This may be my 1st posting-so I hope I am not violating any rules.

20 years ago I bought a super clean 1899 Carbine from the family of an Ohio collector.  I had plans to shoot it-but that project never got off the ground. 

I would like to sell it-but would like to get a fair price.  This is where I need some input.

I suspect it was might have been from the Ohio National Guard.
The stock has 'C97' in 1/2 inch characters very neatly done.  The stock appears military-but there is no inspector stamping, perhaps lightly sanded?  Overall metal is like new.

What might the a value?  And would this be a good place to offer it for sale?

Thanks for your patience.

'Hal' - Clear detailed photos of your Krag's markings and sights would help get a fair assessment of your Krag and its value.

You really want to contact the KCA Administrator if you want to try and sell it here. It would be listed in the KCA 'Classifieds".

FWIW - An excellent model 1899 carbine will only be worth around $1,400. Most are worth far less.

It may well be a VERY nice looking carbine, but I'm very sorry - "perhaps lightly sanded" does NOT describe anything NEAR "pristine". On a pristine piece you can almost cut your finger on the cartouche!

To quote (closely) the wise sage Dick Hosmer from past postings, it can be worth anywhere from $200-$20,000!

It just depends...

Detailed photos would be essential for a better estimate of value. 
Vic

Thanks to all for your responses.  I appreciate your comments and understand that pristine is a poor description. I know that pictures would help with identification.  I will take some and attempt to post.  It is entirely possible that the previous owner may have refinished the wood and/or metal since it is so nice.  I have no history from the owner to rely on, only best guesses based on inspection.

Is it difficult to post photos? 
Is Poyer's book good for identification?

Thanks again for taking your time to respond.

Hal,

It is really easy to post pictures but a couple things have to be done. The pictures need to be under around 700 kb in size and not too big inches-wise. Pictures that are too many kb will not load and give a red error message. Too large pictures inches-wise will take a large space and require viewers to shift the image around to see it.

Go to the post page, where you have been clicking on to post your descriptions, and on the left side click repeatedly on the "Attachments" down arrow. That will give you up to 5 "Choose File" boxes to find your pictures on your computer and post them.

If you have problems, let us know.

The KCA website has a wealth of pictures and historic posts that you can read through and learn all about your Krag. Poyer's book is a great start for learning a lot about Krags and it's cheap. Other references for Krags are more expensive. Start with Poyer's.

Good luck. We look forward to seeing your Krag and critiquing it- good and bad!!

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Thanks for posting! Great picture of a VERY nice rig, which ANYONE would be proud to own!  The scattered leaves were a particularly nice touch. On a pristine specimen, though, the cartouche would not only be visible, but easily readable at that scale. So, it has been cleaned, but still VERY nice indeed - you should have no trouble selling it - I'd think for somewhere around $3,000 for all.

Dick - That is Whig's display. I don't think he is selling!

(It is a very nice photo and compost .... oops ... composition)!

The OP has not posted any pictures yet, 'Whig' was just guiding the way.

Thanks, Dick. I do like the $3,000 estimate, though!

As Chuck said, just sharing pictures.

Maybe op's Krag looks great too,.

Maybe we'll see some feet in his photos!   8-)

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butlersrangers wrote on Jul 8^th, 2020 at 3:42pm:

Maybe we'll see some feet in his photos!   8-)

Chuck, I think the virus is bringing out things in you we'd rather not know about!
Sorry to all about the stupid mistake on the picture - but it doesn't change my opinion of the value.

I am anxious for your thoughts on the carbine.  I know my photo quality can use some improvement.  I am getting an error message regarding the size.  Even when I go with only 1 attachment, it errs as too large.  Not sure how to reset my camera.

Many thanks-

I am anxious for your thoughts on the carbine.  I know my photo quality can use some improvement.  I am getting an error message regarding the size.  Even when I go with only 1 attachment, it errs as too large.  Not sure how to reset my camera.

Many thanks-

You do not need to "reset" your camera - just use the editing program that is on your computer. For a Mac, that is "Preview".

trying a photo

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another photo.

still working on this!  Not getting the details I desired, It is a painful process.

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Well it is beautifully done modified carbine. I see a 96 stock and blued receiver and hardware. Unfortunately not original. Others will give you more details. Dick's info on using Apple products will not apply if you are using a windows machine.
I right click on the photo to be edited and choose open with paintbrush. Paint brush will have an Icon near the upper left that says resize photo or something like that. If you are starting with a very big photo try 50 or 60 percent in place of 100%. If you need to get a small amount decrease 96% percent could work. Once you enter a number it should show up in both directions.
When finished save it as a revised name with a JPG extension (keeps prom destroying the original). After you have saved it check properties of the saved photo. If you hit it well all is good. If not delete it and try again on the original.

It appears we are going to be seeing a Pretty Krag, but not, a Pristine Krag.

The action is either a model 1899 or 1898, the rear-sight is a 1902 rifle sight.

The stock is a model 1896 stock in Italian walnut. We need to see more forearm to tell if it is a rifle stock or replacement 'long - forearm' carbine stock.

A sling has been added. The butt-swivel does not appear to be recessed into the wood and is rather far forward.

The metal appears attractive and commercially refinished.

My hunch is that this is going to prove to be a rather nice 'Hunting/Sportered' Krag.

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Wow! That stock and metal sure have been redone well! The stock looks gorgeous. Along the lines of a Turnbull restoration, quality-wise from these couple pictures. It appears to have been sanded a good bit from the soft, tapered edges of the grasping grooves but has been well contoured and refinished professionally.The bluing of the metal the same way.

Unless there are major issues, this Krag will carry a premium price over regular, average sporterized (heavily refinished or altered) Krags. It will not have the value of a military configuration Krag that has not been refinished. Hopefully the bore is nice and it will be a great shooter.

It certainly will look nice hanging on a wall or taking to the range, though. Quite an eye-turner!

More pictures needed to enjoy more but thanks for sharing!

Thanks all for sharing your thoughts and continued patience with a newcomer.  I will work on some more detailed photos.  I am really anxious to find out what I have--or don't have. 

Best wishes, 

Hal
What a beautiful piece of wood and suburb refinish work overall!  Looks like a very nice sporter.   The pics are appreciated.
Vic