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Overall, for the average shooter, this is a very nice program to manage his collection.

FIREARMS ENGRAVING & GUN VALUES

BY JIM SUPICA, OLD TOWN STATION, LTD., COLLECTIBLE FIREARMS (WWW.ARMCHAIRGUNSHOW.COM)

(ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN NRA’S INSIGHTS MAGAZINE)

What in the world could make a gun worth more than a new car? Or worth more than a new house, for that matter? In most cases, when a gun is hammered “sold” for five or six figures at one of the high-end auction houses, part of the answer is “engraving.” But if that is the case, how come that engraved commemorative you saw at the last gun show was offered for less than a standard model? To explain this situation, let’s take a look at the history of firearms engraving, and the market for old and new engraved guns today.

THE ORIGIN OF ENGRAVING

The origin of decorated arms is lost in the mists of pre-history. The role of man’s earliest weapons in providing food and ensuring his survival made them some of the earliest and most important tools. The impulse to decorate and personalize them must have accounted for some of humankind’s first artistic endeavors.