value of gun

Question
how much could my 10 gauge double-barrel laminated steel shotgun produced by national arms co. be worth.

Answer
Ray,

Thanks for your question.  

First, let me give you a little background on your gun.  National Arms was the house brand name for a company called H&D Folsom Arms Company.  The specific house brand name was used for firearms manufactured for May Hardware in Washington, DC and for Moskowitz and Herbach Co. in Philadelphia.  (this info courtesy of Sid Lark, another expert on this site).

H&D Folsom was not a manufacturer, but a distributor.  The actual manufacturer was a company called Crescent Firearms which later became Crescent-Davis firearms.  Crescent was controlled by Folsom until around 1932.  Crescent manufactured guns for hundreds of retailers, distributors and mail order houses.  Almost all remaining guns from this manufacturer are priced as shooters and have no collectable value.

When I checked my reference guides, there was no apparent reference to a shotgun manufactured by Crescent in 10 gauge.  I am guessing that when you say 'laminated steel', you are referring to a 'damascus' steel barrel.  Visually, the barrel appears to be 'wound' or 'layered'.  If this is the type of barrel you have I would NOT RECOMMEND that you try to fire the gun.  The barrel may not be able to withstand the pressures generated modern shotgun shells.  The gun could be irreparably damaged and you could be injured if you attempt to fire the gun.

The two models that I have a reference for are a single shot model and a side by side model.  The side by sides have values ranging from  $250 in 95% condition to $170 in 80% condition.

If it is single shot, the single shot is probably worth between $60 and $100.  

There were also some Damascus barreled shotguns referenced as being sold by Folsom that I found a reference to from Sid Lark.  He quoted the value at $425 in good condition, about $350 in fair condition and $275 in poor condition.  I have no idea what condition your gun is in...you are probably in a much better position to tell.

It is very possible that since H&D Folsom was a distributor that someone other than Crescent made the gun for them.  Unfortunately, I have no way of knowing.  I know Folsom did import some shotgun, but they were generally sold under a different brand name.

I know this is probably a bit confusing, but since I don't know exactly what you've got, I tried to give you a range of possibilities...

I hope this helps and you are welcome to ask follow up questions if you like.

Regards,

Doug