Selling Advice for Borchardt C-93

[prm297]

Hi all,

I recently inherited what I believe to be, after doing some research, a Borchardt C-93. The information on the gun is as follows:

It's marked Waffenfabrik Loewe Berlin over the chamber.
The toggle is marked D.R.P. No 75837
Left side of the barrel has B U G and the number 17223.
The number 43 is on the bottom of the grip, the trigger, the bottom of the magazine, and the shoulder stock lug.
The right side of the barrel reads "System Borchardt Patent"
The stock itself doesn't seem to be matched to the gun in any visible way.

I've posted some pictures so that you can see the condition of the gun and stock. I wanted to see if anyone could give me advice on how much they think this gun is really worth. Also, what is the best way to sell something like this. I've never done this before but I do know enough to recognize the value of this gun and want to make sure that it ends up in the right hands for the right price.

Any advice would greatly be appreciated.

http://flic.kr/p/cKc3Dd
http://flic.kr/p/cKc3Kw
http://flic.kr/p/cKc3Rd
http://flic.kr/p/cKc3Zw
http://flic.kr/p/cKc48s
http://flic.kr/p/cKc4cS
http://flic.kr/p/cKc4ju
http://flic.kr/p/cKc4r7

[Scorch]

Definitely a Borchardt C93. Don't know about the shoulder stock, I have never seen an original for a Borchardt, just photos. Last fleeting glimpse of one I saw, the price was into serious money, north of the $30,000 mark. Check out this site, they had one for sale, perhaps they can advise.
http://phoenixinvestmentarms.com/History%20Book/937borchardtDWM.htm

[gyvel]

Agree with scorch. The stock is not the pattern of Borchardt stock that I have seen, but if it fits the gun, it was obviously made for it. As far as value, I also concur with scorch that the value is going to exceed 30k. You have a very early production gun, and the condition is pretty decent.

I bought a Borchardt back in the mid 60s that I eventually sold in 1972 for about a thousand dollars, and it was basically trashed.

You got a nice inheritance. If you decide to keep it for a while, it is only going to keep escalating in value.

[mapsjanhere]

As for the best way to sell something like that - a top grade auction. People who pay the price of a decent car for a collectible gun want it in hand to inspect (or have a true professional inspect it if they're phone bidders), and you're not going to get that kind of crowd on gunbroker or at the local gun show.

[Winchester_73]

The gun "sounds" mismatched to me, but even still this design was the first mass produced commercially successful semi auto pistol ever made. On second thought, the one that Scorch provided has two different 5 digit SNs , one on barrel and one on toggle. The gun that he showed us is a different collector category than the gun of the OP. Its a complete cased set, and all original with condition. Although I am sure, the OPs gun is valuable itself. Also remember retailers such as Phoenix investments and Simpson LTD always get more than what most people are able to get. Its what they do.

The borchardt is a very important part of pistol history. Arriving in 1893, this gun was 3 years before the C-96, and about 6 years or so before the luger and the FN 1900. This design also was the inspiration for the Luger pistol. Georg Luger took the toggle action and fit the concept to a better design to invent the Luger pistol aka Parabellum.

I would post this to the Jan Still forum and see what info you can find:

The area of 1900 to 1918 would probably be best. The gun is unusual enough that it does not seem to fit any of their categories lol. Nice piece btw.

http://luger.gunboards.com/forumdisplay.php?38-1900-1918-German-(non-P08)-Pistols-amp-Holsters

[James K]

Here is a picture of a Borchardt with an original stock. The leather holster is attached to the other side. I have no idea who made the stock in the OP's pictures, but it does not resemble any pistol stock I have ever seen, and looks vaguely oriental.

Jim

[Webleymkv]

Even if it's mismatched, I'd still think that a gun of that vintage and rarity would be worth thousands, if not tens of thousands, of dollars particularly when it's in as good condition as yours appears to be. Given the potential value of such a gun, I'd be looking into a professional appraisal were it mine (this would also be very helpful for insurance purposes).

[prm297]

Thanks everyone for all the advice, I really appreciate it. I definitely understand now how rare and special this item is! Unfortunately, along with this gun I also inherited a bit of other expenses that need to be taken care of! Furthermore, I have a feeling that this gun will bring a lot more joy in someone else's hands.

That being said, some of you mentioned that the best place to sell this gun would be through professional services or an auction house. Does anyone have any specific recommendations? In particular, I'm now located in the Bay Area. Does anyone have any advice on auction houses or alternative venues that would be appropriate?

As always, any help would be greatly appreciated.

[thickice]

I used this auction to dispose of my brother's Remington collection, found him trustworthy and very knowledgeable. He is located in Anaheim CA, just down the road. http://www.littlejohnsauctionservice.com/auctions.html

[Mike Irwin]

Wow. Pretty spectacular.

As for the stock holster, it appears to be tiger stripe maple. Definitely not a common wood for making the stock holsers for these things.

[carguychris]

I agree with the others, particularly W73 and Mike Irwin. Even with the mismatched numbers, this pistol appears exceptional. If I were you, I would use an auctioneer that is world-renowned and is watched by leagues of collectors with very deep pockets. :) Although it's out of your area, I would recommend Heritage Auctions in Dallas, TX:

http://historical.ha.com/armsarmor/?ic=task-historical-armsarmor

[prm297]

Here is a link to my flickr photo album that has much higher resolution photos. Let me know if there is anything in particular you would like to see close up.

http://flic.kr/ps/26Qd4j

Any additional information gleaned from these photos?

Thanks again for all the help and advice, I really appreciate it.

[PetahW]

IMHO, you need to get outside your area of local comfort, and put it in the hands of a world-famous auction house, that can/will realize the maximum return for it - like, James D. Julia , Christie's, Manion's, Sotheby's, Cowan's Auctions, Rock Island Auction Co, etc - all of which have websites (google).

You can send your pics to a few, then legally under Federal Law send (UPS/FEDEX) the pistol directly to the house of your choice (they're all FFL's) with confidence (they're also bonded).

Some may even have a CA office.

.

[James K]

FWIW, I dug into some old information and couldn't find any mention of a stock of that design or of any Borchardt stock that contained the gun (like the Mauser stock/holster). That one appears well made and functional; if it was not factory, it apparently used the attaching iron from a factory stock.

Jim

[pitfighter]

There is one for sale at a Gunstore, in Burbank, CA - without holster and missing the rear sling swivel for $18K.
It has been there for a year or so, yours with the stock/holster is nicer.

I agree, you should take to an auction house where it will get in front of the right potential buyers.

Pit.

[James K]

Items like that rarely sell at local gun shops because the exposure is too small. They need nationwide advertising and the resources of a big auction house, and that almost always means a quicker sale.

The down side is that items sold at auction just won't usually bring anywhere near a retail price* because most of the bidders are dealers who want to resell the item and need to buy at wholesale.

*Most value quotes on this and other sites will be the retail price, that is what a gun might bring on a direct sale, or what a dealer would sell the gun for, not what he would give for it.

Jim

[kilimanjaro]

That certainly appears to be a truly rare and outstanding piece. I would think something like a Christie's auction house in NYC would be able to give you some education on a potential sale process.

You will want to have it appraised and insured appropriately, immediately, as well as securely stored.