Civil War era gun value

[Bunnykid68]

I need some help. I have a friend that may have an actual Civil War era gun and they do not know where to look for information locally here in Evansville. Can anyone help direct me to some place I can send him to authenticate it and find out the value.

Thanks

 

[Trigger Time]

You can PM me some pics of the gun and any markings on the rifle and stock. And yes those (most) guns used in the civil war were rifles. Id be happy to help.

 

[indyjohn]

I wanna see some pics too~

 

[Bunnykid68]

I have already requested that info. Hopefully tomorrow night I will have it.

 

[indyjohn]

Civil War relics is not my niche but firearms history of any kind is cool..

 

[Cerberus]

post pics and I can most likely tell you what he has

 

[indiucky]

I have a Confederate musket here in the shop and have a couple of reference books regarding Civil War weapons...Pics first so I can see it and I will see what I can find out...One of my regulars is really into these weapons and I can ask him as well....

Rick
Falls City Firearms
812-725-1911

 

[Bunnykid68]

Thanks for the responses. Just talked to his daughter and one of the things he is trying to figure out as well is the best way to sell it. I mentioned I have a pretty good audience with a very low commission fee.

 

[jaybird_123]

Lets get a rousing chant going. "We want pics". "We want pics".

 

[Cerberus]

Bunny, advise your friend not to get too anxious. Most old weapons are not always proveable to CW usage. Many have been extensively faked over the past 50 years. Folks get real stupid over that war, and too many suckers want to have a collection, so the fakery market runs amok. CS weapons are often the hardest to prove, as both sides used the same weapons. The old Caveat Emptor comes into play here big time.

 

[pudly]

Lets get a rousing chant going. "We want pics". "We want pics".

 

[tetter]

I want an 1800s musket. Or maybe a Kentucky rifle or both. It would just be neat to have a gun that is 150 years old or so. My father in law was showing me some old guns he has, and they're rough condition but it still made me jealous

 

[Hoosier8]

Depends on the gun. If it is a Springfield model 1861 value depends on the manufacturer which were called contract guns. Some manufacturers of the gun made fewer guns and are worth more. For instance the most scarce are Sarcon & Roberts. I have an Edward Robinson Model 1861 which is worth more than I paid for 4 civil war rifles I bought as a group from someone here on INGO which included a pattern 1853 3 band Enfield (missing lockplate assembly ), a Prussian Model 1809 converted to percussion (missing ramrod), and a Model 1816 musket dated 1838 when it was converted to percussion (missing Hammer and ramrod). I can get the parts for all of them as they are still around. May do that someday.

My step sister has two Kentucky rifles that I may pick up someday to see if I can restore them for her to hang on her wall. They were passed down through her family. They have rusted. I saw them as a kid and they were not rusted at that time.

 

[rob63]

Bunny, advise your friend not to get too anxious. Most old weapons are not always proveable to CW usage. Many have been extensively faked over the past 50 years. Folks get real stupid over that war, and too many suckers want to have a collection, so the fakery market runs amok. CS weapons are often the hardest to prove, as both sides used the same weapons. The old Caveat Emptor comes into play here big time.

Good advise!

Also, tell your friend not to try to clean it up. He will not get more money for it and will more than likely hurt the value.

Once you have posted pics and it can be determined what it is, then one way of figuring out a value is to go to auction sites, including gunbroker, and searching past auctions. You do need to understand, however, that you will only get a ballpark idea. The condition of the gun is critical so each piece is virtually unique and values can be quite varied for different examples of the same gun.

Since this thread needs a picture; my meager collection of civil war long arms:
View attachment 29163

 

[spencer rifle]

Ooh... a Hall rifle!

 

[rob63]

This is kind of an old thread at this point, but I just remembered this and thought it could be helpful to the op if he sees it. A pretty good list of Civil War guns:

Table of Civil War Era Small Arms - CivilWarWiki