GB listings for May, 2017 - Albanian

[running-man]

Here are the Albanian SKS 561s for this month. 

• # sold: 4
• Lowest Sale Price: $775.00
• Avg. Sale Price: $873.00
• Highest Sale Price: $982.00
• As-Issued Avg. Price: $895.67

Please let me know any feedback (good or bad) to these.

If you have an objection or observation to add to anything I've listed, by all means call it out.  Let's look at it long and hard (I only look at each listing for a minute or two at most) and maybe everyone can learn a thing or two! 

-RM

Item Link | Description |# Bids | Final Price | Arsenal Condition | Current Condition | RM's Notes

• 643070456 | Albanian SKS in cosmoline 7.62x39 | 15 | $982.00  | As-Issued | Good | Little crack in the stock, damn nice gun here.  This price would have been a decent NK/EG/NVA price just 4 years ago.
• 641943203 | Albanian SKS Vg-Exc. Cond., NOT Russian or Norinco | 21 | $930.00  | As-Issued | Good | I don't know about "premium grade", but it's a decent gun with beautiful bluing.
• 645622205 | Rare Albanian SKS 20" 7.62 | 1 | $775.00  | As-Issued | Good | This gun would have pushed $900 with better photos.
• 645738891 | Rare Albanian SKS excellent condition | 20 | $805.00  | Refurbished | Good | Mismatching magazine on this one (which the seller disclosed).  Otherwise, looks like a decent little gun.

[Loose}{Cannon]

All 4 guns were pretty nice.   I guess the 76 sold for a premium because of the year despite the two cracks in the stock?

[running-man]

I'd assume that's the reason along with the vert low S/N.  Who knows with these anymore though?  I never thought I'd see the day of $1000 good condition Albanians...

[MxwllBkr]

A few years ago my LGS had two all matching Albys sit on the shelf for about a year........they where the ugliest ones I've ever seen though.......still wish I got one just to fill thout slot until a better one showed up.....

[spongemonkey]

Yeah, I can remember a couple years back going to a local gun show where a vendor had quite a few of them on his table and had asking prices of $399 then.  Wish now that I would have grabbed one.   

[Loose}{Cannon]

Can't remember the vender....  Had a bunch a few years ago for I think $350 or $399  My father got one.

[running-man]

Back in '02 here's the ad from AIM when they were first offered for sale:



I, being the cheapskate that I am, didn't spend the extra $40 and instead got an all matching good/VG condition one for $229.95.  That was big money for an SKS way back then as a generic Chinese SKS could be had for $150 to $200 still and Russians weren't even pushing $300. 

A year later, as AIM was liquidating the final few hundred of these they had remaining, they offered them for $79 shipped...I bought one. 
I wish I would have backed up the truck on that deal.

[Loose}{Cannon]

Think thats who had them circa 2014.  Perhaps they held some back?

[Phosphorus32]

Wow, cool ad from 2002 in RM's files.

If I were a paranoid man it would beg the question, "I wonder what he has on the RM-NSA server for P32"? If I ever have to get a clearance I'm not recommending him as a reference 

Glad I got my beater Albanian to fill the gap in the collection a year ago. I feel like it was a steal now. At these GB prices I'm unlikely to ever upgrade it but I certainly keep my eyes open when I'm out in the wild, dropping in on gun/pawn shops.

[firstchoice]

Seems like the last time I looked, the Alby's were in the $600 range. (It's been a busy Spring) Now, they're in the high $900's? Wow! I agree with the comments on the auction pictures. Those guys are losing money by not taking their time and posting at least 20 good pics of a rifle that could bring that much money.

I noticed that the '70 and the '76 were both bought by the same GB Buyer, BSN2012. He's going to have a nice Alby collection at this rate.

Are these SN's being added to the Alby SN Data Base? Would it help to post the SN's on that page?

645738891 | Rare Albanian SKS excellent condition | 20 | $805.00  | Refurbished | Good | (69)
In addition to the mismatched magazine, the stock looks to be an Alby replacement stock. No visable SN on the stock and definitely a different color than the handguard. What do you think? Seller didn't claim the stock was matching, just that everything numbered was matching except the magazine. A little wordplay, or a honest mistake from not knowing. Judging from this past year's auctions, matching doesn't seem to be a huge factor with many of these Buyers.

firstchoice

[wvsks]

^^^^I remember that one. The seller was originally asking something like $1500 firm, then he opened an auction on it when he discovered nobody in their right mind would pay that much for that rifle. The description also claims that it's the rarest of all SKS variants and that "you'll never see another Albanian SKS like this one ever again".


You're definitely right about the prices though, they seem like they're skyrocketing.

[running-man]

Hey FC, long time no hear!  Yes I pull all Albys for the tracking page but unfortunately I don't update that page more than a few times per year. I'll see if I can update it with all my queued numbers soon. 

[wvsks]

Back in '02 here's the ad from AIM when they were first offered for sale:



I, being the cheapskate that I am, didn't spend the extra $40 and instead got an all matching good/VG condition one for $229.95.  That was big money for an SKS way back then as a generic Chinese SKS could be had for $150 to $200 still and Russians weren't even pushing $300. 

A year later, as AIM was liquidating the final few hundred of these they had remaining, they offered them for $79 shipped...I bought one. 
I wish I would have backed up the truck on that deal.

There is a seller on GB now who has a whole bunch of AIM Albanians. Wish I had some extra cash...

http://www.gunbroker.com/All/BI.aspx?Keywords=albanian&Sort=13

[Direct Connection]

Im very sceptical when the seller makes the viewer search for the year of the gun he's selling. There was a couple like that. automatically eliminates me from any further interests in that sellers items since almost everything is a scam these days. Nice gun but why not just post up the year next to the title and never mention it in the description.

Yep , Glad I got at least one that I can call mine.