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Hello Ron,
Yes, absolutely, and the older they are, the better.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
Ron Smith said
Is there an interest in annual product catalogs put out by Winchester?
Yes! Especially pre-64.
Older the better.
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire
Ron Smith said
Is there an interest in annual product catalogs put out by Winchester?
Until I started into the wild and wacky world of Winchesters, I didn’t realize how important annual catalogs were. They not only provide visual reference for the looks of finishes and tooling but provide important date information as to when/what became available. They also provide ,occasionally ,important rarely recorded names of employees pictured in factory settings. Hopes are that today’s editions of gun manufacturers will survive and that tomorrow’s will still be available in print. Electronic editions are nice but how long will they be available? I hope they keep them in print. I believe that even today FN copy of model 1886 will, in 100 years from now, be a treasure. Ones to be collected and hopefully still shot and enjoyed. After all, the 200 year old originals will be too valuable to take out of the safe.
Vince
Southern Oregon
NRA member
Fraternal Order of Eagles
“There is but one answer to be made to the dynamite bomb and that can best be made by the Winchester rifle.”
Teddy Roosevelt
“Pre-64”; that’s over 50 yrs old! What would catalogs go for from that era? How does one determine a value to these?
As to the new generation (millennials), I don’t see them collecting anything except debt.
Ron Smith said
“Pre-64”; that’s over 50 yrs old! What would catalogs go for from that era? How does one determine a value to these?As to the new generation (millennials), I don’t see them collecting anything except debt.
Before you say much more please consider that most of us on this forum are “pre-64” and we don’t think we are that old…….
The different catalogs bring different prices, based on age and rarity. For instance, a 1955 catalog is pretty common (as if there were a lot produced) and brings about $15-$18. Some catalogs are more rare, a 1934 or 1936 catalog brings about $20-$25 but I would pay much more for a 1935 since I have never seen one.
Most of the post-war catalogs up to 1964 are in the $10-$20 range. It also depends upon what type of catalog as there were the small pocket catalogs, full catalogs of firearms, general catalogs which contained everything, component parts catalogs, ammunition catalogs, etc.
You can do a search on eBay as there are always some for sale and past sale prices will give you a good idea of the going rate for a specific catalog.
Best Regards,
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire
JWA said
Before you say much more please consider that most of us on this forum are “pre-64” and we don’t think we are that old…….
Best Regards,
Here are a couple of Pre-64 catalogs….What do the experts think of value for these?
Manny,
I just happen to have all three of those same catalogs (plus several others of that same time period), and they are typically in the $75 – $125 range depending on how nice the condition is. When you get earlier than 1900, the prices go up quickly.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
Thanks Bert!
I also have #79 but didn’t have a picture of it. I also have another catalog but i think its a reprint? But if it is, its a really good one!
Bob has the same catalog and same thoughts on it….Anyone else have this catalog or the original one?
mjuarez0829 said
Thanks Bert!
I also have #79 but didn’t have a picture of it. I also have another catalog but i think its a reprint? But if it is, its a really good one!
Bob has the same catalog and same thoughts on it….Anyone else have this catalog or the original one?
It is a reprint, and I also have one just like it, along with the 1893 reprint.
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
mjuarez0829 said
Thanks Bert!
I also have #79 but didn’t have a picture of it. I also have another catalog but i think its a reprint? But if it is, its a really good one!
Bob has the same catalog and same thoughts on it….Anyone else have this catalog or the original one?
I do, and if you look at the inside front cover, you should see “Reproduced by O’Hara Co, etc.” It IS a really good one, without the horrible plasticized covers used by Wolfe and many others. Without that “repro” notice, and dirtied up some, it might even pass as original; WRA catalogs have been reproed for such a long time that the early ones are now looking quite “old”! Also have a very similar ’93 without the repro notice! Seems like such notices should be required by law, but there’re certainly not.
JWA said
Some catalogs are more rare, a 1934 or 1936 catalog brings about $20-$25 but I would pay much more for a 1935 since I have never seen one.
So little for one about 80 yrs old? However, the proliferation of reprints by Cornel and others has definitely hurt the value of originals, in which I’ve got a small fortune tied up. I actually tried to sell one of mine on ebay a short time ago, and the interest in it at what I thought was a very fair price demonstrated that I’ve got the choice of giving them away, or taking them with me to the grave; the latter option will be my choice.
clarence said
I do, and if you look at the inside front cover, you should see “Reproduced by O’Hara Co, etc.” It IS a really good one, without the horrible plasticized covers used by Wolfe and many others. Without that “repro” notice, and dirtied up some, it might even pass as original; WRA catalogs have been reproed for such a long time that the early ones are now looking quite “old”! Also have a very similar ’93 without the repro notice! Seems like such notices should be required by law, but there’re certainly not.
I just checked mine and there was no “Repoduced by O’Harare Co, etc”
clarence said
JWA said
Some catalogs are more rare, a 1934 or 1936 catalog brings about $20-$25 but I would pay much more for a 1935 since I have never seen one.So little for one about 80 yrs old? However, the proliferation of reprints by Cornel and others has definitely hurt the value of originals, in which I’ve got a small fortune tied up. I actually tried to sell one of mine on ebay a short time ago, and the interest in it at what I thought was a very fair price demonstrated that I’ve got the choice of giving them away, or taking them with me to the grave; the latter option will be my choice.
Yes, I agree they used to sell for more but the Cornell reprints have brought the prices down.
Here is a very nice, original 1937 that recently went for $28.99 – http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-WINCHESTER-GUNS-AND-AMMUNITION-CATALOG-1937-/122244786093?hash=item1c765b67ad%3Ag%3AOSUAAOSwo4pYO623&nma=true&si=8Uyup4xbL8RPWe9rEsEtxtK2tAc%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
And another one for $18.50 – http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-WINCHESTER-GUNS-CATALOG-1937-/122301059476?hash=item1c79b61194%3Ag%3AWioAAOSwt5hYcA0i&nma=true&si=8Uyup4xbL8RPWe9rEsEtxtK2tAc%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
A nice 1950’s vintage that went for $12.50 – http://www.ebay.com/itm/Winchester-Firearms-Catalog-Vintage-/291942929091?hash=item43f92792c3%3Ag%3AaLwAAOSw44BYI4Sg&nma=true&si=8Uyup4xbL8RPWe9rEsEtxtK2tAc%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
1922 Pocket Catalog that just sold for $22.00 – http://www.ebay.com/itm/Winchester-1922-Pocket-Catalog-/162347337009?hash=item25cca7c531%3Ag%3ArusAAOSwEzxYbojR&nma=true&si=8Uyup4xbL8RPWe9rEsEtxtK2tAc%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
Etc., etc. etc………
The Cornell stuff seems to be all in the $12-$17 range for scanned copies so I think you are right in that it is holding the price down on the originals. Once you get out of the date range of the repos and start looking at the earlier catalogs from the ‘teens and pre-1900 the prices start going up significantly.
Best Regards,
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire
Also,
This set of catalog reprints from the beginning through 1919 has brought some of the prices down as well although a copy of these is now starting to get harder to find. While I personally prefer an original catalog, for people that are just looking at the catalogs for a quick reference on a day to day basis this option is very appealing as it saves wear and tear on the originals and is a cheaper alternative.
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire
And, since we are talking about repos, this first edition hard-bound repro of the 1931 full catalog AND component parts catalog produced by Roger Rule in 1984 just sold on eBay for $8.50. http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-COLLECTIBLE-1984-CATALOG-COLLECTION-OF-20TH-CENTURY-WINCHESTER-/152407666079?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&nma=true&si=8Uyup4xbL8RPWe9rEsEtxtK2tAc%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc
When was the last time you bought a 300 page hard bound book on ANY Winchester topic for only $8.50? I was surprised there was no more interest in it than that…….the eBay crowd is a bit odd (or maybe just we are).
Best Regards
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire
JWA said
Also,This set of catalog reprints from the beginning through 1919 has brought some of the prices down as well although a copy of these is now starting to get harder to find. While I personally prefer an original catalog, for people that are just looking at the catalogs for a quick reference on a day to day basis this option is very appealing as it saves wear and tear on the originals and is a cheaper alternative.
Yes, but that hardbound set has got to be pretty pricey itself. And of course the world is FULL of people incapable of perceiving any difference at all between a first ed. of a book like Whelen’s American Rifle or Gould’s Modern American Rifle and a mass-market reprint; and I don’t mean they choose the reprint merely because they can’t afford the cost of an original–something I’ve often had to do myself–I mean they really don’t see any difference–a book is a book is a book!
Yep, I prefer originals myself when I can afford them and agree with all your points.
Regards,
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire
November 5, 2014
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Hi Y’all-
I hope this does not tick anyone off, but I draw a distinction between the information in the catalogs (which should be available to anyone) and the original catalog itself as an artifact (which has intrinsic value to a collector). The notion (which I’m glad to say nobody here has expressed) that knowledge should be reserved to those who can afford to track down and buy original Winchester ephemera would be a little disturbing to me.
FWIW… I have the bound set of catalog reprints JWA shows above (even though I do not collect in the relevant time frame) and am glad that Cornell publications sells scanned catalog reprints that are clearly NOT intended to be passed off as original (and valuable) documents.
Knowledge is power… At least the power not to be mislead – if you do your homework.
Lou
WACA 9519; Studying Pre-64 Model 70 Winchesters
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