Third Party Press

$25,000 s/147k

bruce98k

Super Over the Top Moderator -1/2
Staff member
If I had had a few more beers I would have really gone down the deep end on this one but will hold my ammo back.
What we have here is profiteering at its worst. Its one thing to market goods for a reasonable profit but when you have
individual dealers continually trying to push the envelope on prices, albeit at exorbitant rates this doesn't bode well for our
collecting community.

I am at a loss for words in trying to describe the current situation but its really sad. When we collectors have to compete against
re-marketers paying retail for collectible rifles and pistols, only to have it end up on a website or auction and selling for ridiculous prices.. just unreal.

I know that some individuals would say the "market rules" but I guess we just threw decorum out the window.


https://pre98.com/shop/new-arrivals-for-tuesday-august-13-2019/important-early-1934-production-j-p-sauer-s-147-k-code-k98k-mauser-service-rifle-all-matching-down-to-the-rod/
 
New levels of insanity every day....:googlie

Didn't even bother looking at all the pics...anything look humpy?
 
Well said Bruce. Unfortunately decorum was never part of their vocabulary over there. Year after year things seem to be getting worse all in the name of the almighty dollar. They appear to have no shortage of ignorant buyers with bottomless pits of cash.
 
I'll just add that to my shopping cart! :laugh: I understand on a dealer making a little bit on a deal, but really that is ridiculous!
 
I stopped visiting pre98.com after the fiasco with the Swedish marked 98k. I have purchased from him before and those purchases were fine. I stated the following on Dave's site but will put it out here as well. A good dealer has connections and pickers who bring them items. A good dealer does not have to go to the same sites where those who could be that dealer's customers also go, then outbid those same potential customers to then slap hefty markups on the items only to attempt to sell them to the same potential customers that he outbid initially. I guarantee you that the owner of pre98 visits Dave's site because he frequently bids on items that are discussed there. I wouldn't be surprised if he lurks here also. I would bet he chose his GunBroker user name based on the fact that he creeps around sites like these. I think he likely gets some pleasure out of being discussed. He definitely hasn't altered his behavior. My analogy for him is the polar bear that hangs around cities in order to raid dumpsters and eat pets. A healthier polar bear stalks and hunts in the wild. A good dealer pulls good stuff out of the wild and builds a loyal following based on knowledge, fair dealing, and the ability to find desirable items. That's not what is happening here at all. I can afford to pay his markups, but I won't.
 
It's a shocking price tag - while I wish they were worth that (I have some of them) they just aren't. If you are rich though, and impatient, then you just throw money at the desire and get what you want. Unfortunately, what usually happens is you get taken to the cleaners, but people that buy from him are not our peers, they have nothing in common with collectors like us. We struggle to pay for the next rifle, sometimes we owe more people than we can pay, we sell stuff we wanted to keep to buy other things we want to keep. We treasure each purchase because it cost so much (not just money), we make friends who scout for us and pick for us. We hang out on forums, exchange info. Then dealers buy rifles at full retail using the info that we put in books, then relist them on their sites at double the price they paid.

You know what? We as collectors are the ones that pay the price, because we lose out on the opportunity to get something cool. That is why Bruce is upset, another rifle that could go to a real collector is going to a purchaser or accumulator (although I doubt this one will ever sell, at least if he holds true to his "no negotiation" tactic to sell it).
 
I hope the shite eating dog dies holding onto that rifle and they shove it up his a$$ as they put him in the casket......
 
Current thread

Dave I cant help laughing...

I guess now my matching S/42K is gotta be worth 35,000!
 
This Guy ain`t motivated by the love of the Hobby , its how much he can profit from the hobby that is his motivating factor !!!!!! .
 
It really is shocking to say the least but there are still a lot of good rifles out there left to be discovered that we as collectors hopefully we'll find.

Was talking to a really good collector friend of mine last week, about two weeks ago he found an all matching 1939 337 out of the woodwork! He told me he already sold it to another good friend of his because he thought I wouldn't be interested in it because I already had one. I'm okay with having another one!
 
Farb hit it on the head...I think there is a world of difference between most of us collectors versus the wealthy accumulator....

I have often imagined what it would be like to be in a position where money was no object, and I could just surf and search and buy everything I could find, wipe out Pre98's inventory without blinking an eye, and fill my trunk at Collectors in Houston....

BUT, would it be any fun? Would there be any enjoyment in such an endeavor? Would I get that feeling of joy and contentedness I get when I score something new now?

I mean, don't get me wrong, I'd love to give that a shot...:happy0180:

But the fact is, I think I, and most of you guys, really appreciate each and every piece we aquire. I am sitting in my gun room now, typing this and enjoying being surrounded by my stuff I had to work hard to aquire...

To be honest, I'd rather not even purchase from guys who only want to get as much money as they can from each piece, and really don't love the piece...
 
I've noticed with Mosins the last 3 years it's impossible to get a deal on any online auction for interesting or more uncommon variants. There are the same people that compete against themselves and throw cash at the more rare variants until they beat the other guy throwing massive cash at it.

Just the other day an original matching, non-import marked 1943 Izhevsk sold for $1,600. A rare rifle yes, but worth that much? I guess so?

The biggest would be an original condition pre-1908 upgrade Cossack that sold for $14,000 + buyer's fee ($17,000) at Rock Island in 2017.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/822860200

https://www.proxibid.com/asp/LotDetail.asp?lid=38408691
 
I've noticed with Mosins the last 3 years it's impossible to get a deal on any online auction for interesting or more uncommon variants. There are the same people that compete against themselves and throw cash at the more rare variants until they beat the other guy throwing massive cash at it.

Just the other day an original matching, non-import marked 1943 Izhevsk sold for $1,600. A rare rifle yes, but worth that much? I guess so?

The biggest would be an original condition pre-1908 upgrade Cossack that sold for $14,000 + buyer's fee ($17,000) at Rock Island in 2017.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/822860200

https://www.proxibid.com/asp/LotDetail.asp?lid=38408691
You know something, I am about 90% sure that I use to own that rifle. I sold it to a collector at the SOS who the next year was selling it as a "Vet bring back". He clearly stripped the stock of the shellac and removed the import marks on the barrel. I will never sell anything to him again. This was not done by the seller on gunbroker. What a load of crap.
 
You know something, I am about 90% sure that I use to own that rifle. I sold it to a collector at the SOS who the next year was selling it as a "Vet bring back". He clearly stripped the stock of the shellac and removed the import marks on the barrel. I will never sell anything to him again. This was not done by the seller on gunbroker. What a load of crap.

mdarnell19,

Do you remember that serial number for sure? There's not enough exposing for fakery in the Mosin collecting field, so this would be pretty important.
 
This Guy ain`t motivated by the love of the Hobby , its how much he can profit from the hobby that is his motivating factor !!!!!! .

I was going make a smart remark about what motivates him but on second thought to hell with it...
 
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I collected SKS rifles a decade ago..... The variants were less known and you could pick up things at decent prices.... As they gained in popularity, it became those with the most money to drop having the best collection....it was less about the thrill of the hunt..... People were buying them so they could sell them for more later, not for the interest of the variants.... I stopped collecting for a few years until this site (and the book trilogy) sucked me back in!!!
 
The price of $25,000 is better than $250, otherwise we would risk bubba buying the rifle and making a hunting rifle out of it.

I agree with Bruce and Mike, he explained it very well. At least this rifle is in original condition and not humped.
 
I used to follow that guys posts on instagram and couldnt believe how he has any sales. On average prices are 2-3 times going rates.
 

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