Present Day Collectables ?

[KeithW]

I'd have to say the PAX Phoenix would fit the bill; low production volumes, unusual design and shoots very accurately "iconic, collectable and deadly accurate". 2nd hand good one should be available between £400 - £500. New ones are priced about the same as a Daystate Huntsman Regal. And I'd probably suggest the Huntsman as a bit of a collectable as well ... but there's hundreds more of them around, but still a game-changer of a classic design.

[mallyally]

There is only one I can think of in current production, The hunting five

[Muskett]

Rifles that are best of their ilk, best of class or highest grades from any stable. Those rifles that the manufacturers have gone the extra mile. Have been made in lower numbers because they are a bit rich for most people.

Collecting everything now that the market is saturated has little meaning. We are awash with rifle, so only those that really stand out as something special will remain desirable. Best if its good looking too. However, buy new now and in real terms it might take forever to get to the point that you brake even ever. The value will be in the ownership rather than any investment return. Buy second hand and chose carefully and you might find a marginal return as so much of the new price has already been lost. But you might be lucky on one but lose on another. Again the value is in the ownership.

The market is more like cars. Dream cars tend to keep their value. Everything else are only fun if kept forever. The real money is in exclusivity of dream machines. Classics have done well because there are few of them, few ever built, and people are presently looking for safe havens for their cash. But prices might fall if the times improve. Few modern run of the mill factory will ever do anything but fall in value.

For example: a Golf GTi MKII have retained some value. The GL non at all and never will. MKIII's aren't ever going to find any interest as there were never classed as Classic.
The GTi were then customised and went for a premium. A few years back no young gun could afford the insurance and they moved to custom other things. The market for GTi's dropped down again. Only just recently, unmolested examples only, are making money again. Why? Because they were dream cars in their day and so few unmolested ones remain. Crashed or customised there just aren't many. MKI's are appreciating and have done for a while and I should think the MKII's will tail them shortly. In 1991 a MKII was £14,000 and a most collectable example now hasn't got anywhere near that. An MGB might be worth more than its original new price, but nothing here has made a true investment return.

[Gamocfx]

This is an interesting thread and will be even more so in 20 years time! So who will be right? I have no idea! It is nice to see Gamo creeping into collectable threads which did not happen often even a few years ago.I suspect that the newer rifles will hardly ever be collectable as even Gamos own standards have "cheapened". The build quality of a statical or an old 220 is far superior to the stuff offered now.

[DCL_dave]

I'd have to say the PAX Phoenix would fit the bill; low production volumes, unusual design and shoots very accurately "iconic, collectable and deadly accurate". 2nd hand good one should be available between £400 - £500. New ones are priced about the same as a Daystate Huntsman Regal. And I'd probably suggest the Huntsman as a bit of a collectable as well ... but there's hundreds more of them around, but still a game-changer of a classic design.

+1 for the Phoenix...it's quircky, and quircky appeals to collectors!...

You mention low production volumes...any idea how many have been made?

[davymole]

Weihrauch 55t or the 85 for the others there where to many made for them to become modern collectables yet I still collect old 35,s nothing newer than 1990 all before this date quaility is notably better before this period after they have off months of fridays

[Blackrider]

Weihrauch still produce the Hw 35 Export !
How does this Air Rifle stack up nowadays ?

[notlob]

I visited the Haynes motor museum last summer with my teenage son. He's the one interested in cars not me. We have visited many motor museums together, but what struck me most about this museum was not just the showstopping expensive models, but the proliferation of cars of the common man. So many of the visitors could be heard saying look I used to have one of those to their kids who were transfixed. Indeed I did exactly the same. My son says to me now; I wish you'd kept your Ford Escort , I wish you'd kept your .... We had a mini cooper recently until it got written off in an accident. Millions of them sold but still none the less desirable. And VW Beetles.


There are many rifles that we hold in great esteem, some will become collectable because they are rare, The Parker / Hale Phoenix, the limited edition Daystates, then there are those classics that at the time of their released changed the face of Airgunning. The Wehrauchs, the HW35, HW55, HW80, HW77, HW97, HW45, HW75, RAW, Theobens

Bluesboydave

[Hollowpoint]

A couple of rifles not yet mentioned are the AA TX200SR and the AA Pro Elite. Neither really took off and production stopped despite both being great rifles. I've seen prices gradually creep up over the years and I think they are already becoming collectable. When was the last time you saw a pro elite for sale for example?

Also I would suggest people will always want quality stuff.

[goatboy]

Air Arms Shamal as one of the earliest modern PCP's, solid and accurate to the extreme. Rare production stocks on recentish springers such as the HW 35 Luxus will make that rifle well collectabe above other HW 35's in years to come, and as a side note i predict the Magnum Research Desert Eagle C02 pellet pistol will be very sought after in years to come.

[Blackrider]

So moving swiftly on a bit to whats actually on sale today new and discounting recent air guns however great, which are not currently on sale;

What if anything will be highly collectable ?

[demoncase]

So moving swiftly on a bit to whats actually on sale today new and discounting recent air guns however great, which are not currently on sale;

What if anything will be highly collectable ?

Same answer for me:

The 'entry level' and 'beater' rifles- albeit in pristine, box fresh condition.....Meteor Mk7? QB78?

Then the 'premium' sporting rifles that the lads/lasses of today maybe can't afford or never get around to with college, job, cars, motorbikes, beers and girls/boys taking up all of their disposable income....R10 in completely unimproved condition? AA Prosport?

Then there's the things with a number of variations from the 'basic model', and it's the odd variants that add collectability- The HW97, HW100 and Scorpion/ Ultra are examples, each having what will probably turn out to be an unpopular stock/finish variant that will become hard to find.

While the uber-rare limited/custom production models start out high priced and rare, and will remain as such- Collectability for me means there's enough of them available to add to your collection.

If there's only one Faberge egg, and it's in a museum- sure, it's the pinnacle of exclusivity. But it's not collectable, cos you can't have one yourself......But there's many Faberge eggs, and loads of other much cheaper Faberge pieces of jewellery etc out there. You can- with enough dosh and some patience- collect Faberge pieces as a normal non-billionaire Russian oligarch- type of person.

That's what I believe, anyways.

I look at my knife collection- and the ones that were the challenge to find weren't really the 'super premium' models (Which were pricey to start with and people tend to keep pristine, as they were bought to collect to start with) but some the economy to mid range models which people buy to use.

Example: you can pick up a Spyderco Delica today in about 8-9 different variations brand new for £40-75. The current pinnacle model with jigged bone and damascus steel is £170: but no-one's going to buy that to use. The hardest ones to find are the short runs and the unpopular variants- the black bladed sprint run in plain edge with the British Racing Green FRN handle. They were bought to use- and don't appear often. But new they weren't more pricey than the run of the mill model.

[Blackrider]

Owt else ?

[goatboy]

Steoger x20's

[Blackrider]

I'm thinking that the Diana 430 Stutzen might one day be well collectable ?
Not many about.