How much is your vintage firearm worth? These OC readers find out

I would like to know the value of my 9mm Red 9 Broomhandle Mauser, which has matching serial numbers (55185) on the parts. It has an elevation sight with graduations from 50 to 500 metres, and it shoots well. I also have a reproduction stock and holster, and stripper clips for it. I bought the gun from a friend several years ago, but he has since passed on, so I don’t know its history.

Norm Salminen

Devon, Alberta

Broomhandle Mausers are highly prized collectibles, and the Red 9 versions are a popular variation. I was able to find records of one recent sale in Canada for $2,300. That particular model had been refinished and reblued. Your gun, with all matching numbers and its original finish, should be worth at least as much, if not closer to $3,000 at an auction. Reproduction holsters don’t add a lot of value—$100 perhaps—but they do seem to make these pistols more saleable. Broomhandle Mausers are enjoyable to shoot, and they’re generally accurate and reliable.