Gun collecting can be eclectic or very specific or a combination of both.  Let’s look into the some of the types of collecting and the reasons behind those directions of interest.  Then I will share some of my “collecting tips” with you.

In my many years of dealing in the collectible firearms industry I think that I have seen just about every type of collecting.  I am going to list some below and I would be interested to see the smiles or head nods on you as you read.

1. A little of everything collecting.  These collectors often have started their collecting as an outgrowth of their passion for hunting/shooting.  They have a shotgun, they have a centerfire rifle, they have a rimfire rifle, and they have a .22 pistol.  Next thing you know they get another shotgun for specific waterfowl hunting or a smaller gauge for upland and on and on.  Then the same thing happens with the centerfire rifles and the rimfires and the handguns.  Next thing you know they are a collector and are looking to fill-in the “blank” spaces in their collections with guns slightly different than what they have.
2. The brand specific collecting.  This speaks for itself.  An enthusiasm for a brand.  Be it Winchester, Remington or the other “big” names OR the obscure like Hamilton boys rifles.  I have seen this type of collecting take over lives and become a way of life for entire families.  Go to any major gun show and the entire perimeter of the show will have displays of brand specific collections and more often than not you with see the owners are a married couple who travel with their collection to every major show.  I have even seen this as a generational thing, where Great Granddad started putting away NIB Winchesters and the hobby/interest has been upheld 3 and 4 generations in succession until the family needs to build a separate building just to hold their collections; and they are still collecting.
3. The type specific collectors.  Side by side shotguns, pump action shotguns, lever action rifles, single shots, specific gauges/calibers, etc.  These collectors sometimes start out with collecting types within a brand then they either focus within the brand and/or they expand into other brands.  Several of the most prevalent of these collectors are the Winchester Model 70 (pre 64) collectors, the Winchester Model 12 collectors, the Browning Superposed collectors, the Marlin lever action collectors.  I would say that this may very well be the most obvious type of collecting and seems to generate the most on-going activity in the firearm collecting world. You need only to consider that to collect all of the Winchester 61, 22 cal pump rifles it takes something like 25-30 different rifles, excluding engraved or special order configurations to see how involved this can get!  How many calibers in carbine and rifle configurations were offered in the Winchester model 70?  Pre war, transition, post war, low comb, steel butt, plastic buttplate, super grades, standards, featherweights, super grade/featherweights…Almost countless varieties to seek for your collection.  And believe me the list of different specific types of guns that get collected is seemingly unlimited!
4. Serial number collectors.  You don’t see this very often but they are out there.  They may collect anything that ends in the number 09.  They may collect only single digit number guns.  The most prolific of this group are the commemorative collectors who subscribe to a number and will not pass-up a gun with “their” serial number.
5. Birth year collectors.  This group will buy just about any gun made in their birth year.  They have a lot of fun searching.
6. Engraver collectors.  This can fit also into a Brand collector or a Type collector.  Many of the major manufacturers had in-house engravers like Colt, Winchester, Remington, Browning, Ithaca, Purdey, and many others.  The Ulrich family of the early Winchester guns; the masters at Colt; McGraw at Ithaca; Ken Hunt at Purdey; Funken and all of those after him at Browning; all of the incredible masters that work(ed) in the Brescia area of Italy.  These engravers are collected much like you would buy Picasso paintings or Georgia O’Keefe or any other famous artist.  Modern engravers like Phil Grifnee, Ken Hunt, Creative Arts, numerous Italians, Winston Churchill and others are living, recognized for being masters and collected. Some people collect the contemporary engravers who have yet to be recognized for their mastery, the journeyman of their crafts betting that these engravers with be the next masters.  
7. Here’s what I want it to be collecting  I know of collectors who will acquire a gun, send it an engraver for bulino or deep game scene engraving, then send it to another engraver specializing in scroll work, then maybe to a third for gold wire, then to a finishing specialist.  After that they send it to a stock maker where a pre-selected piece of rare wood is fitting and finished then it may either stay there or be sent elsewhere for the art of checkering to be executed.  This process can take several years of the completion of one gun.  These patrons often have more than one gun in the “works”.  The only problem with this type of collecting is that since each project is the embodiment of the patrons desires it often does not appeal to other collectors thus this one of the rare categories of gun collecting that may not produce a positive return on investment!
8. Condition collectors.  Regardless what the grade of the gun or rarity of it the item of utmost concern to these collectors is New In The Box condition.  And there is always a better one that yours out there somewhere.
9. Investor collecting.  These collectors sometimes are gun enthusiasts sometimes they are just investors who are looking to acquire a gun for its increased value potential.  With the softened economy and the fact that the dollar doesn’t draw much of a return when placed in a bank some people, usually with the help of a knowledgeable dealer, will buy guns based on the historical fact that good guns increase in value.  There are lots of very fine collectible firearms that hare sitting in the closets or safes of investors who I can’t really call collectors!  This is a double edged sword in that we collectors would love to see those guns on the market but with them gone it makes our similar guns that much more scarce and desirable!

I have touched on just some of the types of collecting.  If you are thinking about collecting I have some suggestions (tips) which I will discuss below.  If you are collecting now maybe I have shown you a path that you may want to concentrate on or a type with which you may want to get involved.  Regardless, you are interested in guns and that is part of our American heritage that is fun to pursue.

Collecting tips:

1. A little of everything collecting.  These collectors often have started their collecting as an outgrowth of their passion for hunting/shooting.  They have a shotgun, they have a centerfire rifle, they have a rimfire rifle, and they have a .22 pistol.  Next thing you know they get another shotgun for specific waterfowl hunting or a smaller gauge for upland and on and on.  Then the same thing happens with the centerfire rifles and the rimfires and the handguns.  Next thing you know they are a collector and are looking to fill-in the “blank” spaces in their collections with guns slightly different than what they have.
2. Scarcity, options.  After condition you might want to look for your specific gun with special order factory options.  This could be a deluxe model, graded models, special sights, longer or shorter barrel length, engraving, single triggers, beavertail forends, etc.  Some guns there just aren’t lots of options, some guns there are lots of options; you will quickly learn what was available from the factory and then you can formulate a collecting plan.  Another nice bonus in this category is a “factory” letter or provenance on the gun about its origin, authenticity and possibly history.
3. Buy what you like!  If you are new to gun collecting buy or search out for guns that have an appeal to you.  Do not just buy guns because you have heard that a “so and so” is a good investment.  You can lose your interest in a hurry of you don’t buy the type of guns that you like.  What young kid didn’t want a “cowboy” gun when he was younger?  Now a somewhat older you can look for a nice lever action rifle and a matching revolver.  Caution…The first lever action rifle will lead to a second and a third and…   The same is true with the single action army revolver.
4. Find a mentor.  I don’t care who it is, seek guidance.  You won’t have to be an interested collector for long before you will meet someone who can help you with answers to your questions.  Someone who will know where to look for your “dream” gun and to sometimes tell you what to stay away from buying.  Although higher-end dealers are in the business to sell you their guns, I promise you that most of the dealers that I know personally are in this game for the long haul and they want you for a long term customer so they will share their knowledge with you.  Ask them questions, listen to them and remember that it is your money so do not hesitate to have them guarantee their guns as being “as described”.
5. You will make mistakes.  Trust me; if you don’t make a mistake(s) in your gun collecting, you are not collecting.  Generally your mistake will not be of epic proportions, it will be a small, “I kinda got screwed on that one” deal from which you will recover.  If you do make a mistake of “epic” proportions, then you did not ask questions or you did not get the guarantee!  

In summary gun collecting is a lot of fun.  It can become personal passion.  It can become a family passion.  It often becomes an enjoyable way to have fun and at the same time it becomes a rather nice investment.  One of my dearest old friends used to invite me over to his basement, which was lined with gun cabinet after gun cabinet full of collectible Winchesters, where we would pour ourselves a Scotch and play with his “certificates of deposit”!  Many years later we now pour ourselves a beverage of our choice and play with one of his many very fine English Sidelock Shotguns (bigger certificates of deposit)!  I mention that just to illustrate that he could have put money into the stock market or other investments, but what fun is it to play with a piece of paper!!

Happy collecting…  If you have questions or comments please send them to me.

Cheers

BC Kinsey

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