One of the most common questions among collectors is "how much is my firearm worth?"  It is also one of the most difficult questions to answer.  Ultimately the answer is what the owner is willing to part with it for and what a buyer is willing to give for it.  In many cases that is not a satisfactory answer.  A value may be needed for insurance purposes or as an opening offer in negotiations for a sale.  Of course it's also good to have a general knowledge of values before shopping for a new purchase.  A part of human nature is to keep track of assets too, even if there is no intention of selling them.

The usual solution is to have a firearm appraised and there are several publications to aid in that as well as dealers and professional appraisers in most larger cities.   However, military surplus firearms are somewhat unique and generally require an intimate knowledge of the small nuances between makers, years, markings, and condition.   The final value will also reflect the background of the appraiser as this is a subjective "art" rather than a science.  Values will change over time due to outside factors as varied as the health of the general economy, changes in import regulations, and greater availability from new importations, not to mention inflation.   For these reasons a list of Mosin Nagant variations with values attached to them is an exercise in futility and will not be attempted here.

Instead, an effort will be made to show how firearms are valued by those with experience in this area and specifically with Mosin Nagants.  To that end several knowledgeable and respected members of the Mosin Nagant collecting community will be invited to offer their opinions on a single rifle.  Each of their evaluations will be made without seeing those of the other collectors.  While the main purpose is to help the less experienced collector understand how to appraise a firearm, it is suspected that a wide variety of opinions will also be demonstrated and confirm the points made above.

Each appraiser will give a short introduction of themselves so that the reader will have an understanding of their background that might influence their conclusions.   This will include; how long have they been collecting, the focus of their collection, the general geographic area they live in, and anything else they think is relevant.  The information they give on the firearm will include any features that they see as positive to the value, any features that they see as negative to the value, and what features or history of the firearm appeal to them as a collector.  Finally, two dollar amounts will be given; what they would be willing to pay to add the firearm to their collection and what they would ask for the rifle if they were selling it.

It should be clarified that the appraisals will be done from photographs which is not an ideal situation, but will enable a larger number of collector's from a variety of backgrounds and locations to participate.  Hopefully more firearms can be treated in the future and this section of 7.62x54r.net will continue to grow.  Thanks to "Radom" of Gunboards.com for initiating the discussion that lead to this project and for many of the ideas incorporated here; Brent "Tuco" Snodgrass and Vic Thomas for providing Gunboards.com where Mosin Nagant collectors can gather and share their opinions on value and other aspects of collecting; and finally to the collectors who are participating in this project and giving their time and expertise to make it possible.

At this time rifles from outside the 7.62x54r.net collection are not being accepted for appraisal.  It would not be possible to accept them in a manner that would be fair to all site visitors or to the appraisers who volunteer their time to make this project possible.  Thank you for your understanding.

Due to busy schedules the appraisals have been suspended indefinitely.  If they resume it will be noted on the Update page.