I would not even state that a licensed appraiser can give you the real value of a gun or anything else for that matter, only his personal guess at a single point in time.
Like with anything else, either brand new or old, an item is worth only what a willing buyer and seller will agree to at one moment in time. Not only will the current economy affect the general value of all used items including guns, but you are already seeing its effects on new item prices/values as well.
If you had to sell the gun you had purchased previously for $750, but had to do it within three days, and all the dealers and collectors you showed it to said it was a $2500 gun, but not one of them wanted it at the time, and I came up to you with $150 cash in my hand and I said i would take it, is your gun in reality worth $2500, $750 or $150?
Without a willing buyer (and who actually has the money) as part of the equation, not a single item has any true real value.
Dave
