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Dans Club
March 28, 2023
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You don't come across a story like this too often. What a story! A 1886 45-90 lever action Winchester that had been sitting in the original shipping box for 140 years! Seems the great grandfather ordered this gun and then put it in the attic and forgot about it! 140 years go by and family farm is still in the family and somewhere in a dusty corner of the attic is a box long forgotten. One of the great grandsons sees it and pulls it out and opens it up and finds a time capsule! A brand new Winchester lever action that had never even come out of the box! What a story! Anyway I thought I would share this fantastic story I think the winning bid was over $200,000 plus the hammer fees were way too rich for me but this would be the find of a lifetime. I wash I new how to download the video that's on You Tube I don't know how but here are some
s!
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Dans Club
February 22, 2009
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Buy the gun, not the story....
Technically, the glass is always full; half liquid, half air....
Dans Club
February 24, 2013
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Neat story, but I think Ron has a good point. But, a 140 year old gun NIB definitely has a high value!!
Dans Club
March 28, 2023
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Yea it would not matter if the story was there or not. As you said an unfired gun still in a Shipping wood box 140 years old that's priceless. It does explain though how the gun was left sitting there for all that time. Just the fact the house was in the family for all that time gives credence that a gun could be new in the box all that time. It's a compelling story to me . Think of it the men who made the gun have been dead for 100 years! (est) Also the gun was special heat treated and the fact that they shipped guns in wood boxes with ammo in the box. I wonder if he ordered the ammo or they just included it with the special order. Now the scabbard is also interesting. If you ordered a Winchester in 1887 they shipped it in the leather scabbard. That also most likely kept the gun in such good condition. Also think of it you did not have people putting guns in safes 140 years ago. They bought guns to use on the ranch. To shoot food and protect from wolves and big cats. I would rather have this than one of the gold blunder bus guns the king used in the 1600's. I have seen those guns go for over a million at auction. I guess that's why I like the show American Pickers. Here in AZ we don't have these 400 year old homes like back in the east. You don't see old stuff at yard sales like you would back east! I bet Pennsylvania has a lot of old homes! I remember on the show they found a 1908 Indian motorcycle under a porch that had been built with the bike inside.
Dans Club
February 24, 2013
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One of the things I remember being astonished by when on a tour bus on the east coast near Martha’s Vineyard back in1998 was the driver pointed out the small houses/cottages we were driving past were 300+ years old at that time. The oldest house I had seen in Illinois at that time was about 125 yrs old.
Dans Club
December 5, 2008
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My experience leads me to believe that a rifle stored in a box for that period of time would have significant rust. Definitely would not have a pristine finish. A leather case would be worse because of the tendency of the leather to attract moisture. But maybe there is something I am missing.
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Dans Club
February 22, 2009
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snake-eye said
My experience leads me to believe that a rifle stored in a box for that period of time would have significant rust. Definitely would not have a pristine finish. A leather case would be worse because of the tendency of the leather to attract moisture. But maybe there is something I am missing.
That's one of many discrepancies brought up on the Winchester Arms Collectors Association site when it came up for auction last summer. BTW, it hammered at 300K
Technically, the glass is always full; half liquid, half air....
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