Series: Flayderman's Guide to Antique American Firearms & Their Values | Publication Date: December 17, 2007
Over 450,000 copies sold and in circulation! Here's why:
Identification: Over 4,000 antique American firearm models and variants extensively described with all marks and specifications necessary for quick identification.
Values: Over 4,000 individually priced firearms. Full information on how to assess values based on demand, rarity and conditions.
Illustrations: Over 1,700 large scale photographs accompany model descriptions for convenient identification.
Quick Reference: An easily-understood organization, a standardized numbering system, extensive cross referencing and a comprehensive index all aid in making this book a must reference for every gun enthusiast.
Firearms History: Histories of the makers with dates and locations of manufacture and quantities manufactured.
Trends in Collecting: A review of the ever-changing collecting and buying patterns which have resulted in a volatile present-day collecting market.
Flayderman's has not revised gun values since 2001. They put a date on the reverse of the fly page of 2004, but it just a re-print of the one compiled in 2000 and printed in 2001. I hope others are not fooled like I was thinking they are getting an updated book. I feel I wasted my money. Gun values have changed too much in the last few years, and I find this book worthless.
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As a collector of Civil War carbines, this is the most important book I own for my hobby. There is wonderful background information for novice and professional alike. The number and quality of entries is phenomenal. The information about each gun includes a bit of history, model descriptions, number manufactured, markings, variations; everything that is essential to the collector. Just a couple of nits -- the values quoted are usually low, and some variants of guns have a "scarce, worth premium" note. It would help to know what that premium is, even an approximation. All things considered, this book is a must have for every gun collector.
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This book is indispensible for collectors and sellers. The text provides excellent information not found in other publications that cover such a wide variety of items. The only consistent deficiency I found is its pricing. Pricing does not match with publications printed annually that are dedicated more to current firearms value than the value of information provided by Flayderman's. As with anything, no one is always right or wrong. I recommend this book based on the historical research done by Mr. Flayderman.
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