Buck94 said

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/235454429_winchester-model-94-30-30-wells-fargo-commemorative-lever-rifle-sn-wfc16485-carthage-in
well, Not big dollars but one heck of a return for whoever consigned it! someone overpaid by a lot for that Commemorative. I would sell all mine today if I could get that margin. They sell everyday on GB for less than half that and you gotta add the 20% BP to that already too high of a price. I’m thinking someone paid 3x what it is actually worth! Holy cow
  

Well, that might be one of the crazier things I've seen lately. Absolutely no explanation for that hammer price. Crazy!

1873man said
Well that post you linked to Tony is a little dated and I have found more since. The survey is up to 20630 guns of which 16319 are rifles, Including the one you just bought brings it up to 8  with 18" barrels which is .049% of the rifles. Yours is the second 18" in 32 cal. There are 5 in 44 and 1 in amazingly in 22 short.
Bob
  

Bob,

I was hoping that you'd come back with more information and verified examples from you're time consuming survey work that helps us all. That good to hear as I think the 32-20 first came out in the fall of 1882, making this #123975, an early one. IMO! A Cody letter will be great to confirm it.

Tony

Bob

Jeremy P said
Welcome to the forums! To answer your original question, the commems haven't carried big dollars up to now, except for a fewer rarer ones. You do you, if you like a safe queen find the nicest you can and store it up! If you need to shoot them based on the restrictions you mentioned, then find a nice one and then SHOOT, CLEAN, DISPLAY, REPEAT. 🙂
  

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/235454429_winchester-model-94-30-30-wells-fargo-commemorative-lever-rifle-sn-wfc16485-carthage-in

well, Not big dollars but one heck of a return for whoever consigned it! someone overpaid by a lot for that Commemorative. I would sell all mine today if I could get that margin. They sell everyday on GB for less than half that and you gotta add the 20% BP to that already too high of a price. I’m thinking someone paid 3x what it is actually worth! Holy cow

Gunsnfishin said
Just bought at auction havnt received yet a1873- serial 123975  32-20 cal with a 18” barrel -octagon - any one have info on the rarity of this gun ?
  

Our resident member and 1873 expert, 1873man will be along and help you with you're questions. In the meantime the serial number that you posted indicates it was mfg. in 1883, and is very helpful, but pictures will also help out, and we enjoy seeing them also.

Edited; I see you posted some pictures after I sent this. Looks like a very nice SBR. I'm pretty confident that the 18 inch Octagon barrel, in the .32-20 caliber is a pretty hard to find configuration, and I would be inclined to want to see better pictures when you receive it. Gordon may only have one recorded in his book from his older previous survey. We'll see what Bob has on it. I'm hoping a Cody letter came with it or one can be obtained, verifying the above information.

Here's an older post the 1873man,(Bob), posted.

https://winchestercollector.org/forum/winchester-rifles/winchester-mod-73-32-20/

Tony

Not being anywhere an expert on these, but I assumed it was a 1st variation of a carbine barrel, without digging into it too deep. So as far as being from a carbine barrel or a musket barrel, those are my thoughts. 

I do feel that it's another interesting category that a few members here have enlightened us on in some other posts. 

Tony

Obviously your situation over there is very different from ours.  The selection and availability of specific firearms, values, what is considered collectible, the complications of having firearms shipped from the outside... all of these are factors that impact you.  Given all that, my thought would be to go with what's available. You list several commemoratives presently available. Pick the one you like the best, make the best deal you can on it - and shoot it.  It sounds like commemorative firearms over there are generally of less interest anyway, so keeping it in unfired status is of going to be of negligible importance.  Your question about the shooting quality of commemorative rifles as compared to the same standard models of the time has been answered. 

Nice score on your recent acquisition!  I couldn't help but notice that the other flat band you have is a .32 W.S. 

Anthony said
Here's an interesting 94/95 Hybrid, I saw on WACA member LeRoy Merz site today.
https://www.merzantiques.com/product/w4375-scarce-winchester-model-94-95-hybrid-saddle-ring-carbine-with-rare-95-variant-barrel-in-30-wcf-m/
 
Tony
  

Tony 

Thanks for spotting this.

Given the tap holes in barrel - I'm assuming this one utilized a M1895 carbine or musket barrel?

On this topic, I was contemplating that variation of the 94/95 Hybrid with the 22 inch barrel and the magazine that is a couple inch shorter than the barrel.  Given they reworked the '95 barrels to match a '94 carbine barrel profile, and they shortened and rechambered them from the breech end, why have this odd variation?  I would assume given they were repurposing '95 barrels to produce '94 carbines, wouldn't they want that '94 carbine to look like their standard '94 carbine?  And of course, that's what they basically did with the other three variations of the 94/95 Hybrid - those don't appear blatantly different from a standard '94 carbine. I suspect most have gone unnoticed over the years.  Not so with the variation I am mentioning.  Thoughts?

https://www.merzantiques.com/product/w4375-scarce-winchester-model-94-95-hybrid-saddle-ring-carbine-with-rare-95-variant-barrel-in-30-wcf-m/

Tony

Here is an example of 2 Winchesters, both shooters.  

top is a near mint (or was when I bought it) 1974 94 in 30-30

bottom is a 1950 94 in 25-35. Lesser condition shooter grade

both rifles will work on any game in my area of the Midwest.  Both are fun to shoot. 

the 25-35 is over $2.00 a round where the 30-30 is around $1.00 or less.  The 25-35 however is more fun to shoot and has a flatter trajectory.  If I’m going to take one with me, it’s the pre-64 every time.  

Due to condition, both rifles will be in the $700 range here.