Interesting auction in Indy with lots of surplus guns and WWII items

[kaveman]

So you just let me wander around yesterday with my number hanging out for everyone to see?!

What kind of friend would not tell you to 'check your fly'?

I don't really believe any of this stuff matters. Generally speaking, I'm gonna bid what I'm gonna bid and no more. Doesn't matter who sees me doing it, but I'm not one of those guys who's going to start fidgeting and sweating as I approach my limit. I try to be like the guy I hate bidding against,.....someone who just stands there and raises a bid with no hesitation or emotion until he drops out and waits for the next lot. You'll never see an auctioneer even try to coax another bid out of him. He bids 'til he's done and then turns his back.

Internet bidding is a different animal. You have to know going in that you're at a huge disadvantage and that you really should not win a single lot. If you win, you've probably screwed up. Everybody else gets to inspect the item,.....you do not. And you're automatically going to pay 8% more than all those other people who were able to inspect the item. And then you're either going to pay to ship the item or go get it,......and all those other people who have inspected the item and are granted an 8% discount could have just put it in their pocket and carried it home with them. In my case I'm saying that the gun is worth $378.78 and a five hour round trip to Indy when everybody at the auction says it wasn't worth $300. Chances are very good that I'm the one who's wrong.

 

[rob63]

Were you the guy with long hair who took a couple LC Smiths home?

No, I bought a Civil War era musket, only thing I bid on. Ironically, the guy directly behind me wanted the exact same musket. I listened to him talk about it to his buddy for the entire auction. He only wanted it because it was originally made in PA, didn't know anything else about it. It wasn't his day to win.

 

[indy1919a4]

Winning bid was $300. Internet buyers' premium of 18% is tacked onto that totaling $354. Indiana tax of 7% calculated on the whole for an invoice total of $378.78. Without having the chance to check the auction rules I assumed that I was committing to AT LEAST $350 with my "$300" bid. After winning I back-checked and saw the 18% plus tax and wagged it at $375.

*NOTE*,.....this is NOT the way it should be done, but I literally found the object of my desire minutes before it hit the block and it was "now or never". I was willing to take a chance at $300 but I was done bidding at that point. $325 would have taken it from me and I'd be cussing up a blue streak today if I'd let it go for that. But after having time to look at the pics a few more times and fully understanding the contractual terms of the auction, I'd be willing to go $500 now,......but I still haven't seen the gun. I just know that if "Merwin Hulbert" had been written in the description instead of "Hopkins & Allen" I wouldn't have won it. It would have sold for twice as much. Since I wasn't there I have no way of knowing if the auctioneer mentioned "Merwin Hulbert" to the crowd, but I suspect he did since it was mentioned in the sparse description.

Many thanks for the detailed report... So if you wanted it mailed to you was there a seperate area for charging you shipping??? Was this charged to like your credit card or will you pay when you arrive??? Do not mean to be personal at all but never purchased over the live auction like you before...

 

[indy1919a4]

No, I bought a Civil War era musket, only thing I bid on. Ironically, the guy directly behind me wanted the exact same musket. I listened to him talk about it to his buddy for the entire auction. He only wanted it because it was originally made in PA, didn't know anything else about it. It wasn't his day to win.

 

[kaveman]

Many thanks for the detailed report... So if you wanted it mailed to you was there a seperate area for charging you shipping??? Was this charged to like your credit card or will you pay when you arrive??? Do not mean to be personal at all but never purchased over the live auction like you before...

Don't know yet. All the website says is that Indiana buyers can pick up in Indy during business hours and out-of-state buyers can have shipped to an FFL. I'll call on Monday to talk about options. It's legally an antique and can be mailed to anyone anywhere, but that's often sketchy to the seller. They did not list this as not requiring paperwork like they did the muzzle-loaders so I'd imagine they'll balk at that. I do have a C&R so that might suffice. Or I can send it to a local FFL,.....all depends on their shipping rate and process. I've already wagged the travel expense at $25-30 and it's still nice enough to enjoy the drive. Tried to win several other lots to make it worth the drive but everything else went too high for me. There's another auction on Wednesday but I seriously doubt I'll be bidding on any of that.

Internet bidding requires the submission of a CC but my purchase was not charged to the card. They simply send an invoice for the amount. I suppose I can pay by phone with the CC or in person if/when I pick up. If I flake and never show I'm sure my card will be charged and the revolver will run again in the next auction. I was lucky that I was already registered. I tried to register as the lots were auctioning off but the system said my email was already in use,....so I threw my 'normal' password at it and all my info including the CC came up. If it hadn't I probably wouldn't have been able to get access before the gun sold. Lucky day.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

What kind of friend would not tell you to 'check your fly'?

I don't really believe any of this stuff matters. Generally speaking, I'm gonna bid what I'm gonna bid and no more. Doesn't matter who sees me doing it, but I'm not one of those guys who's going to start fidgeting and sweating as I approach my limit. I try to be like the guy I hate bidding against,.....someone who just stands there and raises a bid with no hesitation or emotion until he drops out and waits for the next lot. You'll never see an auctioneer even try to coax another bid out of him. He bids 'til he's done and then turns his back.

Internet bidding is a different animal. You have to know going in that you're at a huge disadvantage and that you really should not win a single lot. If you win, you've probably screwed up. Everybody else gets to inspect the item,.....you do not. And you're automatically going to pay 8% more than all those other people who were able to inspect the item. And then you're either going to pay to ship the item or go get it,......and all those other people who have inspected the item and are granted an 8% discount could have just put it in their pocket and carried it home with them. In my case I'm saying that the gun is worth $378.78 and a five hour round trip to Indy when everybody at the auction says it wasn't worth $300. Chances are very good that I'm the one who's wrong.

There were actually quite a few internet bids that won. I wasn't paying close attention but I would guesstimate at least a third of the lots went to internet bidders. May have been even more. That high end Mauser ("sporterized" with painted scope) didn't get a single floor bid. It was at $2750 when the bidding started, and that's what it sold for. It was a beautiful rifle, but way too rich for my blood!

 

[indy1919a4]

I'll call on Monday to talk about options. It's legally an antique and can be mailed to anyone anywhere, but that's often sketchy to the seller. They did not list this as not requiring paperwork like they did the muzzle-loaders so I'd imagine they'll balk at that.

Many thanks for the Info. No matter if they do not classify this as antique, Christies is an FFL and if need ,they will run the check for you at no charge. That is one nice perk of that auction house.

And per your statement about if an online person does not pay, I have seen where a few weeks later some of the Items from a previous auction that were won by online folks.. Turns up again.

 

[KellyinAvon]

No, I bought a Civil War era musket, only thing I bid on. Ironically, the guy directly behind me wanted the exact same musket. I listened to him talk about it to his buddy for the entire auction. He only wanted it because it was originally made in PA, didn't know anything else about it. It wasn't his day to win.

I think that was a guy sitting to my left. I had a pretty big guy sitting directly in front of me, that worked out well since I could scratch my face without buying a gun.

 

[indy1919a4]

The one Rifle I was hoping for and did win was the KARAB 98B which is one of those neat Mauser 98 variants.. About 70k made. Made in the 20s & 30s. Wonderful gun designed to skirt the Versailles treaty . On the bad side it was duffle cut. But it was pretty professionally repaired

https://christys.hibid.com/lot/5916...le-cal--8mm--7-92--sn--2412-d?cpage=2&ipp=100

https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/49/530/scarce-model-98-kar-98b-bolt-action-rifle


[video=youtube;9zlVAh0Ua-g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zlVAh0Ua-g[/video]

 

[steif]

and the bad thing about the K98b was you wouldnt know what you had till you got home and took it apart.
There could very well be a deaths head or SSZZA4 or other markings under the woodline meaning it was a rework for the SS. SSZZA4 was the depot that reworked the SS 98's. SSZZA1 did machine guns, SSZZA2 did sniper k98's. SSZZA4 did normal conversions or rebuilds for the SS.

 

[indy1919a4]

and the bad thing about the K98b was you wouldnt know what you had till you got home and took it apart.
There could very well be a deaths head or SSZZA4 or other markings under the woodline meaning it was a rework for the SS. SSZZA4 was the depot that reworked the SS 98's. SSZZA1 did machine guns, SSZZA2 did sniper k98's. SSZZA4 did normal conversions or rebuilds for the SS.

From what I have seen, if the rifle would have been reworked like you say, they would placed a k98k barrel on it. This was the correct length.. But who knows where and how something travels.

 

[rob63]

The one Rifle I was hoping for and did win was the KALAB 98B which is one of those neat Mauser 98 variants.. About 70k made. Made in the 20s & 30s. Wonderful gun designed to skirt the Versailles treaty . On the bad side it was duffle cut. But it was pretty professionally repaired

I think that is a very interesting pick up. It's been a while since I last read up on these, were they completely new made rifles or were they allowed to use parts from old Gew 98's?

 

[indy1919a4]

I think that is a very interesting pick up. It's been a while since I last read up on these, were they completely new made rifles or were they allowed to use parts from old Gew 98's?

You know what. That is a good question, seems to be many different opinions and no real records. No one really knows how many were made 50k to 100k. Some claim they reused parts other say there are new receivers. Some say a mixture of both. Some point to the inspector marks and say see older receivers. Others say they stamped the old inspector marks to hide the truth that they were new. Some say they stamped them with imperial inspector stamps because that was the inspector stamps they had until the mid 1930s.

But they probably were put together at the great Simson arms factory.

 

[kaveman]

For anyone interested, my little revolver is shipping to me for a $16 charge. Couldn't hardly pass that up vs spending 6hrs behind the wheel and twice that much to pick up in person. Very pleasant and efficient people to deal with btw(Sharon).

 

[indy1919a4]

For anyone interested, my little revolver is shipping to me for a $16 charge. Couldn't hardly pass that up vs spending 6hrs behind the wheel and twice that much to pick up in person. Very pleasant and efficient people to deal with btw(Sharon).

Thanks for sharing that, 16 dollars is very sweet.. I am vicariously living though you with this.. One additional favor, when then gun comes in I would like your opinion on how well it was boxed up.. Many thanks

 

[kaveman]

Sure, it's coming Priority Mail Flat Rate. Should be here in a couple of days and I'll post up something of a review. Hope it gets to be a good one,.....I hate bad reviews.

 

[rob63]

Thanks for sharing that, 16 dollars is very sweet.. I am vicariously living though you with this.. One additional favor, when then gun comes in I would like your opinion on how well it was boxed up.. Many thanks

I once bought a musket from an auction house in NC that literally just put it in a cardboard box by itself. No paper, bubble wrap, etc. Just the musket.

Other than that one instance, places have always been very good about packaging.

 

[maxipum]

Anyone know what the G43 sold for? Just curious.

 

[kaveman]

$1700 was the hammer price. Add 17% for floor sale or 25% for internet sale for buyers' premium and tax.

Wanna talk about poor packaging? I once bought a full auto Armalite AR10 from a dealer who shipped it in a cardboard box that had nothing but two handfuls of limestone gravel for packing. Seriously,....just scooped up from the driveway and tossed in the box with the bare gun. Nobody can beat that story,.....and it's true.

 

[indy1919a4]

$1700 was the hammer price. Add 17% for floor sale or 25% for internet sale for buyers' premium and tax.

Wanna talk about poor packaging? I once bought a full auto Armalite AR10 from a dealer who shipped it in a cardboard box that had nothing but two handfuls of limestone gravel for packing. Seriously,....just scooped up from the driveway and tossed in the box with the bare gun. Nobody can beat that story,.....and it's true.

Gravel????? Like in Rocks... Like hard rocks.. you know real hard rocks...???

Was the gun damaged???? Did it have any protection..???? Did you verbally trash this guy for that horrible deed???