Gun collectors..need some help please

Oh Haha · 10-26-2006, 04:19 PM

Ok , I found this at my parents today. I belonged to my uncle, who served in the Army during the Korean War.
I'm not a gun person so I would like your opinion on what it might be and it's worth.

onlycafe · 10-26-2006, 04:34 PM

looks like a japanese nambu replica, i have no idea as to value. sorry.

id10t · 10-26-2006, 04:39 PM

T14 Nambu, Japanese pistol. Are all the numbers matching? There are a few for sale on gunbroker.com right now, one has a bid of 575 on it... the 11.3 indicates (I think based on a google) that it was made in 1944.

Take some better pix and post in "ask the experts" at forums.gunbroker.com

Jeff Higgins · 10-26-2006, 05:48 PM

Japanese WWII stuff used to be the lowest of the low as far as collector value, so it was pretty easy to amass quite a collection of it. I hear all of that is changing as the more desireable European, British, and American stuff continues to rise in price and drop in availability. Japanese stuff has always been seen as "junk", having about the worst fit and finish of any. That does not, however, detract from its historical value.

A lot of the value assigned to the other countries' arms was due to the fact that you could actually shoot it and enjoy quite good results, common ammo, a lot of industry/enthusiast support. Not that the Japanese stuff is unsafe or not functional, but the ammo is harder to find, and they tend to be rather innaccurate. "Minute of G.I." was about all they seemed to care about from soldiers who had never held a rifle before, where other countries saw the benefit it trained riflemen and supplied them accordingly. All of that kind of detracted from their value.

While they probably won't ever catch up to the more traditional collector arms of WWII, they are certainly worth a lot more now than most of us would have guessed even a few years ago. Be careful; there are a disproportionate number of snakes in the grass of the gun collecting world; the kind that will try to convince you it's "worthless Jap crap". Do your research.

Oh Haha · 10-26-2006, 05:56 PM

Thanks guys. I spent th elast couple of hours over at the gun sites. As near as I can figure, this one was made before 1936, based on the trigger guard shape. My uncle had no kids and left everything he had amassed to my Dad, who passed away almost three years ago. My Mom is wanting us to go through and sell most of the items. We have found tons of old metal(real metal not crappy stuff) trucks and cars. We have other items such as coins, too. If any of you guys might be interested, please PM me and I can communicate in more detail.

Jeff--My Mom has already had some 'snakes" snooping around at a garage sale this summer. We have the good stuff in a safe place just in case they get any ideas.

targa911S · 10-26-2006, 06:09 PM

Ditto on Jeff's warnings. There are sharks in those waters.

alf · 05:32 AM

1936 Nambu T-14, $400 to $600 retail

edited the date.

Oh Haha · 10-27-2006, 05:14 AM

How can you tell the year, Alf? Is there some list of serial numbers like a car?

alf · 10-27-2006, 05:26 AM

Bad math. That 11.3 number is a date, actually it says Sho 11.3. 11th year of Showa, 3rd month. Showa started in 1926, 1926=Showa 1, so it is 1936, third lunar month (May/June ish). Do not dry fire it without a dummy round, they have brittle pins.

Oh Haha · 10-27-2006, 05:32 AM

Wow, that is some crazy math!!
I don't plan to fire it. My mom really just wants us kids to sell off some things so we don;t have to deal with when she goes. Strange but true.
Thanks for the help.