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July 8, 2012
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They are asking that astronomical amount, and yet only 6 lousy pictures???
What kind of drugs are they on?
November 1, 2013
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tionesta1 said
They are asking that astronomical amount, and yet only 6 lousy pictures???
Several more at bottom of page. If #1 has been documented in the Rifleman article, I presume it’s the real thing, though it’s surprising #1 wouldn’t have been presented to a company exec like Mr. Olin, or retained in the company museum. Also rather surprising that Mr. Rule would have sold his #2.
November 5, 2014
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As far as I know these two rifles are legit, albeit unrealistically priced. 
In the past couple years I’ve encountered, either via internet or in-person, M70s S/N 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 9 and 10. Of these, I’ve actually handled S/Ns 3 and 5. Bob Porter’s card catalog indicates that he encountered, S/Ns 1, 2, 5, 6, 9 and 10. Pics of the Porter cards on S/N 1, 2 and 5 are below (courtesy of pre64win.com):
The “stories” behind S/N 1 and 2 are pretty well documented and as outlined in the GB ad. Roger Rule acquired S/N 2 from Mrs. Ethel Lied and it was sold, along with the bulk of Mr. Rule’s collection, sometime after his M70 book was published. S/N 3 is a G7014C (with Lyman 48WJ receiver sight) like S/N 1. S/N 4 is the one pictured on the front of the “green brochure” introducing the M70 in 1936-7. It too was G7014C and its whereabouts are not known to me. I’ve wondered if it wasn’t possibly retained for the factory collection. S/N 5 is a G7004C (Win 22G sporting sight), like S/N 2. S/N 6 is the one from the Yearout collection. It is a G7004C with a Noske side mount. As previously discussed on this forum, it recently resurfaced in Great Falls, MT.
S/N 9, another G7004C, was sold for $7500 (IIRC) on GB a couple years ago. It had one D&T hole in the bridge, which somehow managed to “heal itself” before the rifle was offered for resale at a considerably higher price… 
S/Ns 10 and 11 have an interesting history that was discussed in an article in the WACA magazine a few years ago. Apparently they were both sold by White’s Hardware store in Boise, ID. So apart from S/N 4, the only single digit M70s that haven’t turned up anyplace I’ve found are S/Ns 7 and 8.
Hope this is amusing…
Lou
WACA 9519; Studying Pre-64 Model 70 Winchesters
November 1, 2013
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Louis Luttrell said
As far as I know these two rifles are legit, albeit unrealistically priced.
But Lou, you can pay on the installment plan!
November 7, 2015
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Apparently no one here is rushing to push the “Buy It Now” button. Any idea what these rifles could realistically sell for?
Mike
November 5, 2014
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Hi Mike-
I wouldn’t want to venture a guess… 
As has often been stated, there is only one No. 1. Still… I’ve considered this ad, which has been up for a long time, to be more about bragging rights than a desire to actually sell. If consigned to RIA and given their usual hype we might find out what the pair is “worth”…
That said, if my notes are correct, S/N 3 sold for about $30K within the last couple years. It’s a well worn gun, about like S/N 1, but clean with no added holes. S/N 5 sold for $19K not long ago. It too is well used with no added holes and the condition is noticeably higher than S/N 3. Not sure if it’s as good as S/N 2 or not b/c I haven’t seen S/N 2 first hand.
I don’t know exactly what S/N 6, the Yearout collection rifle with the period Noske side mount, sold for last year, but from what I heard it was VERY reasonable for a single digit gun. After Leyton passed away, that rifle, apparently, was one of the “lesser” Yearout collection guns that was sold via a gun shop in Great Falls, not auctioned. The collector who bought it apparently paid little attention to it and years later consigned it back to the shop from which he’d bought it. The lucky guy who bought it was just in the right place at the right time… I know I’d’ve bought it in a heartbeat…
I mentioned S/N 9, with a D&T hole in the bridge, sold on GB for $7500.
True, NONE of these rifles is S/N 1. But I can’t see $1.75M as anything like a realistic asking price.
Lou
WACA 9519; Studying Pre-64 Model 70 Winchesters
November 7, 2015
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Thanks, Louis. Based on your data I’d be hard pressed to value the pair at anything over $100,000 and probably less than $80,000…but these aren’t normal times and the seller has certainly recognized the carpe diem opportunity. I actually have no idea what those rifles are worth but I do know my opinion is worth exactly what I charge for it.
Mike
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