MON JAN 1, WEEKLY UPDATE #205 COLLECTORS OUTLOOK FOR 2024

As we close out this year we continue our tradition of looking at what happened in 2023 and what we expect will happen in the coming year of 2024 in the very popular world of firearm collecting .

This past year was challenging for everyone involved in the business end of the collecting community.  Our fellow dealers reported slower than usual sales activity and a significant softening of prices in most facets of collecting with just a few exceptions, namely the rarest of items.  The summer was especially slow but the winds of commerce did start to return this fall.  With my medical detention and still ongoing rehab thrown in for the last 4 months of the year our business certainly had a challenging year, what I call an Annus Horribilus.  Fortunately we have come to the end of this year with an optimistic sense that 2024 will be a much more productive year.

There are a lot of things happening in 2024 that we believe will have a very positive impact on the market.  Firstly there is a lot of WWII programming coming out including the new mini-series “MASTERS OF THE AIR’”  which is the biggest thing about WWII to come out since ”BAND OF BROTHERS”.  We expect that this will give a huge boost to 1911a desirability as these pistols were standard issue to aircrew who flew over Europe during the war.  Very likely All German war trophy pistols will see an increase in sales as well.

Secondly, the economy did not tank as had been feared.  Inflation has faded and no recession ever appeared.  America is pumping more oil than any other country in the world and that’s kept gas comparatively inexpensive; Economic fears are slowly fading away.

We see this coming year as one that will expand the collector base and help the market in general, due to increased interest in WWII as it re-enters popular culture more prominently early this year and much more attractive and approachable pricing for more available items that help beginners in this field build their collections and knowledge base.  Unlike most dealers Pre98 focuses on a very relationship focused business and we look forward to assisting all our clients this year from those just starting out to the most advanced and specialized collectors.