Ridiculous prices

[Josie & John]

Tim Dyson has a Webley Senior in case with accessories listed for £1295!

Now yes it comes with an original(?) fitted case and pellet tin along with original booklet but with what would be a £200 max air pistol, I cannot see how these extras are worth an extra grand!

Though maybe I am just out of touch with Webley collectors, who known

Cased Webley sets are seen as the pinnacle of many a Webley collection and one such set fetched over £2k at a Holts sale not too long ago.

Original cases are far rarer than the pistols and are a quality item, hence the interest.

John

[Huttles94]

Cased Webley sets are seen as the pinnacle of many a Webley collection and one such set fetched over £2k at a Holts sale not too long ago.

Original cases are far rarer than the pistols and are a quality item, hence the interest.

John

Ahhh ok

Fair enough, I am not a big webley collector so I dont really pay attention as to what they go for. So it is just that I am out of touch

You learn something new everyday.

[Jesim1]

The price is what people are willing to pay, and even on here every now and then I see an ad and think "he's having a laugh" - only for a PM to pop up " I'll take this!"

It never seems to happen to me, but TBF I'll look at what things are going for and put in a best guess, so normally it takes a small reduction before the item goes, but I have had my hand bit off a couple of times and thought I probably under sold an item, but if I was happy to advertise it at the price it went for then I can't complain.

James

[ptdunk]

I’ve met a few people who have been possibly overcharged for vintage airguns, mainly due to them being new to collecting and not knowing any better, the seller just telling them that’s what they’re worth.
A few examples are a ratty smoothbore pre war Millita for £250, and a relatively common Gem rifle for £300. Both private sales.

The buyers seemed pleased that they’d bought a real ‘rarity’ and I didn’t have the heart to tell them they were both probably worth half that amount.

It’s s bit out of order that people take advantage like that, but maybe it’s a case of the seller wanting to get back what they paid for it, having overpaid themselves. And so the cycle continues....

JC Militaria on Gstar are always good for a laugh. Them and Tim Dyson give newbies the wrong idea of what stuff is worth IMHO.

Matt.

[Josie & John]

Ahhh ok

Fair enough, I am not a big webley collector so I dont really pay attention as to what they go for. So it is just that I am out of touch

You learn something new everyday.

It took me years to obtain a set and when I finally found one with an oil can, pellet tin and paperwork, you should have seen my grin

John

[Gareth W-B]

JC Militaria on Gstar are always good for a laugh. Them and Tim Dyson give newbies the wrong idea of what stuff is worth IMHO

Yep, both always good for a fantasy fiction bed-time read (imho too, that is lol ).

[gingernut]

Ahhh ok

Fair enough, I am not a big webley collector so I dont really pay attention as to what they go for. So it is just that I am out of touch

You learn something new everyday.

You are not out of touch, just sensible.

[Binners]

It is a little unfair to compare trade and private prices. We have all found under-priced olduns, but you have to put that down to luck. I have bought guns from J C, Tim and another big trader, all of which I may have found a bit cheaper eventually.

The thing is these people spend a lot of time and money, going around the country to source stock, advertising and attending Fairs. The legal paperwork and website stuff must take for ever.

On one occasion, I attended Brum and payed double the going rate for a Webley that a Northern Militaria trader had, it hurt at the time and I had to be pushed into buying by my fellow travelling collector buddy. Sooo pleased he did, as it would have been lost forever.

How lucky we are to have these people finding and displaying some lovely things and giving us the choice and opportunity to buy.

[Josie & John]

It is a little unfair to compare trade and private prices. We have all found under-priced olduns, but you have to put that down to luck. I have bought guns from J C, Tim and another big trader, all of which I may have found a bit cheaper eventually.

The thing is these people spend a lot of time and money, going around the country saucing stock, advertising and attending Fairs. The legal paperwork and website stuff must take for ever.

On one occasion, I attended Brum and payed double the going rate for a Webley that a Northern Militaria trader had, it hurt at the time and I had to be pushed into buying by my fellow travelling collector buddy. Sooo pleased he did, as it would have been lost forever.

How lucky we are to have these people finding and displaying some lovely things and giving us the choice and opportunity to buy.

I concur. Just think of the number of wasted trips dealers make to view that item in 'mint' condition that turns out to be a piece of cr*p. In effect, you're paying a 'finder's fee' at a fair from one of these dealers, which saves you time and effort in tracking old airguns down. Using Tim Dyson as an example, it is possible to attend a fair and come away with a near complete Webley collection or maybe with that one pistol you were previously missing. It may not be cheap or bargain basement but the opportunity is there and a prospective buyer can make their own mind up when viewing. Personally I think our hobby benefits from the presence of specialist dealers.

John

[Abasmajor]

I concur. Just think of the number of wasted trips dealers make to view that item in 'mint' condition that turns out to be a piece of cr*p. In effect, you're paying a 'finder's fee' at a fair from one of these dealers, which saves you time and effort in tracking old airguns down. Using Tim Dyson as an example, it is possible to attend a fair and come away with a near complete Webley collection or maybe with that one pistol you were previously missing. It may not be cheap or bargain basement but the opportunity is there and a prospective buyer can make their own mind up when viewing. Personally I think our hobby benefits from the presence of specialist dealers.

John

I couldn't agree more. Although there is a lot of pleasure to be had in pursuit of an addition to any collection, this is often accompanied by a great deal of frustration. Dealers spend a great deal of their time, much probably wasted, sorting the wheat from the chaff, so some financial reward is not unreasonable. They obviously incur expense in sourcing items and have contacts to which we private collectors may not have access. Consequently they often uncover the rarer items we private collectors might not otherwise have the opportunity to purchase.
Finally, It's nice to just browse and compare the large collections dealers display even if there is no intention to necessarily buy anything.
Brian

[Gareth W-B]

How lucky we are to have these people finding and displaying some lovely things and giving us the choice and opportunity to buy.

Wise words, all, my fine old sage, so upon reflecting on my earlier glib comment, I not only now concede, but now with a wider field of vision, I also concur. Good skittles Binners old bean.

[Troubledshooter]

I agree with what has been said by Binners and John, but don't forget the advert mentioned by the OP was from a private seller.

[Garvin]

I agree that dealers have a place and it's true that as collectors there are times we may pay premium prices to fill a gap that might take years to fill otherwise.

But I have a lot more time for, say, a Tim or a Keith, who are basically collectors themselves at heart, than I do for some businesses that just see old airguns as an opportunity to make a fast buck, and who try to drive up the market as far and as fast as they can.

They are not so much helping true collectors as hindering them...