tdmoparguy
New member
I'm about to sell all my BP stuff. Whats more desirable? Should I clean them up to look new or do yall prefer them with a patina?
Selling BP Revolvers
- Thread starter tdmoparguy
- Start date
tdmoparguy
New member
Yall sure? the reason I'm asking is because they were in my closet and water leaked on them and they have surface rust on the barrels and cylinders.
Well tdmoparguy, I must have mis-read your initial question.
I thought you asked if we preferred the guns with patina, or
slicked up?
BTW respectfully patina and rust are two very different issues.
I am sure I'd prefer leaving patina.
I am also sure I'd use 4aught steel wool dampened with a 50/50
mix of break-free and hoppe's #9 to gently (going w/the grain)
remove every trace of rust.
Hope this helps
I thought you asked if we preferred the guns with patina, or
slicked up?
BTW respectfully patina and rust are two very different issues.
I am sure I'd prefer leaving patina.
I am also sure I'd use 4aught steel wool dampened with a 50/50
mix of break-free and hoppe's #9 to gently (going w/the grain)
remove every trace of rust.
Hope this helps
Last edited:
Perhaps on additional comment
MOPARGUY,
One additional thought is that photographs are not great at showing corrosion on internal surfaces unless they are done right. I have personally never been able to photograph bore and get anything more than glare.
When you sell the pistols, you might want to describe pretty carefully the condition of these internal surfaces.
I do understand that you said that the pistols suffered from only surface rust.
I also agree that probably everyone here would be happy to see some pictures and get an idea what you need to have for the things you are selling.
BTW: Also once a moparguy
MOPARGUY,
One additional thought is that photographs are not great at showing corrosion on internal surfaces unless they are done right. I have personally never been able to photograph bore and get anything more than glare.
When you sell the pistols, you might want to describe pretty carefully the condition of these internal surfaces.
I do understand that you said that the pistols suffered from only surface rust.
I also agree that probably everyone here would be happy to see some pictures and get an idea what you need to have for the things you are selling.
BTW: Also once a moparguy
tdmoparguy
New member
I'll take some pics tonight and try to put them on here.
tdmoparguy
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tdmoparguy
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tdmoparguy
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tdmoparguy
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Yeah is a Spiller.
Didn't get any closeups of the barrels. Are they rusted too? Most damage seems to be on the cylinders, which can be easily replaced. I recommend you check into getting replacement cylinders and cleaning them up, brass and all, screw the patina since these are replicas. It will come back, or rub some black powder fouling on the brass to darken it up. You can bring these back to "real purdy" with just a little effort. They'll be worth more then, and you probably won't want to sell them anymore. Just my $.02
tdmoparguy
New member
The barrels are good.
flatheadsal
New member
how about prices? thanks
I think I agree with Del
If you swap out the cylinder only because it has some surface rust, but there is surface rust elsewhere on the pistol you have gained very little.
If the pistols are internally okay I would sell them as-is with a good description. Let the buyer decide what he wants them to look like.
Several people here have asked about prices indicating that they might be interested. My personal thought is that this forum would be a good place to sell them if the right price can be agreed upon. The reason I feel that way is that, 1) the pistols have been discussed at length in this thread. and 2) we are all friends here.
If a buyer can not be found here, then go to Gunbroker. Clean them up the best you can but carefully describe the condition and your knowledge of the history of the pistols.
I would set a fair but slightly low starting bid. One you can live with and then watch to see what that market assesses the value at.
1851 Navies are popular but they are also abundant. The Spiller and Burr is uncommon. There are plenty of pistols on Gunbroker that don't fetch the prices I have mentioned and I could be way high. On the other hand a lot of pistols sell for good money at the same time an identical pistol can't get a single bid. (Short barrel ROAs with hard sights are getting twice as much as long barrel adjustable sights...Go figure) The brass frames on the Navies and on the .44 may reduce the size of the potential market population. If you are concerned about this you would have to think about starting at a lower price than I mention below.
I would start the Spiller and Burr somewhere between 150.00 and 200.00 and expect it to go up. I would sell the two Navies as a pair with the holsters starting at 200.00 to 225.00 and perhaps not get a bid. A .44 Navy Sheriff is worth upward of 125.00 in good condition. These are not "Bluebook" values, they are Hoy's values and I reserve the right to be wrong.
The Gunbroker market is getting to be as funny as the eBay market. Difficult to predict. Hard to know how many bidders are interested in a given auction. And unfortunatley the venue has attracted some idiots both as sellers and buyers. If only one or two are looking at a pistol and the starting price is low, the seller can wind up giving it away to a bidder who would have been willing to pay a higher price.
I personally would not pay the prices I have mentioned. Not because I think they are too high. It is just pistols I don't need.
If you swap out the cylinder only because it has some surface rust, but there is surface rust elsewhere on the pistol you have gained very little.
If the pistols are internally okay I would sell them as-is with a good description. Let the buyer decide what he wants them to look like.
Several people here have asked about prices indicating that they might be interested. My personal thought is that this forum would be a good place to sell them if the right price can be agreed upon. The reason I feel that way is that, 1) the pistols have been discussed at length in this thread. and 2) we are all friends here.
If a buyer can not be found here, then go to Gunbroker. Clean them up the best you can but carefully describe the condition and your knowledge of the history of the pistols.
I would set a fair but slightly low starting bid. One you can live with and then watch to see what that market assesses the value at.
1851 Navies are popular but they are also abundant. The Spiller and Burr is uncommon. There are plenty of pistols on Gunbroker that don't fetch the prices I have mentioned and I could be way high. On the other hand a lot of pistols sell for good money at the same time an identical pistol can't get a single bid. (Short barrel ROAs with hard sights are getting twice as much as long barrel adjustable sights...Go figure) The brass frames on the Navies and on the .44 may reduce the size of the potential market population. If you are concerned about this you would have to think about starting at a lower price than I mention below.
I would start the Spiller and Burr somewhere between 150.00 and 200.00 and expect it to go up. I would sell the two Navies as a pair with the holsters starting at 200.00 to 225.00 and perhaps not get a bid. A .44 Navy Sheriff is worth upward of 125.00 in good condition. These are not "Bluebook" values, they are Hoy's values and I reserve the right to be wrong.
The Gunbroker market is getting to be as funny as the eBay market. Difficult to predict. Hard to know how many bidders are interested in a given auction. And unfortunatley the venue has attracted some idiots both as sellers and buyers. If only one or two are looking at a pistol and the starting price is low, the seller can wind up giving it away to a bidder who would have been willing to pay a higher price.
I personally would not pay the prices I have mentioned. Not because I think they are too high. It is just pistols I don't need.