If somebody finds themselves with a few minutes with nothing better to do I need a "Collecting for Dummies" primer, I'm not about to start collecting but am bidding in an upcoming auction and would like to be able to recognize bargains. Are full boxes worth much more than empties? Are brass shotgun shells scarce? Obscure gauges better than standard? Just give me the basics, I'll still be a babe in the woods but a somewhat less ignorant one.

If I snag anything, is it appropriate to get some idea of value here?

From what I have seen at gun shows, probably 2% of the shells out there remain in unbroken full boxes.

It's pretty easy to get a few cartridges, and just display them.

As a rule, the fewer they made of something, the more valuable they are.

Some of the neater, and more reasonably priced collections are of one cartridge and its variants.

Want to put a ton of cash into one item? Try a cartridge board from a company.

Good Luck!

Rich

This is just my opinion , as a collector for the last 30 or so years ;

You are better to buy one $100 dollar cartridge than 100 $1.00 cartridges. The $1.00 cartridge will still be worth $1.00 in 20 years but the expensive one should have increased considerably in value.

Just because the information in the sale listing uses the words "rare" and "scarce" doesnt mean the cartridge is either of those things. Do your homework first.

A box full of cartridges is worth more than the equivalent number of loose cartridges only if the box is absolutely mint and sealed , or the cartridge itself is exceptionally rare to begin with. Otherwise you have a box full of no value cartridges.....

Find yourself a mentor who knows the local market. This will save you buying crap at high prices , and will lend you moral support.

Check out the cartridge sales sections of Gunbroker and AuctionArms. That will give you the high end price range on things you may be interested in .

Brass shotshells ? What make , what gauge , loaded , mt , ???? Some are very rare , some are very common. How badly do you want them?

And always remember , unless it truly is a one-off , rare-as-rocking-horse-turd cartridge there will ALWAYS be more out there.

Is that helpfull? I cant offer you much more than that , I'm out of touch with US cartridge prices as I havent done a collecting trip since the late 1990's , and your over-zealous Transport Safety regulations make it too difficult to transport collector cartridges internationally now

Thanks ya'll. I'm not looking to start a collection, anything I buy will be for resale. There's what looks like some interesting stuff, like 24 gauge pinfire shells, primed, and stray boxes of stuff like .25/25 and .43 Spanish. Lots of empty and partial shotshell boxes, and old reloading stuff. Just getting an idea what a bargain looks like in case I see one. Sounds like shells only really add value to a box if the box is Very Good or better.

Jeff
If you can hold off until just before Easter, head up to St. Louis, MO for the big SLICS (Saint Louis International Cartridge Show) cartridge show.
Bring a Teflon chin cup (prevents rug burns), drool bib (no sense being messy), and lots of "Charley Adam Sam Henry" (CASH) with you.

A number of what you mentioned will be found in the "you dig" bins (put your money in the coffee can), while the pricy items will be found on the tables (picture 210 tables covered with only collectable ammo).
Below are some photos from past shows

quote:

Originally posted by Tailgunner:
Jeff
If you can hold off until just before Easter, head up to St. Louis, MO for the big SLICS (Saint Louis International Cartridge Show) cartridge show.
Bring a Teflon chin cup (prevents rug burns), drool bib (no sense being messy), and lots of "Charley Adam Sam Henry" (CASH) with you.

A number of what you mentioned will be found in the "you dig" bins (put your money in the coffee can), while the pricy items will be found on the tables (picture 210 tables covered with only collectable ammo).

This is just some stuff coming up at a couple of auctions I'll be shopping for resale. With my severe lack of knowledge I'll just leave the ammo/boxes alone unless they fall dirt cheap.

Thanks!

I have been hibernating for about 2 years now,and just started to catch up here on these forums....and still quietly collecting ....Full boxes of ammo in V.G. condition boxes are the way to go,the more rare the caliber ,the higher the price....
Single cartridges are usually collected for the "Head stamp" but some collect just the brass,and others like me like loaded cartridges ...Some collect shot shells,but Empty shot shell boxes are collected and displayed b/c of the art work ...seems .410 are pretty popular ....
I also collect Speer bullet boards that start at $200+ and get higher !
Winchester items are probably the most collected ,but everyone has a reason to collect what they collect ....
As for me I want one of every cartridge produced ! I have probably 600+ cartridges now,and I'm just scratching the surface of whats out there ....if you have something I don't have I may want to purchase it !

Good Luck,

Bigbird34

Cartridge collecting is such a diverse field that it's impossible to advise anyone to take any specific direction. However its diversity means you can follow your whim and collect exactly what you want, what you enjoy and what piques your curiousity. Remember, a collection is a bunch of like items that follow a similar thread, not just a bunch of this and that. And value is determined by its two Pops, Population and Popularity. I agree that you will be well served by going to the St Louis International Cartridge Show in April. As a matter of fact, I am in one of the photos above. I'm the guy in the gray sweatshirt and red ball cap. FWIW: .22 boxes are always hot items and are a vast and complex field. Jump in and enjoy.

Okay, I'm mortally certain I blew this one. Ya'll give me a ballpark of what this lot's worth.



The .30 Super has 10 rounds, the .375 Flanged 5 each, of course, the .43 Spanish has 20, the 7.92 are "drill", which I assume are blanks, and the loose cartridges are 15 9.3x72R. At bargain prices, what were they worth?

Another lot my gut tells me I should have bought, 100 24 gauge pinfire shotgun, never loaded.

jeffive-not trying to be flippant but your cartridges are worth whatever someone who wants them is willing to pay. They are very nice boxes, ezpecially the H&H .375 Hollands. I suggest you show them on the IAA (International Ammunition Association) website and see if someone wants to stick his neck out and try for a value. It's a strange market with no set values. For instance, a few monhs back at our Kansas Cartridge Collectors Assn Show in Abilene, I bought two nice boxes, 10 rds per box, one unopened, of Eley .400/.375 Velopex for a total of $40. Then a pristine box of .404 Hoffman Arms (10 rds) for $40. Couldn't believe my luck. Then I had to spend $100 for a plain Jane box in excellent condition of Eley 475 No2 (10 rounds). I was happy to get all of them and I would have spent more on the "bargains" if that's what it took. Cartridge collecting is another emotional hobby based on "want" rather than "need".

I didn't buy either lot, deciding I didn't know enough about the subject.

The .375 Flanged/ .30 Super lot brought $50, the 24 gauge pinfires brought $30, as did a similar box of 20 gauge.

quote:

Originally posted by Jefffive:
I didn't buy either lot, deciding I didn't know enough about the subject.

The .375 Flanged/ .30 Super lot brought $50, the 24 gauge pinfires brought $30, as did a similar box of 20 gauge.

As suggested, join the IAA and you can learn alot. It will take time, but a bunch of knowledgeable and helpful people are there to help you.

Drill cartridges are not blanks; they are dummies for practice loading, etc. Probably. What are they worth? not much.