In my opinion, not having the case it came with will lower the value, as a lot of people like the Eagle cases that HK sold them with. That being said, if I came across one without the case and in good condition, it would not stop me from making an offer. The FDE Mark 23 is sought after by many and the fact that it does not have a case is not a deal breaker, you just won't get as much for it. It is like having any pistol with no box.

 

I would agree with this but distinguish it from other guns without a box as I assume a disproportionate number of all FDE Mark 23s have all their stuff. The value would be affected to a disproportionately greater degree as it is and always has been more aimed at collectors than shooters.

 

Hey @GreatGunner19 , yes the FDE Mark23 does bring a premium since only 500 were made, the money range of course depends on the market as it fluctuates, I have seen this particular H&K pistol bring $3,500 - $4,500+ depending on condition, and everything being present in what's referred to as 'The Package'. First and foremost an unmolested/pristine MK23, it must be housed in the Eagle brand soft case that H&K shipped the MK23 in, Camouflage or OD Green colors IIRC, if I'm not correct on this please correct. Also included are the operator manual, spent case in a small envelope with certifications written on it by H&K personnel, spare O-Rings for the barrel, and I believe an Black H&K branding cleaning kit.

IF ANY of the above mentioned pieces are missing, the perceived and real value do drop, how much is again determined by the market and buyers in general, as well as condition of the MK23 itself, obviously unfired is preferred.

I in 2007 bought an OD Green USP Tactical 45 with under 50 rounds on it for a stupid low price, the pistol was missing the H&K Adjustable sights which I replaced with NIB ones for $100 + $35 to have a custom pistol smith install, also missing was the Black H&K branded cleaning kit which I was able to locate for $35, so I was still more than willing to pay what the seller was asking - now days this pistol with 'The Complete Package' is bringing $3,500 - $4,500.

Personaly if I was looking at an FDE MK23, if it was missing pieces from 'The Package', not in the soft Eagle branded case, and in obviously 'worn' condition' I would not offer any more than a used Black MK23...that's just me and probably many other buyers.

Sorry for the wordy reply =)

 

Collectibility and demand for a FDE Mark 23 will be there but not as strong as if it had its accessories. Discerning collectors will turn their nose up to it unless it’s a crazy good deal etc. You are correct there are not many out there but the vast majority seem to be with collectors of some sort who have maintained all the proper accessories and it if you find one likely as not it has not been shot. I am not sure what you mean by “other collectible versions” not being affected by the missing stuff. P7k3 boxes for instance seem to bring hundreds of dollars presumably from collectors trying to reassemble the package. Another companies commemorative of the military issue handgun shipped in cardboard boxes while the “enthusiasts” quipped about how cheap that was/it should have a better box etc. No it shouldn’t. The gun already cost twice what a similar model from the same company costs and that is because collectors willing to pay that much want it to come as it shipped to the military. Not with a nicer box. The complainers wouldn’t have bought the gun at its price point regardless of how it shipped. To collectors it matters. With collectible firearms a huge/disproportionate value is in the top percentages of condition. Along with that the first question a collector will have is “Does it have what it is supposed to have with it? If not can what it’s missing be sourced and how much would that cost/weighing the cost of the assembled package against one that has all that it should. For instance if you are looking at two ANIB Mark 23s, one with case, one without. The one without is devalued by at least the cost of the case which is several hundred dollars, if you can find them, so there should be the time spent running one down as well if you value your time. If test targets are missing that will also really turn down a collector as they cannot be sourced.
It is still a collectible gun to a different kind of collector with pockets not so deep and/or a serious collector looking for a shooter/spare or just good deal. It should be worth more than a similarly not-equipped black Mark 23 but not as much as a FDE with what it should have.

 

Last time I saw a tan Eagle Mark 23 case for sale it was almost 1000.00. It sold for that. Something to consider.

 

That’s pretty nuts. Kinda like the original Mark23 LAM being worth more than the gun itself

 

I would run the serial number .

 

If you are referring to this one, my guess with 11 days left, it will continue to climb.

GunBroker.com - Error

 

If you are referring to this one, my guess with 11 days left, it will continue to climb.

GunBroker.com - Error

This is what got me thinking….I know gunbroker has obscene pricing sometimes but I wonder what the draw is to this condition and “gun” only up for sale. It will probably end up selling for well over 3k and you think if the person buying is wanting to collect

If you are referring to this one, my guess with 11 days left, it will continue to climb.

GunBroker.com - Error

This is what got me thinking….I know gunbroker has obscene pricing sometimes but I wonder what the draw is to this condition and “gun” only up for sale. It will probably end up selling for well over 3k. You wonder if the buyer will be able to get more for it down the road in its condition just because it’s FDE.

 

Yeah these guys used to sell for less than the black version when they were new. I love mine, and I always wonder what it is worth with the whole package including the lam and knights suppressor.

 

FDE with the kit or black with the kit? Purely subjective but I don’t think they look right in a “complete kit” with FDE. FDE wasn’t the USSOCOM submission/adopted gun but those components were. Aside from a few slides with the correct markings the closest to the adopted gun are the black Marks. Those accessories belong on black Marks! Lol.
Kind of like an Inox M9 or Black M17/M18 (not a swerve into those guns, just an example of preferring how they were adopted).
Don’t get me wrong a complete kit with a With a Mark 23 would be worth a lot. In FDE the components certainly are (unless the slide is an extremely an early marked “MARK”, or some such unicorn. Standard Mark will not bring the $ FDE will all else being equal. But I think the kit looks better with a black gun. In FDE it’s like it’s a homage gun to a gun/kit that never was. ymmv 👍

 

Should I tell y'all about the tan Mark 23 complete kit with LAM I passed up in '08? I should. Sitting in a pawn shop. Had the original LAM 450. Case, paper work, all of the pouches. 1700.00 out the door. Passed it up because the economy was eroding. Long standing financial corporations were evaporating over night. I wasn't sure my career would survive. So, I passed it up. Dummy. Okay, flame away.

 

@azimuth that really sucks, but I totally understand those situations, it's pretty scary to say the least, would never 'flame' anyone over something like that! =)