I have several firearms worth thousands. My favorite isn't worth the cost of gas to haul it to the dump.
Its an unknown make single barreled 16 gage. Some one stuck it in the mud before firing so a couple inches was cut off the muzzle. Its not no sights of any sort.
Shot my first deer with it when I was about 10-11. Had to walk a mile to a little country store picking up pop bottles to come up with $.25 for the three shells I used. It was worn out then. The ejectors didn't work, you had to pr the hulls out with a pocket knife.
It belonged to my grandfather. Don't know where he got it. He fed his large family with it during the depression at a time he lived on a little farm in central Arkansas that produced rocks more then anything else.
He used the gun in a part time job, hauling prisoners fom Perryville to Little Rock by wagon. He lived 11 miles east of Perryville, 34 miles west of Little Rock. He would head to Perryville to pick up the prisoner and returned home for a nap before taking the trip to LR.
One story was he was exceptionally tired so he set the bandit in a chair, told my grandmother (who stood 5'2" and weighted about 90 Lbs.) Gave her the shotgun and told her to shoot him if he got out of the chair. My grandfather heard the bandit ask "You wouldn't really shoot me would you"? Granny just said. "Get up and see". He didn't test her.
In the early to mid 60s my parents were divorced. I lived with my father in Portland, my mother lived in Arkansas. During the summer I'd ride my motorcycle to Portland to visit her. I was about 17 on one trip and asked about the shotgun. Mother told me my aunt had it.
I told my aunt I wanted the gun. She said she needed if for protection. Auntie you don't have any shells for it. She said it could scare bandits. I told her she would be better off with a revolver. I told her I'd buy her a brand new revolver and trade for the shotgun.
She agreed so I went to the hardware store and paid $29 for a 2 in. pot medal RG. (was 17 at the time, cant do that now) I didn't know much about guns but I knew I wouldn't have the guts to shoot that revolver, figuring the sucker would blow up. I didn't get her any ammo, I was afraid she would try it.
Anyway I made trade, I have the gun. It isn't safe to shoot. We didn't know such things back then, but I believe the gun was made for BP only.
About 10 years ago, I was going to take my granddaughter out turkey hunting. I thought it would be nice if she could shoot it with my grandfathers gun. I bought a box of 16 ga shells. Shot one to see if the gun still worked, decided that gun had fired its last shell and found her something else for her first turkey.
Money has nothing to do with the value of firearms.