Of all the activities in the Gun Culture, one of the most interesting and rewarding (to me) is collecting Curio and Relic firearms. A person can start his collecting in many areas; some examples of collection areas are:

Type of firearms (rifle, revolver, shotgun, machine guns)

Manufacturer ( Colt, Webley, Smith & Wesson)

Era or Period of use (WW1, WW2, Civil War, Modern)

If you are interested in older firearms, one of the ways to further your collecting is to get a Curio & Relics Federal Firearms License. This license allows you to collect firearms classified as Curio and Relics. You can download a Curio & Relics Application in .pdf format from the ATF website by using this link. Fill the application out, Send it with $30, and in a few weeks (after your background check), you will be able to join the select ranks of "Crufflers" with all the privileges and responsibilities pertaining (including trying to figure out how you will pay that &@*@^$# "VISA" bill off..........).

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The "official" BATF determinination of what a C&R is:

CURIOS OR RELICS AND COLLECTOR'S ITEMS:
DEFINITIONS AND DETERMINATIONS
"Curios or relics" is defined in 27 CFR § 178.11, as follows:

Firearms which are of special interest to collectors by reason of some quality other than is associated with firearms intended for sporting use or as offensive or defensive weapons. To be recognized as curios or relics, firearms must fall within one of the following categories:

• (a) Firearms which were manufactured at least 50 years prior to the current date, but not including replicas thereof;
• (b) Firearms which are certified by the curator of a municipal, State, or Federal museum which exhibits firearms to be curios or relics of museum interest; and
• (c) Any other firearms which derive a substantial part of their monetary value from the fact that they are novel, rare, bizarre, or because of their association with some historical figure, period, or event. Proof of qualification of a particular firearm under this category may be established by evidence of present value and evidence that like firearms are not available except as collector's items, or that the value of like firearms available in ordinary commercial channels is substantially less.

Firearms that are not listed on the official list and that need to be classified can be classified by sending a request to the ATF for addition to the list. A copy of the list is availlable on the ATF web site both as text and in ".pdf" format.

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[please sign my guestbook]

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Some Curio and Relics Links

Please check the pages below for some of my favorite links for Crufflers.

A short essay re: Why we "Crffle" by Kyrie

Nagant Reloading

Lee Enfield Carbine

GEW 98 Rifle

Webley Mark IV

JGA Karabiner Page

Remington Rolling Block Rifle page

Remington Model 14 Slide Action Rifle page

Smith Wesson Victory Project

Links to C&R Dealers

Links to some great C&R websites

Some photos of Curio & Relic Firearms

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If you have any questions or comments about this site, please let me know at: mailto:chas79@ameritech.net

Last updated 10/10/2001