A piece of our history!
It saddens me a bit when I hear somebody that doesn't understand or appreciate why someone would want a piece of history. I currently own 7 Garands, 6 with WW2 numbers and one from Korean war. And a couple of M1903A3's, as well as Mausers, Carcano's, Enfields, Nagants and an Arisaka 99. Besides being very enjoyable to shoot (although ammo is expensive) I love just holding them and feeling what the men might have felt 75 or in the case of some, over 100 years ago carrying one around. It's a solid real piece of history you can touch and feel and call your own... every nick, scratch or rust pit tells a story. Something you can pass on to your grandchildren! As was said, it's supply and demand. They only made so many. They're not making new ones and if they did they would be reproductions, not the real item. Every collector that grabs one means one less for a future collector. As for those M1's from the Philippines the OP mentioned, dig into that a little and you will find the majority of those are in poor shape. Apparently they were stored in a warehouse that was falling apart, so they weren't stored properly. Water damage, insect infestation, asbestos contamination. They spent several million just to clean them up enough to bring them back to the states. Frankly, $1000 for an M1 is a steal even though as a kid I remember seeing them stacked in a barrel for $175 a pop. If I only knew. As was said... if you've ever picked one up, loaded it without losing your thumb and felt the satisfying unique sound and feel of firing it, you'd understand why they are still in demand.
