Saw a chromed Broomhandle at the gun show...

T

tobnpr

New member
Seemed to me, that the value of the gun would have been all but destroyed by doing this- but I'm not a knowledgeable collector.

Natch, a gun in good condition should be left that way. But, if it were severely rusted, would chroming it raise it's value- or lower it?

I wasn't a potential buyer, but I wondered how I would put a value on it, if I were...
 
I doubt a serious collector would bother

A pretty well worn or even damaged gun might have huge value if tied to a specific incident or person. Refinishing would destroy much of that appeal. If you want a shooter for your collection then go for it. Otherwise, it wouldn't be worth your time.
 
I know of no original Mauser C-96 pistols that were nickel or chrome plated. After WWII, some returning veterans thought that their souvenir pistols, P.38's, Lugers, Mauser broomhandles, and other handguns, would be enhanced in value by having them plated and installing "pearl" or "ivory" (usually plastic) grips. They were wrong; that kind of "improvement" destroyed the value of those guns.

Jim
 
I don't know if anyone reading this thread considers attempting to place themselves in the time/place...
But folks did things in a different time/place than history and modern thinking often "allows" for, ya know?

If the guy with the Broom Handle Mauser had the pistol had it chromed last week, he's some degree of a moron, and I'll let anyone choose the degree. :p

But there were times long ago when guns weren't "old" or historic or collectible, they were just some guns. Lots and lots and truckloads of former issued military guns definitely fit that description.

It's like taking a Mosin-Nagant and doing some cutting, altering, upgrading, or anything you wish. Is this a big deal on a hundred-dollar boat anchor?! (sorry, Mosin fans, admittedly NOT one typing this...) Or, let's call it a Glock if you want.

300 years from now, finding a 1st Gen Glock 17 with no alterations or anything might be a bit tougher than ANY of us can imagine. It would be a stretch for any of us (alive now!) to get all in a wad because someone put upgraded sights on a Glock 17, y'know?

So I'd think (or hope) a chromed C96 wasn't done in the last couple weeks.
 
What James K says.

I have the three major books (Breathed's System Mauser, Charles Pate's The Broomhandle Pistol, Belford/Dunlap's The Mauser Self Loading Pistol). None of them featured a chromed C-96.
 
Anecdote:

I had a highschool physics teacher who was winding his way down to retirement. He could sometimes be drawn into storytelling if the yarn had any connection to science education.
He was just too young to have been in WW I and was in college when some veterans were. Many of them had souvenir pistols, knives, bayonets, etc., and wanted them prettied up. He would silver plate them for $3.00, paid in silver dollars. He had a silver plating bath set up and would use those three cartwheels as the anode. Plating off enough silver to coat a Luger would not affect the coins enough to notice, and they spent as normal when done plating.
 
Was it a genuine C96 or a Chinese copy ?
Click to expand...

He represented it as the real deal. Since I wasn't really a buyer (and was more interested in some other "stuff") I moved along rather quickly- especially since my supposition was correct given what others have stated above.

He did indicate that it was not original, according to him, it was done because they (the Broomhandles) had a "reputation" for rusting out. I'm sure that James is correct...

In retrospect, I should have at least found out the asking- for a laugh. The stock was probably worth more than the "improved" pistol.

I was really surprised, at the lousy showing of milsurps. One very nice K98K (at $1500, out of my league to evaluate), a few Turk/Chilean mausers, and one Norinco SKS in beautiful original condition for $385 that I almost caved and made an offer on (but alas, SKS's don't really get my blood going, though I do "need one").

There were, however, a LOT of old handguns- many collectibles, I guess.
But, shows seem to be dominated by sellers of modern wares. Ammo at ridiculous prices (like it was still 2013), and tables of current S&W's, Glocks, and Sigs, at surprisingly reasonable prices.

And, oh yeah...the beautiful Colt Commander that I had to keep from looking at again...
 
A genuine Mauser C96 stock would be pretty pricey, but most of the ones seen on auctions and at gun shows are repros. Strictly speaking only original stocks are legal with the gun without registration; AFAIK, BATFE still says a C96 with a repro stock is a short barrel rifle and an NFA weapon. But the difficulty of proving a case, along with a negligible crime rate with C96 Mausers has resulted in BATFE pretty much ignoring the issue.

Jim
 
When you customize a gun to your personal tastes, generally any collector value goes away.

A few years back, a local shop had a lovely intact matching P-38 with the original WWII holster, in excellent shape. The down side was that the pistol had been chrome plated, probably in the late 50s-early 60s. Looked brand new, you could still clearly read every mark, including the WaA Pruf eagle & swastika.

Their asking price was $900.
:eek:

Consignment gun, from an estate, I heard. It sat there a long time. Eventually it did go away, but I don't think it got sold.;)

IF the price had been $250, I would have bought it, just for snits and giggles.:D
 
Does the chrome look good? If so, collector value might be destroyed, but value certainly isn't. There are people out there that will pay good money for a nicely chromed Broomhandle Mauser. Might not be your thing, but I can assure you, if it looks like a quality job, someone out there will buy it.
 
Most of those souvenir and milsurp guns were chrome plated, not nickeled. Most factory guns (except for some low cost handguns) were nickel plated, mostly to prevent rusting in marine or police service. But, thanks to the auto restoration/repair industry, chrome plating is common and most medium size cities have "bumper shops" which will do chrome plating.

Some folks can't tell the difference, but to the experienced eye, the differences are pretty obvious, as are most refinishing or replating jobs.

Jim
 
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