Baxter Bean Rifle @ Auction

[JTR]

It's a good looking gun, and says it has good rifling, so could be a fine shooter for not much money! Bragging rights for a very cool barrel signature!
Try to find a modern made shooter for those bucks!
John

[A Scanlan]

Seems to me just maybe the auction company knows a little more about this that they have posted....just saying!

[JTR]

If I was still shooting these things, I'd pay around 1500/2000 for this one. It's good looking, especially with that barrel, and way more special than a kibler CNC kit gun. And less than a new custom built one.
John
 

[A Scanlan]

But the question is, "Can one shoot it"?  Once again, a statement that the bore is "good" does not make it shootable.  Additionally the question of how the lock and triggers function  is ?? 

They call it a "presentation rifle".  What does that mean?  If they know that it was "presented" to someone maybe they also know who made it.  But maybe if these bits of info were known it would detract form the appeal.

An original Baxter Bean rifle is the open market would be a real prize and would command some serious money.  I'll stop short of calling is a fake but a reconstructed one, shooting or not, is not all that attractive.

[A Scanlan]

$2700 plus 20% plus taxes plus shipping.  A bargain for an original Baxter Bean BUT not so sure about being a bargain for a repo with an original B Bean barrel.  And no so sure it was in condition to shoot.  Someone got a novel item none the less.

[JTR]

Dueling check books! And yes, with auctions 20%, tax, shipping, that's a lot of money for a barrel! Cool barrel, but not that cool!

[bama]

Boys, like it or not who ever got it, even if it is not all original or even shootable in my opinion got a deal for an original B. Bean barrel. If it is a restock and the rest of the parts are original, he got a steal.

I located a C. Bean rifle one time that was busted up and crudely put back together, mostly new wood, a few new parts but a nicely signed barrel and mostly original parts. It did not look nowhere near as good as this rifle, the price tag was several thousand more than what this rifle went for. I did not buy the rifle and I don't know if it ever sold but I can tell you this for sure, a good contemporary B. Bean rifle with a "new" barrel will cost you what this rifle went for and probably a tad more.

We all wish we had a good Bean rifle but the reality is they are few and far between. Sometimes, you just got to take what's there and be happy.

[Hlbly]

Hey, Jim. I know where one nice C. BEAN  rifle resides.

[bama]

I wonder where that might be? 

[A Scanlan]

I find the appeal in the character that made it not so much as the rifle itself.  It's just another SMR.

Maybe that is the case in many things collectible.

Baxter was quite a character.

[Hlbly]

And the Mona Lisa is just another painting.

[Hungry Horse]

 JTR; This gun kinda reminds me of an original tomahawk I saw for sale that only had the handle replace three times, and the head twice.

Hungry Horse

[A Scanlan]

I read the Mona Lisa was valued in 2023 at $700 or $770 million. There is solid historical records which link it to ole Leo throughout history. (FYI, it is not "signed")  Not unlike our hobby there are "unknown" makers, attributed makers and then signed works which firmly establish the maker.  So the point being as I see it, there are at least two elements to "value".  One is what I'll call intrinsic value.  The market will assign an intrinsic value to everything.  Once that same object achieves an attribution, the value will likely increase.  And once that object is proven to have been created by a specific "artist", the value will further likely increase.  So the value is the greatest when the artist is solidly established and SO, yes, who made it is a very large part of the "value".

The Mona Lisa is not worth $770 million because of solely what it is but a significant part of that is linked to the "WHO" that painted it.

Just like our hobby the art world is constantly studying and finding new information on things.  Should it ever be verified that Leo did not paint it wonder what would happen to the value?

[Tanselman]

Seems like everyone is beating this dog to death with their personal opinions. When the pics are enlarged, the hardware looks good to me, so I think the buyer got a lot more than just a signed barrel for his money. Whether the stock is a perfect copy or a ballpark copy probably isn't a big issue to the buyer. I'm guessing he really wanted a Bean rifle, couldn't find or afford a better one, and if the stock wasn't perfect on this one, it was good enough and not a big deal to him. He's probably sitting at home admiring the rifle, tickled he got it at that price, and more than satisfied with his purchase. To him, it's his Mona Lisa, and it probably gives him that same little smirk.

Shelby Gallien

[Avlrc]

Seems like everyone is beating this dog to death with their personal opinions. When the pics are enlarged, the hardware looks good to me, so I think the buyer got a lot more than just a signed barrel for his money. Whether the stock is a perfect copy or a ballpark copy probably isn't a big issue to the buyer. I'm guessing he really wanted a Bean rifle, couldn't find or afford a better one, and if the stock wasn't perfect on this one, it was good enough and not a big deal to him. He's probably sitting at home admiring the rifle, tickled he got it at that price, and more than satisfied with his purchase. To him, it's his Mona Lisa and it probably gives him that same little smirk.

Shelby Gallien

Exactly

[A Scanlan]

Yeah, I beat it up as much as I could making a poor attempt to discourage potential buyers from bidding.  If only the buyer would have read my posts they may have passed and I would have won!  Crazy, I know.   

[whetrock]

Sure nuff!  A really bad rifle.  Must have been taken by a fit of stupidity when I said I would like to have it.  Restock...kiss of death!  I tried helping a friend sell a rifle with a signed barrel and a very desirable maker at that.  Priced at $3,500 and had a lot of people interested at the CLA show years ago...then some guy pipes up that it was a restock.  Immediately everyone lost interest even at $500.  Funny thing was that it may not have been a restock. So we sure don't want to get stuck with a restock!  And restock or not it was a very attractive rifle, unlike this dog.

Yeah, I beat it up as much as I could making a poor attempt to discourage potential buyers from bidding.  If only the buyer would have read my posts they may have passed and I would have won!  Crazy, I know.   

  ?