The memorabilia - drying up?

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BlkHawk73

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Wasn't long ago the memorabilia was seen posted up for sale on on the auction sites fairly regularly. Now, it's rarely seen. Has the interest in this stuff dried up or are those with it simply keeping it or not knowing what it is, tossing it in their yard sale piles?
Have decided a bunch should go find new homes but without the buying market...
 

hittman

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It's a pretty limited market for memorabilia. A hard sell unless you know who to offer it to and seems the majority of people don't. Lots of "smalls" have little value these days. At a recent estate auction there were 6 nice curio cabinets full of glass and china figurines and such ….. ended up selling for $50 each including the contents.
 
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I am afraid that the Ruger memorabilia market has gone soft over the last few years, especially the paper stuff which seems to have lost all collector interest, locally, many retiring Ruger employees have been selling their entire memorabilia collections for a fraction of what they used to be worth.

i know that i bought an entire 25 year employee's collection and overpaid for it just because it was the right thing to do…many others have either given up trying to sell their collections, not worth the efforts i have heard. also, have found numerous items at local thrift shops.

I don't think the younger guys care about the stuff and don't value the original "SR" items….

I have pretty much devalued my memorabilia by 75%….
 
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eveled

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From a strictly practical point of view. Money is better spent on ammo than memorabilia.

If it gives you pleasure to collect and look at memorabilia then it is money well spent, but it won't make you rich.

I've always enjoyed looking at what memorabilia you guys have, but never caught the bug.
 

hittman

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Some years ago I bought John Deere and IH factory owners manuals for tractors and implements made in the 1930s through 1950s.

Looking at eBay right now, they're worth $10 to $12 each! :mad: Nothing like 1990s pricing, that's for sure.
 

T.A. WORKMAN

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I still search every day but I agree with the above posts, it's a far cry from what it once was.
I enjoy looking at mine as well as other collectors collections when they display them or post pictures on the forums.

A lot of the memorabilia of older collectors quite often sells at estate sales, usually at bargain prices.
There is a father & son team up in Conway, NH who are serious Ruger memorabilia collector's who have a very large collection.
They recently bought out two Ruger employee's collections that dwarfed theirs!! ;) The son is building an addition onto his house to handle the over flow.
So there is still some interest out there.
Terry
 
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1gunsnotenough

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Years ago I collected Winchester, Remington and other manufacturers 22lr advertising, counter displays, signs, ammo boxes etc. Then when Obama got elected I got to thinking about what had more use ephemera or firearms. So sold all my stuff and put the money into expanding my gun collection and accessories.
 

contender

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I truly enjoy the memorabilia & other odd stuff. And much of the old paperwork can be used as documented proof of what was built & when.
To me,, it's a big part of the history.

But I too have seen a soft market for much of it. I just hope I live long enough to see another turn-around & interest goes back up.
 

eveled

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Part of the problem is Ruger trying to capitalize on memorabilia. Almost as bad as Harley Davidson. How many mugs and glasses and t shirts and coasters do you need?

I know you guys are talking the employee gifts and such, but I still feel like Ruger has overwhelmed us with mass produced common stuff making the rare stuff seem less special.

I mean how would the average guy (potential new collector) know if its a rare employee gift from 1972 or just a glass from shopruger 2019?

The reality is they both look just as good on a shelf in your man cave.

Its not just Rugers either it's across all hobbies. 20 years ago my father inlaw began selling off his massive Beattles collection because he saw it coming.

He kept what he truly liked and enjoyed, but stopped thinking of it as investments.

He likes to tell about a co worker of his that spent 10's of thousands of dollars on beanie babies. Lol.
 
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eveled

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That is a really cool piece for sure.

Not that it matters but, I bought some files at a swap meet in NH. Out of a drum full of them.

The story was they came from Ruger.

Of course with no provenance it was "buy the files, not the story" 😂
 
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Some items are rarely seen in collections. I agree most memorabilia is a tough sell.
 

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I do know the so called memorabilia of a more "common" nature like said mugs, glasses and coffee cups,, catalogs, from the 70s and 80s,we have been trying to sell at almost ALL the guns shows and very little of it sells, much of it we just use,,,,,,.,,,,wore out three of the stainless coffee mugs......;):cool::rolleyes:
 
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