Ideal Gas Checks Colectors item or just components

Posted originally in the Vintage section, but only had one rely. Thanks in advance.


Ideal Gas Checks.... Collectors item or just use them?
A friend just gave me a sealed factory box of 1000 Ideal 6.5mm Gas Checks that look like they are from the 50s. Brown paperboard taped shut top and bottom. Ideal label stuck on one side of it. I won't open it to see if they are brass or copper. Would this box and contents have any collectability? Thanks in advance, and please don't ask to buy them here. After I get some input, I will decide whether to keep them or sell them. Thanks in advance for input! Tomon

I'd save the box for the novelty of it.
The checks themselves are about as collectable as .22LRs from the same era.

They would look nice setting on a shelf , not sure how collectable they are. I do not think they crimp on as tight as modern checks so I would not use them myself. They are made to fit the old Ideal molds that were available at the time and are usually thinner than modern checks , might be too large to fit a modern mold and are brass instead of gilding metal. The brass part hurts nothing of course but the fit might be an issue unless you have an old ideal or Lyman mold that they fit.

I'm not a collector. I currently am only Cast Bullet shooting 30 caliber rifles. Thanks for the input so far!

They are brass.
They are likely thinner than typical modern copper GCs.

Here is something I have learned over my few years of boolit casting, that will likely transfer over to 6.5mm (but I will admit I don't know 100% for sure).

I have some old Ideal 35 cal GC's and also a old Ideal 358156 mold. The boolit's GC shank seem slightly larger, whereas a Gator GC is a Bear to install, but the older Ideal GCs slide on easily, but with enough friction to stay on nicely until Sized, then they are on snug as a bug in a rug. I have the same experience with a 410610 mold and old Ideal 41 cal GCs.

So to my point, I would be willing to bet that those GCs might be worth more to someone with a old Ideal 6.5mm mold ...as in, more than 'retail' for Gator GCs. Collectability, not so much ...but the mint condition empty paperboard container might bring a couple bucks. I have several on my shelf. I have at least one box that is old enough to not have a paper label, but just ink stamped info on the side of the box.

If I were selling them I would ask $10-$15 more than the cost of currently made checks in that size. Lots of those older molds are still in use and somebody will be glad to have them . I have a mold that uses them but I use modern checks on it and have never had an issue doing so , yes they fit tighter but they still go on and stay on like Jonb said.

Thanks for the input! I'll let the thread run for another week, as I have a lot of stuff to do this week. Our club's annual Youth Day is this Saturday, and I'm running the .22 Benchrest portion. Over 100 kids are registered already! They'll be in 8 groups, 4 in the morning, 4 in the PM.

The checks are posted in Swapping and Selling for $50 shipped. Thanks for loooking!