Vintage airgun prices Vs inflation

[ptdunk]

how does it work?

Obviously the market's ruled by supply and demand, but at the same time prices must creep up to reflect inflation etc.
I naively assumed 'the going rate' for common collectibles shouldn't really change, (eg £120 for a nice Tempest or £150 for a light pattern) but in the last couple of years places like Protek have been putting their prices up. I guess they are adjusting to the various cost of living increases which is fair enough but then shouldn't everyone?

It can be hard to gauge from private sales...if someone is asking what I think is a lot more than 'the going rate' you don't know how much it sold for, if at all.
I never really sell anything so I'm looking at this from a buyer's point of view but I'm interested in what other collectors think.

Do airgun prices increase across the board in relation to living costs and inflation or do some stay the same for years while others jump up from time to time?

Cheers,
Matt

[Re01312]

Matt

I enjoy all your video very much. As wheelchair bound veteran the yotube stuff is great shorts. I am regugar buyer an prices are up here a lot.thanks Randall

[Maple]

When a precedent price is realised, it generally establishes that price as the value.
An extreme case is some of the hammer prices made at Holt's etc.
I've heard sellers say ' why should I sell it for less than it makes at auction ' which is a bit bizarre when the extra costs are not factored in.
There is certainly a have and have not aspect with collectors.

[45flint]

I don’t think inflation instantly kicks into collectables given there is no cost of production just a going price in the market. But they will adjust with time, it will take sales and a demand for that collectable. Demand is very important, collectables can go out of favor as younger buyers come into the market with different interests. Here in the US the value of a lot of antique furniture has actually gone down substantially in recent years as younger buyers seem to have little interest. Inflation will only affect price if there is continuing demand.

[Garvin]

This is clearly a very complex subject!

The value of collectable airguns has not risen evenly with inflation historically and the inflationary effects of cost of living type prices - rent, energy, labour, postage costs etc - affect businesses in a different way to casual consumers, collectors and the like. Also, the rise of the internet has given buyers a much wider marketplace than was true 20 years ago, which has probably had a downward pressure on prices.

Even the type of business matters, ie. high street shops, auction houses with city centre premises, dealers who only sell at fairs etc.

IMO you can only come to very general conclusions, such as 'common Webley air pistols in rough shape are unlikely ever to be in much demand/command high prices' or 'scarce examples in pristine condition will probably always be of interest to well-heeled collectors'.

[andrewM]

I think that inflation is less of an influence than the annual rise in wages, which creates competition for static supply.

There are other influences too: low interest rates in recent years have arguably raised the amount of available money for alternative investments. In the case of air rifles, I suspect some money has been diverted into PCPs, with less flowing into springers, even although PCPs probably would not be described as 'vintage'. One wonders whether the appearance of PCPs has diminished the overall demand for vintage air rifles, given that the latter belong to the springer class.

Flint makes an excellent point about ongoing demand.

One should really collect because it is a hobby rather than as an investment. The latter would be the icing on the cake. It is, perhaps, akin to buying a house to live in rather than to sell at a profit.

Rgds
A