Wow, I own an M-1 carbine myself and while I can't remember exactly what I paid for it I can assure you it wasn't very much. When and why did these guns take such a leap in value? I didn't think they were particularly rare or highly prized by collectors. They aren't very accurate and are woefully underpowered. The only good use I have ever found for mine was target plinking. I did kill a deer with it once. ONCE! I won't try that again.