How important is a low serial number for Milsurp?

[Darksideblues42]

Reason I ask, I have a numbers matching Yugo M48A Mauser with a factory S/N of 1299.

Considering they made a metric F-ton of these things, I am pretty sure this is a cool thing, but not sure it adds much value.

Curious what the NES folks think about low S/N Milsurp rifles.

 

[Picton]

I’ve got a WASR that’s #1,000 in its year. I think that adds about a $.12 premium at resale.

Nah. I don’t think most collectors care all that much. Condition and features trump a low number, though it’s probably nice to have.

 

[Darksideblues42]

I’ve got a WASR that’s #1,000 in its year. I think that adds about a $.12 premium at resale.

Nah. I don’t think most collectors care all that much. Condition and features trump a low number, though it’s probably nice to have.

Good to know. Here are both of the Yugo Mausers I own.

 

[Picton]

Oooof. Love that wood on 1299.

 

[Darksideblues42]

Oooof. Love that wood on 1299.

1299 represents what I learned reconditioning an 1884 Trapdoor for a coworker.

I wrapped 1299 in newspaper and paper towels, put it in a black trash bag, and left it in the sun, either on a table or in my car over a few weeks in the summer.

I baked all the old grease and cosmoline out of the wood this way, and touched up some spots with a heat-shrink gun to really get it out.

It shoots like a dream. I can go 5-5 with a 6 inch steel plate at 100 yards using 196 grain modern ammo, and 4.7-5 at 250 yards. All iron sights. (Meaning I can get 5 out of 5 on the plate at 100 yards, and 5 for 5 most of the time, but not always at 250)

 

[PatMcD]

Matching numbers yes. Low numbers, no. Maybe if it was number 1.

 

[mac1911]

serial numbers might matter if something different happened during production with in a serial number. Serial numbers can matter to a particular collector.
Also serial numbers can matter for something like the quality the factory was putting out at that serial production range?

 

[Broc]

Reason I ask, I have a numbers matching Yugo M48A Mauser with a factory S/N of 1299.

Considering they made a metric F-ton of these things, I am pretty sure this is a cool thing, but not sure it adds much value.

Curious what the NES folks think about low S/N Milsurp rifles.

My guess:

Serials are more important when there is some sort of story or event that happened when the rifle was manufactured.

For example: maybe a high number that was manufactured the last month of the war has higher value than one mid war. Maybe not.
Maybe a certain serial number had a high probability of having seen service in a specific part of Europe due to where it was manufactured ...

I think events and where it was manufactured and something specific (like a different sight or different wood due to low supplies) add more value. Like those cheap folding stocks for M1 that people throw away, that cheap stuff will have some nice collector value one day.

 

[Dennis in MA]

I've got a 3-digit Winnie 1895 in 30US (that's 30-40 Krag to you and me.)

 

[Mountain]

My guess:

Serials are more important when there is some sort of story or event that happened when the rifle was manufactured.

For example: maybe a high number that was manufactured the last month of the war has higher value than one mid war. Maybe not.
Maybe a certain serial number had a high probability of having seen service in a specific part of Europe due to where it was manufactured ...

I think events and where it was manufactured and something specific (like a different sight or different wood due to low supplies) add more value. Like those cheap folding stocks for M1 that people throw away, that cheap stuff will have some nice collector value one day.

Pretty much this, though it could depend on the specific firearm. The earliest M1 Garands can get quite a premium though the last ones can as well. In between the WW2 Garands might fetch a couple hundred more than non-wartime. Also certain blocks that went to the USMC etc. will get a nice premium.

 

[Drix]

I don't know many people that pay premium for low numbers rather than specialty numbers.

Certain number blocks may be more valuable (high number 1903's are better quality), specific numbers sometimes can be tied to specific events or people (Audy Murphy's carbine), but generally speaking 1645 out of 4,000,000 is not going to pull a premium on its number alone.

 

[E.Stoner]

If you have a 1911 under #50 you might be a very wealthy person.

 

[Darksideblues42]

If you have a 1911 under #50 you might be a very wealthy person.

Fun story time. My great-grandfather retired as a Colonel following a stint as a reservist in the Army post WWII. He was the commander of the Atlantic Shore Battery Division No. 5, Atlantic City, NJ.

When he passed away in 1999, he had a lifetime of stuff to go through.

In a sheet metal box, the sort of thing you would put under a bed to store extra blankets in, was a bunch of US Army green wool blankets. In the blankets were two handguns. One, a fairly standard dark finish GI model M1911, the other was a 1903 Hammerless in .32 ACP with mother of pearl grips and a nickel finish.

A family member took them "to be appraised" along with a host of other "interesting" things.

No one has seen them since.