The Most Valuable Krags
Re: The Most Valuable Krags
Besides Clyde's rifle the other two Krags are interesting.
Re: The Most Valuable Krags
It would be interesting to have the first and last one built. Looks like #1 may have been destroyed. What about the last one?
I bought an engine from a dealer/rebuilder for the large John Deere tractor I have. The fellow that delivered it said the seller actually has the first and last 6030s built. Supposed to be a legendary tractor in John Deere's history but they just sell for what they can do as a tractor. One I tracked locally went to a rebuilder in Germany that buys them to fix up and sell as working units. He paid $6000.00 and expected to get $45,000 when completed.
Is the Krag with highest number of the last one built even known? Maybe the were numbered receivers with higher numbers that did not get finished and were sold for parts?
I bought an engine from a dealer/rebuilder for the large John Deere tractor I have. The fellow that delivered it said the seller actually has the first and last 6030s built. Supposed to be a legendary tractor in John Deere's history but they just sell for what they can do as a tractor. One I tracked locally went to a rebuilder in Germany that buys them to fix up and sell as working units. He paid $6000.00 and expected to get $45,000 when completed.
Is the Krag with highest number of the last one built even known? Maybe the were numbered receivers with higher numbers that did not get finished and were sold for parts?
Re: The Most Valuable Krags
It would be interesting to have the first and last one built. Looks like #1 may have been destroyed. What about the last one?
I bought an engine from a dealer/rebuilder for the large John Deere tractor I have. The fellow that delivered it said the seller actually has the first and last 6030s built. Supposed to be a legendary tractor in John Deere's history but they just sell for what they can do as a tractor. One I tracked locally went to a rebuilder in Germany that buys them to fix up and sell as working units. He paid $6000.00 and expected to get $45,000 when completed.
Is the Krag with highest number of the last one built even known? Maybe there were numbered receivers with higher numbers that did not get finished and were sold for parts?
I bought an engine from a dealer/rebuilder for the large John Deere tractor I have. The fellow that delivered it said the seller actually has the first and last 6030s built. Supposed to be a legendary tractor in John Deere's history but they just sell for what they can do as a tractor. One I tracked locally went to a rebuilder in Germany that buys them to fix up and sell as working units. He paid $6000.00 and expected to get $45,000 when completed.
Is the Krag with highest number of the last one built even known? Maybe there were numbered receivers with higher numbers that did not get finished and were sold for parts?
Re: The Most Valuable Krags
Fred, we have thrown that one around for a while. I don't think anyone can state for certain what the "last" Krag was that was built. Springfield Armory continued piecing these things together long after the official "Stop" date for production because they had lots of extra parts in the parts bins and fixed and updated Krags for years.
My highest Krag number is 482709 but I have seen a few higher. Mallory's 1st edition lists the highest observed Krag serial number as 489840.
Without searching through my other references, I do believe there have still been some higher numbers seen since this listing in Mallory 1st edition. Mook lists number 505999 as having been manufactured November 1903. I don't know his reference for this.
Maybe we should all chime in with high numbers known.
My highest Krag number is 482709 but I have seen a few higher. Mallory's 1st edition lists the highest observed Krag serial number as 489840.
Without searching through my other references, I do believe there have still been some higher numbers seen since this listing in Mallory 1st edition. Mook lists number 505999 as having been manufactured November 1903. I don't know his reference for this.
Maybe we should all chime in with high numbers known.
Re: The Most Valuable Krags
That may have been 305999 due to a heavy hammer strike on the stamp or a damaged stamp. You would expect to see rifles in the 490k, and 500 to 504k serial number ranges if 505999 was part of the production run of Krags.
We are not seeing those numbers though we do see multiple krags in the 460 to low 487s that support the 489 cutoff.
Like you said we do not know his source nor do we have the rifle or a picture of the rifle's receiver to be certain.
Of course, it could be a case of a leftover receiver that was hand stamped and built up. However I am thinking not likely.
We are not seeing those numbers though we do see multiple krags in the 460 to low 487s that support the 489 cutoff.
Like you said we do not know his source nor do we have the rifle or a picture of the rifle's receiver to be certain.
Of course, it could be a case of a leftover receiver that was hand stamped and built up. However I am thinking not likely.
Deacon in the Church of the Mighty Krag. Member of PETA (People Eating Tasty Animals). Liberty Works Radio
Re: The Most Valuable Krags
Now that you mention it I seem to remember discussions of high numbers before. Assigning a super value because of a number is kind of pointless. If it was 490101 would 490100 be worth a whole lot less? So you pay $10,000 to get the last Krag and a couple of years later 490102 shows up. The last ones may have been using up parts that were not quite good enough for the regular production run but good enough someone did not have the heart to throw it away.
Re: The Most Valuable Krags
I think a "Last" numbered firearm, like a Krag, would be worth a premium if it was well documented what number was actually the last produced. We don't have those records for the Krag.
I think that the first 100 Krags would carry a premium, also, if they were in original configuration.
Really specific info on Garand:
According to Mr. Scott Duff's blue book on the post war M1 Garand, the last "official" M1 Garand came off of the Springfield Armory assembly line at 10:43 AM on 17, May 1957. Mr. Garand attended the ceremony. The serial number of this rifle was 6084405. It is now on display at the Springfield Armory museum. M1 Garand's with higher serial numbers than 6084405 do exist, however, they are rather rare, hard to find and very valuable. Many high 6-million serial numbered M1 Garands were built into National Match rifles using left over existing receivers
I think that the first 100 Krags would carry a premium, also, if they were in original configuration.
Really specific info on Garand:
According to Mr. Scott Duff's blue book on the post war M1 Garand, the last "official" M1 Garand came off of the Springfield Armory assembly line at 10:43 AM on 17, May 1957. Mr. Garand attended the ceremony. The serial number of this rifle was 6084405. It is now on display at the Springfield Armory museum. M1 Garand's with higher serial numbers than 6084405 do exist, however, they are rather rare, hard to find and very valuable. Many high 6-million serial numbered M1 Garands were built into National Match rifles using left over existing receivers