bsa cadet value

[isobar]

i have been offered a near mint bsa cadet,by near mint i mean very fresh blue with a few recent rust spots,clear but not white etching,stock is excellent with the odd mark but with no wear,all in all showing little sign of use.difficult for me to value in that condition,a few comments would be appreciated. just trying to justify myself turning it down at 180. atb

[Troubledshooter]

i have been offered a near mint bsa cadet,by near mint i mean very fresh blue with a few recent rust spots,clear but not white etching,stock is excellent with the odd mark but with no wear,all in all showing little sign of use.difficult for me to value in that condition,a few comments would be appreciated. just trying to justify myself turning it down at 180. atb

Once again the much abused 'mint' rears it'd head again.
How can the rifle possibly be anywhere near mint with "a few recent rust spots" and "the odd mark".

I would estimate it to be worth around £60 - £80, dependent on it's actual condition.

£180 the seller's having a larf. You might have to pay that for a really good Cadet Major, but not a Cadet.

[isobar]

Once again the much abused 'mint' rears it'd head again.
How can the rifle possibly be anywhere near mint with "a few recent rust spots" and "the odd mark".

I would estimate it to be worth around £60 - £80, dependent on it's actual condition.

£180 the seller's having a larf. You might have to pay that for a really good Cadet Major, but not a Cadet.

i admit i had difficulty descibing the condition,i suppose you had to see it and i did state "near".i would agree however that 180 is too much and that is why i walked away but may have been tempted if it was closer to 100. atb

[magnummike]

Seen a very good Cadet Major in a local gun shop today for £15O thought that was steep but £18O for a cadet

[Troubledshooter]

i admit i had difficulty descibing the condition,i suppose you had to see it and i did state "near".i would agree however that 180 is too much and that is why i walked away but may have been tempted if it was closer to 100. atb

There is no such term as "near mint". It either is or isn't "mint".
It's like a recently deflowered young lady saying she's nearly a virgin; she isn't, she's been used.

[Josie & John]

There is no such term as "near mint". It either is or isn't "mint".
It's like a recently deflowered young lady saying she's nearly a virgin; she isn't, she's been used.

That has to be one of the best explanations of the word 'mint' I have ever seen

For the record, I agree with Troubledshooter - the term is over used and to me, it means as new.

John

[walnutfarmmick]

There is no such term as "near mint". It either is or isn't "mint".
It's like a recently deflowered young lady saying she's nearly a virgin; she isn't, she's been used.

One of my pet hates is 'fairly unique'. Something may be very unusual but unique is an absolute like pregnant or dead. You either are or you aren't and anything else is just sloppy English ( or bad luck, if taken literally! )
Even the BBC has been known to stoop to 'almost exactly' and that horrible Americanism 'different than' the latter turning an absolute into a comparative.


I find a good rant before breakfast clears the tubes for the day.

ATVB, Mick

[isobar]

sorry to have offended you all,i should have said;unusually good condition with no wear to muzzle or butt from being stood up, no sign of sights being moved or knocked.i would aggree that my desciption made it sound a bit rough and have not looked up"near mint"as a valid term but at least i didn't say mint for age or post a picture of an average gun and call that mint.it is difficult to convey something that looks like it just came out of a box,oops i've done it again atb

[Josie & John]

sorry to have offended you all,i should have said;unusually good condition with no wear to muzzle or butt from being stood up, no sign of sights being moved or knocked.i would aggree that my desciption made it sound a bit rough and have not looked up"near mint"as a valid term but at least i didn't say mint for age or post a picture of an average gun and call that mint.it is difficult to convey something that looks like it just came out of a box,oops i've done it again atb

No offence taken on my part. It was worth you posting to see Troubledshooter's analogy!

In fairness, describing a gun is very difficult as not everyone's idea of 'good' or 'excellent' condition is the same. Some people even describe refinished guns as 'as new' but they can never be described as anything other than 'refinished' in my view. The one good thing about modern technology is the ease with which pictures can be linked, of an item for sale. Numerous individuals and associations have produced a table of grades and definitions of condition in the past but the trouble is very few use these definitions correctly, if at all.

John

[Troubledshooter]

No offence taken on my part.

In fairness, describing a gun is very difficult as not everyone's idea of 'good' or 'excellent' condition is the same. Some people even describe refinished guns as 'as new' but they can never be described as anything other than 'refinished' in my view. The one good thing about modern technology is the ease with which pictures can be linked, of an item for sale. Numerous individuals and associations have produced a table of grades and definitions of condition in the past but the trouble is very few use these definitions correctly, if at all.

John

I agree with the above. One person's 'Good Used Condition' is another's 'Rough as a Badger's Arse'.

[lodmoor]

Having bought on description and not piccy before and been really p***ed off I agree that one man's good is another's s**t.

A set of pics says much more than words.

[Lakey]

Sadly there is simply no substitute for handling a gun before you buy. Photographs do help a lot, but even photographs can give a false impression of a gun. Sometimes problem areas aren't photographed, so as a buyer it is easy to assume that one good area of bluing means that the rest of the gun is the same. Also it is amazing how an average gun can look a 100 times better just with a rub over with oil, or a clever bit of picture editing.
Also just because a gun isn't in the 'very good condition' category, doesn't mean it isn't a bargain. I have bought cheap guns in the past just for spares such as sights and stocks, but only seeing the gun 'in the flesh' will tell you if it right to make that call.

Lakey

[Stiltskin]

I saw a cadet in reasonable condition in a gun shop last year, priced at £70, which I thought was a fair price for a shop. I wouldn't want to pay more than £50 though.