I have this old gun......RECEIPT

Help Support Ruger Forum:

BearHawk 357

Single-Sixer
Joined
Feb 18, 2010
Messages
249
Location
Ohio
Have you ever bought a used gun and found the original sales receipt in the bottom of the box?

Do you have an old sales receipt, from a gun that you purchased, that shows a disgustingly low or strange price on it?

If so then post them up. Feel free to block out any of the names, on the receipt, to protect the identity of yourself and/or others. Also, if you have a story but no pictures then go ahead and share your story anyway.

I bought a used GP-100 the other day and found the original sales reciept in the bottom of the box. The original owner purchased this revolver back in 1994.

The OTD price paid back in 1994 was: $407.17

The OTD price that I paid in 2010 was: $400.00

The 2010 shop owner had $450 on the ticket (I'm friends with the owner and got a better price). So, technically this gun's value has climbed up past the original sales price. Getting the original sales receipt with this gun really made my day for some reason. I guess it kind of made me feel connected to the gun's history, if only slightly. The GP-100 is nearly mint. It is one of my favorite guns. Let's see some other historical documents.

bigsugar76
[/url]
[/img]
 

JHRosier

Single-Sixer
Joined
Nov 14, 2004
Messages
116
Location
New England, USA
I have a GP that I bought new quite some time ago for $275.
Your post got me to thinking that we grumble about paying more for a used gun than it sold for when new, but gloat when we sell one for twice what we paid for it.
I guess that we can't have it both ways, except in our dreams. :lol:

Jack
 

BearHawk 357

Single-Sixer
Joined
Feb 18, 2010
Messages
249
Location
Ohio
Just for the record...I like buying guns that sells at a higher price point than where they were priced when new. No grumbles here. However, I can see where others may think differently about price decline/incline rates.

The way I see it is: If a new gun cost $400 16 years ago then, at some time, the price of that gun went down to around $300 (while it was used). So, if that gun was still at that low of a price, with inflation, after 16 years then I don't want it. Unless it is just priced at a "steal" kind of price point, of course.

This receipt proves that Ruger revolvers can hold their value and then some. Which is always a positive thing, IMHO.
 

BearHawk 357

Single-Sixer
Joined
Feb 18, 2010
Messages
249
Location
Ohio
Inflation is the reason in most cases rather than the value of the product.

johnhb2,

You said inflation is the reason.....

The reason for what? Inflation determines the value of our dollar against other currencies. I'm not so sure that gun values are dependent on the price of the American dollar. I think the last Presidential election proved that. While our dollar was in the crapper guns were selling at the highest rate in American history. Guns have always only been worth what the public is willing to pay for them. It is more of a subjective thing that takes other factors into consideration....things like geographic location, hunting interests etc.

For some, it appears that correlation and causation are jaded principles. What say you?
 

Cholo

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Dec 30, 2008
Messages
8,207
Location
Georgia
Would take me awhile to scan them, but I can if anybody really cared. I'll list the price not including the tax. The following guns were bought new:

1) March '75 Super Single Six $90.25 No receipt, I just remember; I think :wink:

2) 11/1/76 Marlin 336C 30-30 $99.99

3) 4/20/77 S&W Model 28 $154.50

4) 12/18/78 6" Blue Python 387.95

5) 4/26/79 Stainless 4" Ruger Security Six HB $192.00

6) 7/10/79 Super Blakhawk $207.00

7) 5/7/82 Nickel Colt Lawman Mark lll 2 1/2" (?) $246.50

Eight) 10/24/85 Ruger 77RL .243 334.00

Anything newer than that I don't consider old :wink:
 

BearHawk 357

Single-Sixer
Joined
Feb 18, 2010
Messages
249
Location
Ohio
Wow, Cholo....you were buying guns before I was even born. I wasn't even of the legal age to purchase a revolver until year 1997. I guess the term "old" is going to have to mean different things to different folks here.

P.S. I wonder how much that Colt Python is worth these days? Probably a bit more than what it cost back in the 70's....
 

TiteGroups

Blackhawk
Joined
Dec 23, 2009
Messages
513
The value of most quality firearms goes up over time as long as they are well cared for. Compare that to the electronic crap we buy. Let me see...new gun or new TV.
 

Cholo

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Dec 30, 2008
Messages
8,207
Location
Georgia
BearHawk, my Python is still near 100% and has been shot a bunch. I believe I still have the box/papers. Pythons are thru the roof right now at gunshows in GA. My guess? $1,600-$1,700+ or so. Maybe more. .38 Diamondbacks are about $1,500. Unbelieveable!

I still have all the guns listed above except the Nickel Lawman that had become a safe queen. A fellow Forum member got that one in a trade. One I wish I still had...
 

BlackEye

Single-Sixer
Joined
May 26, 2007
Messages
289
Location
SoCal, USA
Flash":3b6jj72b said:
First gun I bought, in 1976 was a Mossberg Chuckster. I remember getting change from three twenty dollar bills.

Same here. Mine was a 640KC Chuckster ,,,,,,, .22 mag
 

Daveboone

Single-Sixer
Joined
Feb 22, 2008
Messages
248
Location
Tug Hill, NY
Several years ago my Uncle asked if I was interested in a .22 he had. It was a Springfield semi.I dont remember the model, but it was in fantastic shape. I didnt really need it, and hoped to interest my cousins in it so i passed. About a year later I found the factory hang tag/envelope for that gun with cleaning info on it in a box of my long dead fathers stuff. Dang, apparently he bought it for his brother. If I had known that I would have wanted it. It turned out my best friend had the same model .22 from his dad though, so I gave him the tag. (price was on the tag, but I forget what it was).
 
Joined
Apr 30, 2005
Messages
1,024
Location
Vinita, OK
Inflation is the reason in most cases rather than the value of the product.

Yep.

The "50% date" moves over time but right now it is 1985. So your money was worth exactly twice what it is today back in 1985. Things like your salary or how much a new car costs. You could all start comparing how much you paid for a house in 1985 or a certain model of new car.

Think of the stock market in those terms as well. If you invested $100,000 in the stock market in 1985 and your after tax capital gain is $200,000 today, you broke even. You didn't make anything. Sure, you did better than if you still had the original $100,000 in a safe. But that's just because the value of the dollar just keeps declining. Now if you had put $100,000 in gold in a safe back in 1985, you might actually have something today.

I personally consider high quality guns to be a sound investment. But you have to think about inflation at the same time.

http://www.shadowstats.com/

Gregg
 

Snake45

Hawkeye
Joined
Mar 14, 2009
Messages
9,119
Location
+4020
I have several S&W boxes from new purchases in 1975-76, with $120-$140 price tags on them.
 

revhigh

Hawkeye
Joined
Aug 31, 2005
Messages
5,590
Location
PA
BearHawk 357":1vc3ls3i said:
I wonder how much that Colt Python is worth these days? Probably a bit more than what it cost back in the 70's....

$1000+ if it has the box and papers.

REV
 

JWhitmore44

Blackhawk
Joined
Oct 23, 2008
Messages
987
Location
NW Kansas
Your dollar buys less now then it used to, that is inflation. When I was in high school (mid 70's) a gallon of gas was 45 cents, a 10 year old car in good shape would cost you $500 to $800. My dad purchased a Browning BL22 lever action for $60. A Marlin/Glenfield Model 60 22lr would run you about $30 out of a pawn shop :)

In 1954 my Dad purchased a Remington model 510 22cal for $5 from the local hardware store. He also purchased a Ruger Super Bearcat 22cal in 1972 for $38 from the other hardware store in town.

My birdshead 45 Vaquero was $450 in 2003.
My single six convertible cost $375 and the 45 Bisley was $531 in 2008.

Those are the ones I have records on :)

I don't have receipts for the Bisleys from the 80's or my 32mag single six from the same year. My 44mag Vaquero from 1995 seems like was around $380 to $390 maybe?
 

Snake45

Hawkeye
Joined
Mar 14, 2009
Messages
9,119
Location
+4020
JWhitmore44":3qfk7tmh said:
Your dollar buys less now then it used to, that is inflation. When I was in high school (mid 70's) a gallon of gas was 45 cents, a 10 year old car in good shape would cost you $500 to $800.
When I was in high school in the EARLY '70s, gas was 25 cents. I bought a 1965 Buick in 1971 for $350. In the fall of 1972 I paid $65 for a WWII surplus M1 Carbine (Quality Hardware) and $37.50 for a brand new Remington 581 bolt action .22 (it was the floor demonstrator, though).
 

smokehouse

Bearcat
Joined
Feb 20, 2010
Messages
59
tulsamal":28aofufy said:
Now if you had put $100,000 in gold in a safe back in 1985, you might actually have something today.

Yup....I did a search and gold was $280/oz on 2/1985....$100K would have purchased you 357oz of gold...good Lord...that's 22lbs of gold...

Now...current price of $1106/oz...that 357oz would be worth $395K...more than double...almost 4 times...that would have been one hell of a good investment...
 
Top