Golden years of collecting gone?

[monkeywrench]

As per title, have we seen the best years of collecting older airguns?

The PCP debate of usability in years to come has already been done i know,

Quality springers (and pumpers) around the market today are much thinner on the ground than they were years ago,

The kids today don't have the freedom of buggering about down the woods / fields with a plinker in this PC age without the fear of an Armed Response Unit descending on them, is this going to have a knock on effect in years to come?

See a great many more guns moving around from collection to collection these days are the days of finding a desirable piece in that old loft becoming a thing of the past?


Just thinking.

[air-tech]

Disagree.

Nothing has changed.

Many 90's guns have already become collectible. And some earlier pcps (though I'm not a fan)

[Hsing-ee]

All the succulent Match springers are caput; the springers in the main are either the same old models (HW has hardly introduced a properly new model for 10 years ... last one was the HW57 IIRC, same with Air Arms) there is a dearth of small, quality springer makes like BSF and Hammerli (the proper German/Swiss ones) and there are only the Turkish & Spanish makes which innovate, producing lower quality ugly guns. The Chinese have given up on innovation for imitation and yes indeed I think it all points to a bland selection for the future collector.

Nothing really interesting like a Webley Service Mk 2, a BSA Airsporter Mk 2, a Park HR93, a BSA Goldstar or a Weihrauch Barracuda will ever be made again. They will all be dead boring and we will weep into our beards. Maybe Original Diana will front some weird stuff from time to time, but no-one will be able to afford them.

[PaulR]

Oh dear oh dear.

I am an old man complete with beard. I only started collecting about two years ago and concentrate on Webleys - both pistols and rifles.
I have to say it is not difficult - there are plenty around going back to the late 1920's.

Now then - because I am 60 I look back to my youth and beyond. I have never looked at a PCP.

HOWEVER I accept that there have been plenty of magnificent examples made from the late 1990's (where my interest stops) until the present day. Therefore there are people 20 years younger than me who will remember their own youth together with the examples they could not afford (1990's) as they were bringing up families etc and be delighted to collect them as money allows.

My point? - there was never a "Golden Age" - in 50 years time this will be the time that they made the best in the opinion of those who will be my age now. All is in the eye of the beholder - and that is just how it should be.

[barryeye]

For one sad reason or another we baby boomers will have to stop collecting. There are a lot of us ans this should cause a big blip in the airgun market. The golden days for new collectors may be yet to come.

[air-tech]

Nothing really interesting like a Webley Service Mk 2, a BSA Airsporter Mk 2, a Park HR93, a BSA Goldstar or a Weihrauch Barracuda will ever be made again.

Come on now.

The Webley is from a different era, so can not possibly come into any arguments relating to "recent".

The Park? A commercial flop which says a lot about it and how much it will be missed.
The Airsporter - OK but let's get real - how can anyone say that most modern springers are not better, thus potentially more desirable in the future? The Airsporter was never intended to be exceptional in any way, in it's day.
The Goldstar? The main redeeming feature is that it is no longer in production. A truly unexceptional trigger, awkward looks, and build/finish that is very middle of the road. Besides that is certainly a recent gun!
The 35 Barracuda? Just a blip on the screen, an experiment.

There are many decent guns around nowadays that will become collectible, one reason being that they are very well built.

Some already are, and are purchased more for the pleasure of ownership than to be used very much at all.

Many guns I own are in fact less than 20 years old.

Of the moderns, Theobens must be up there as future classics.
Same with quite a few Air Arms, especially models like the Pro Sport.
HW makes obvious future desirables such as the laminated stock variants.
Umarex guns, should they not continue to be produced for whatever reason, now there's a theme.

Just a very few, off the top of my head.

We don't see the future collectibles, because they are all around us, because they are still freely available, and there is none of the "old" or "hard to find in that condition" hype surrounding them.

Also, the trend towards PCPs nowadays means that springers have to share shelf space with them. I suppose that because we may have grown up in a springer dominated world, we tend to view pcps as less collectible. But today's 20 somethings could potentially have grown up starting their shooting with, say, dad's S300, thus they will in future have the same nostalgia towards these earlier mainstream pcps as we do towards the springers we grew up with.

We will discuss this subject (and my very little list up above) in 2031

[air-tech]

Very well said Paul, exactly my point.

Oh dear oh dear.

I am an old man complete with beard. I only started collecting about two years ago and concentrate on Webleys - both pistols and rifles.
I have to say it is not difficult - there are plenty around going back to the late 1920's.

Now then - because I am 60 I look back to my youth and beyond. I have never looked at a PCP.

HOWEVER I accept that there have been plenty of magnificent examples made from the late 1990's (where my interest stops) until the present day. Therefore there are people 20 years younger than me who will remember their own youth together with the examples they could not afford (1990's) as they were bringing up families etc and be delighted to collect them as money allows.

My point? - there was never a "Golden Age" - in 50 years time this will be the time that they made the best in the opinion of those who will be my age now. All is in the eye of the beholder - and that is just how it should be.

[Blackrider]

Oh dear oh dear.

I am an old man complete with beard. I only started collecting about two years ago and concentrate on Webleys - both pistols and rifles.
I have to say it is not difficult - there are plenty around going back to the late 1920's.

Now then - because I am 60 I look back to my youth and beyond. I have never looked at a PCP.

HOWEVER I accept that there have been plenty of magnificent examples made from the late 1990's (where my interest stops) until the present day. Therefore there are people 20 years younger than me who will remember their own youth together with the examples they could not afford (1990's) as they were bringing up families etc and be delighted to collect them as money allows.

My point? - there was never a "Golden Age" - in 50 years time this will be the time that they made the best in the opinion of those who will be my age now. All is in the eye of the beholder - and that is just how it should be.

Totally agree !

The so called "Golden Age" goes on and on. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that !
I'm 59. My GA was the Airsporter and Webbo mk 3 in the 60's ! Subsequently, BSA and Webley springers in the 80/early 90's. Had a few Rapids, they were/are great air rifles but I'm adicted to springers.
I too would welcome a new quality spring gun from the likes of BSA, Air Arms and Weihrauch but the PCP "Supply and Demand band waggon" just keeps on rolling and we sadly dont count.
We love our so called "Golden Age" air rifles or any rifle for that matter but the coming generations will have their favourites ie. "Golden Age" air rifles and so it continues !

In years to come when I'm "dust" my nice collection will be passed to someone who I hope looks after them as I did and gets the same pleasure. I hope so anyway.

"Blackrider"

[le frelon]

My response would be no.
What goes around, comes around, and when this baby boomer and many others bequeth our collections or sell them on then surely this will release a whole shed load of collectables back into the market?

It doesn't matter what the item is as long as it's 'desirable' there will always be a market. Just consider that we might appreciate something because we have used them as intended but others may well collect for entirely different reasons, not the least of which will be future generations looking to invest.
The parallel for this is in the veteran/vintage/classic motorbike market. New investors, many of them 'youngsters' but with new money and an eye to the future are buying, especially the more desirable machines.

Perhaps on the way these investors will be charmed enough to actually use them as intended as well.

Now look what youv'e done. I NEED another springer ......

[DEAN C.]

This is a bit short sighted as who would think people were still chasing good pre WW1 BSA 100 year old guns now.
My 1958 Airsporter is still a baby compared to them!
As for modern springers , if you have not fired a Pro sport or TX then you really are missing out.
As for PCP's they are definatelly collectable already, try finding a nice original AA NJR in standard form. And I love my GML 400's.
The interesting thing is as some get harder to find the price goes up, but its still possible to find a nice collectable 50 or 100 year old gun for less than 1/2 of a weeks wage!!

Dean.

[WilkieWebley]

I think it is difficult to define what the 'Golden' age of collecting is. One could reflect it was when something was not especially collectable and could be picked up for peanuts. But then again when something has been studied by experts and written about, so prospective or novice enthusiasts can be 'informed' collectors, I think this could also be a 'golden' age. For me a study of any 'collectable' is or the more enjoyable if there is enough scope for all, those who want to spend a lot and those who want to spend a little. This is where I think collecting airguns is a great pastime.

For me the 'Golden Age' of collecting airguns is right now....

Best wishes, Roy.

[Muskett]

I don't collect pre 1980 guns. I'm sure someone wouldn't want pre 1990 guns. People start with one gun and then go with that be it new, old or vintage. Boys like collecting when funds allow and air gun collecting is not going to go away because you get a lot for your money. Woody bits, mechanical bits, gun thing; just what we boys love.
Its fun, does no harm and doesn't have to cost the earth.

Prices do change but by not much, fashions change a bit, and there are trends. Plenty of choices for every taste. No one does it for the money because there just isn't enough in it (gain on one, lose on another).

The rest is more to do with how much disposable income people have.