A box of... treasure?

skoro · May 11, 2013, 09:01 PM

I was helping my wife clean out some closets and drawers at her mom's house, as mom is in hospice care now. Her dad passed away 5 years ago.

Found a small heavy box in one drawer and opened it to find:

FN Herstal Browning 7.65mm 32acp
Llama 32 acp, mini-1911 style
Hi Standard Sentinel 22LR revolver
Pair of Raven 25 acp
All were in pretty good or better condition.

Several boxes of ammo for each caliber: Remington, Federal, and Winchester. The centerfire was all fmj.

Now, I know the Ravens are pretty low quality, even though these are probably unfired. And the Hi Standard is no prize. Neither is the Lama. But I'm thinking the Herstal/Browning might have some collector value.

Any of know much about this particular handgun?

Thanks!

Sharpsdressed Man · May 11, 2013, 09:25 PM

$350-$500 on the FN. People prefer the .380 version to the .32, and recent polymer "pocket" guns in .380 have made the demand for those old quality .32's and .380's less than yesteryear. Nice guns, not imported after 1968 due to import restrictions. A pristine one with box or pouch might bring $600.

skoro · May 11, 2013, 09:38 PM

Makes sense to prefer the 380 over the 32. This thing doesn't strike me as a pocket pistol, but would probably carry nicely IWB.

**Mike Irwin** · May 12, 2013, 07:55 AM

That Llama isn't a bad plinker. I know a couple people who have had various flavors of Llamas, and they've generally been happy with them.

The Sentinel is also a good plinker.

skoro · May 12, 2013, 08:59 AM

That's pretty much what I figured on the Hi Std and Llama. Decent pieces but certainly not valuable.

**Mike Irwin** · May 12, 2013, 01:06 PM

I keep a 6" Sentinel in one of the desk drawers in my office...

**44 AMP** · May 13, 2013, 11:48 AM

The FN has some collector value, particularly if pristine. Demand overall for carry use is down, as Mike said, due to the glut of newer, more modern designs, and the .32 caliber.

The Hi Standard is a good revolver, but not a great one. The best ones (IMO) are the early all steel ones. A good plinker, or trail gun, but not up to the standards of S&W, Colt, or Ruger.

I have had two Llamas, back in the 80s, and both had ...issues. If you have one that works, fine. If not, its just a headache.

The Raven, Jennings, Davis, etc., guns are generally considered just above junk, because they do work, sometimes. Any gun (that works) beats no gun, but a gun you can't count on isn't very reassuring. The .25s usually feed better than the .22s, but that's only by compairison, as virtually all .25s feed better than similar .22s, due to the common .25 acp FMJ ammo vs the lead/plated bullet rimfire round.

I've got a Jennings .22 that will run an entire magazine without an issue, with the right ammo. Usually. More often than not. And only with the right ammo. Not really useful, but it is a gun, and doesn't take up much space....

shouldazagged · May 13, 2013, 12:01 PM

Quote:

I've got a Jennings .22 that will run an entire magazine without an issue, with the right ammo. Usually. More often than not. And only with the right ammo. Not really useful, but it is a gun, and doesn't take up much space....

Sort of like having a parachute that usually opens.

Webleymkv · May 13, 2013, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Now, I know the Ravens are pretty low quality, even though these are probably unfired. And the Hi Standard is no prize. Neither is the Lama. But I'm thinking the Herstal/Browning might have some collector value.

Actually, from everything I've ever heard, the Ravens are some of the better guns in their price range and typically more reliable than Jennings, Davis, or Bryco so long as you don't try to shoot anything but FMJ (I know, it's kind of like saying that you don't stink much for a fat lady).

Winchester_73 · May 13, 2013, 12:34 PM

Quote:

$350-$500 on the FN. People prefer the .380 version to the .32, and recent polymer "pocket" guns in .380 have made the demand for those old quality .32's and .380's less than yesteryear. Nice guns, not imported after 1968 due to import restrictions. A pristine one with box or pouch might bring $600.

Actually we need to know which FN it is, as there at least 3 that come to mind. There is the FN 1900, the FN 1910, and the FN 1922. All of them are 32, all are FN, and all have "HERSTAL" on them AFAIK.

Without proper ID, assigning a value is a total shot in the dark. Many have unique military histories, so we need pics of the markings, pics of the gun, partial serial number, etc.

skoro · May 13, 2013, 01:24 PM

I don't have the FN available right now, but it's in good shape, with a few speckles of surface rust and some slight wer on the bluing. I did check to see that the numbers matched, and they do. But again, I don't have the SN at hand right now. Looks just like this one, but in better shape:

AirCool65 · May 13, 2013, 04:25 PM

Interesting stuff doesn't have to be expensive... or particularly valuable. I have to remind my wife of that periodically when she questions the number of cars parked in the driveway.

Winchester_73 · May 13, 2013, 04:27 PM

That is the FN 1922. There are several varieties. I have one in my collection. They were made for the Beglians before WWII, then the Nazi's captured the factory and made them for themselves, then some were made after WWII.

skoro · May 13, 2013, 06:25 PM

For all the info. It might be a couple of weeks before I get a chance to fire these things and see how they function. When I do, I'll come back with a report.

May 11, 2013, 09:01 PM	#1
skoro Senior Member Join Date: April 30, 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 1,952	A box of... treasure? I was helping my wife clean out some closets and drawers at her mom's house, as mom is in hospice care now. Her dad passed away 5 years ago. Found a small heavy box in one drawer and opened it to find: FN Herstal Browning 7.65mm 32acp Llama 32 acp, mini-1911 style Hi Standard Sentinel 22LR revolver Pair of Raven 25 acp All were in pretty good or better condition. Several boxes of ammo for each caliber: Remington, Federal, and Winchester. The centerfire was all fmj. Now, I know the Ravens are pretty low quality, even though these are probably unfired. And the Hi Standard is no prize. Neither is the Lama. But I'm thinking the Herstal/Browning might have some collector value. Any of know much about this particular handgun? Thanks!

May 12, 2013, 07:55 AM	#4
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,388	That Llama isn't a bad plinker. I know a couple people who have had various flavors of Llamas, and they've generally been happy with them. The Sentinel is also a good plinker. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

May 12, 2013, 01:06 PM	#6
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,388	I keep a 6" Sentinel in one of the desk drawers in my office... __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

May 13, 2013, 11:48 AM	#7
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,832	The FN has some collector value, particularly if pristine. Demand overall for carry use is down, as Mike said, due to the glut of newer, more modern designs, and the .32 caliber. The Hi Standard is a good revolver, but not a great one. The best ones (IMO) are the early all steel ones. A good plinker, or trail gun, but not up to the standards of S&W, Colt, or Ruger. I have had two Llamas, back in the 80s, and both had ...issues. If you have one that works, fine. If not, its just a headache. The Raven, Jennings, Davis, etc., guns are generally considered just above junk, because they do work, sometimes. Any gun (that works) beats no gun, but a gun you can't count on isn't very reassuring. The .25s usually feed better than the .22s, but that's only by compairison, as virtually all .25s feed better than similar .22s, due to the common .25 acp FMJ ammo vs the lead/plated bullet rimfire round. I've got a Jennings .22 that will run an entire magazine without an issue, with the right ammo. Usually. More often than not. And only with the right ammo. Not really useful, but it is a gun, and doesn't take up much space.... __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.

May 13, 2013, 04:27 PM	#13
Winchester_73 Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2008 Location: Pittsburgh PA Posts: 2,863	That is the FN 1922. There are several varieties. I have one in my collection. They were made for the Beglians before WWII, then the Nazi's captured the factory and made them for themselves, then some were made after WWII. __________________ Winchester 73, the TFL user that won the west

May 11, 2013, 09:25 PM	#2
Sharpsdressed Man Junior member Join Date: June 21, 2009 Location: NE Ohio Posts: 1,176	$350-$500 on the FN. People prefer the .380 version to the .32, and recent polymer "pocket" guns in .380 have made the demand for those old quality .32's and .380's less than yesteryear. Nice guns, not imported after 1968 due to import restrictions. A pristine one with box or pouch might bring $600.

May 11, 2013, 09:38 PM	#3
skoro Senior Member Join Date: April 30, 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 1,952	Makes sense to prefer the 380 over the 32. This thing doesn't strike me as a pocket pistol, but would probably carry nicely IWB.

May 12, 2013, 08:59 AM	#5
skoro Senior Member Join Date: April 30, 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 1,952	That's pretty much what I figured on the Hi Std and Llama. Decent pieces but certainly not valuable.

May 13, 2013, 01:24 PM	#11
skoro Senior Member Join Date: April 30, 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 1,952	I don't have the FN available right now, but it's in good shape, with a few speckles of surface rust and some slight wer on the bluing. I did check to see that the numbers matched, and they do. But again, I don't have the SN at hand right now. Looks just like this one, but in better shape:

May 13, 2013, 04:25 PM	#12
AirCool65 Senior Member Join Date: April 22, 2013 Location: Virginia Posts: 110	Interesting stuff doesn't have to be expensive... or particularly valuable. I have to remind my wife of that periodically when she questions the number of cars parked in the driveway.

May 13, 2013, 06:25 PM	#14
skoro Senior Member Join Date: April 30, 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 1,952	Thanks, guys... For all the info. It might be a couple of weeks before I get a chance to fire these things and see how they function. When I do, I'll come back with a report.