for instance, and you can correlate this to the dou:

All matching byf44's in excellent+ matching condition have been selling for 900-1000. A bolt mismatch in excellent+ condition sold for 600. So, roughly 30% of the value is lost due to the mismatch bolt.

Dou44 in excellent condtion with mismatched bolt- maybe $450-550, depending on how bad someone needs/wants one. Not the most desirable code.

[graf]

Agreed...

imo, dou is the least desirable code (post 24t anyway...) they were especially lacking on detail & it shows with the lack of proofs & serial numbering on their production.

They are the only maker who (we have not locked down the range here as there is variation) left off a suffix on the bolt serial!

Some collectors like the dou, and I don't discount their prices too much as they are an interesting maker (one of the few 98k manufacturers who also produced ammo & stripper clips)

Mismatched bolts affect the price substancially- for instance, and you can correlate this to the dou:

All matching byf44's in excellent+ matching condition have been selling for 900-1000. A bolt mismatch in excellent+ condition sold for 600. So, roughly 30% of the value is lost due to the mismatch bolt.

Dou44 in excellent condtion with mismatched bolt- maybe $450-550, depending on how bad someone needs/wants one. Not the most desirable code.

[Bill Grist]

dou

imo, dou is the least desirable code (post 24t anyway...) they were especially lacking on detail & it shows with the lack of proofs & serial numbering on their production.

They are the only maker who (we have not locked down the range here as there is variation) left off a suffix on the bolt serial!

Some collectors like the dou, and I don't discount their prices too much as they are an interesting maker (one of the few 98k manufacturers who also produced ammo & stripper clips)

Gentlemen,,I have to say that dou mfg. 98ks are less encountered than other letter coded 98ks, and a mint dou 24t is a hard item to find..so I would say with a (few/ years of collecting german rifles and pistols) that dou mfg. 98ks in matching condition are a hard item to find, not to mention a dou zf41 98k..wfg

[graf]

err...

Any decent, matching G24t is a "hard find" (all G24t's will be dou marked unless it is a very early vz24 conversion like the one on Gunboards this week- which is especially rare & desirable).

Regarding the dou 98k's, I don't think they are especially scarce or "less encountered" unless your comparing them to a 43-44 byf, 43-44 bcd or a dot... in my experience they are about as "encountered" as a bnz or Sauer (which means it is quite a common code).

I suppose every collector has their own experiences with observations, however nothing will change the fact that the dou is the least proofed & serialed 98k produced- and that many collectors find them less desirable...

Gentlemen,,I have to say that dou mfg. 98ks are less encountered than other letter coded 98ks, and a mint dou 24t is a hard item to find..so I would say with a (few/ years of collecting german rifles and pistols) that dou mfg. 98ks in matching condition are a hard item to find, not to mention a dou zf41 98k..wfg

[david w]

The dou 42 98k is a rare bird as is the dou 45 and both are very, very desirable

[K Bandow]

My dad got his all matching K98 1938 Mauser Oberndorf am Neckar in 1990 for $25. Suprisingly had been a Soviet capture piece.

[david w]

30 odd years ago I routinely said no to any 98k or variation that was priced at $75.00 or higher.