Still no wiser... and I guess father time will never reveal the truth!
I got a reply from Joe Murfin at the Daisy Museum, on the trove of Daisy's from last weeks shopping spree..
Amazing work he and his team do!
I think the info contained below is both interesting and educational for me, who 3 weeks ago had no clue..
Hope others might enjoy too..
Here are the evaluations for the five guns you submitted:
Daisy No. 25 March, 1973.
As you know, Daisy made the Model 25 from 1914 to 1978. Then it was brought back in celebration of the company's centennial, for one year, in 1986. Again, in 2009 it was brought back into the product line and is still being marketed today. Therefore, there are many variations of this gun - both in wood and in plastic.
Because your gun has plastic stock and pump grip, it was made in 1952 or after. Because it was made in Rogers, AR, we know it's post-relocation from Plymouth, MI 1958. Your gun bears LOT NO. C374715 which means it was made in March, 1973. This gun is called a Variant 13 of model 25s with plastic stocks.
The Blue Book of Airgun Values estimates the value of this variation in the following percentages of condition and originality to be:
20% $30 40% $45 60% $70 80% $85 90% $105 95% $130 100% $150
Daisy 1938B February, 2003
The Daisy Red Ryder was first made in 1940 on a No. 111, Model 40 frame. This version was made until 1942, then continued after WWII from 1945 to 1954. The Red Ryder BB gun continued as the Model 94 from 1954 to 1957. There were no Daisy Red Ryders made from 1957 to 1972.
Beginning in 1972, the 1938 model frame was used for the Daisy Red Ryder and the letter B was added to the model in 1979 when a mechanical safety was added. The 1938B is the model you have and it's the one still being made today.
Your gun, with Lot Number 0203012327 was made in February, 2003. Its value would range from $15 to $35 depending on condition.
Daisy 95B October, 1985
The Model 95 lever-action Daisy BB gun was a great old model that was in the product line from 1964 to 2003. It was a heavier and wider-framed gun than the lever-action Red Ryder and was only dropped from the line because the Red Ryder was listed by far more retailers than was the 95. If a retailer was going to carry a lever action Daisy, they felt it had to be the Red Ryder because of the name recognition. Due to the much higher production numbers of the Red Ryder, it was far more economical to manufacture than the Model 95.
Lot numbers replaced Register numbers stamped on Daisy guns in November, 1972. In 1979, a mechanical safety was added to the gun and it was marked 95B. So we know your gun was stamped after 1979. Lot numbers stamped on Daisy guns from November, 1972 to 1981 began with an initial letter that represents the month, followed with a number which signified the year, 2 - 1 for 1972 to 1981.
In 1982, the code changed so that the numeral (for the years 1982 - 1990) was first and the second character was the letter for the month, A = January through M = December with the letter "I" not used. So, your LOT NO., beginning with 5K, indicates your gun's frame was stamped in October, 1985.
"The Blue Book of Airguns" estimates the value of this model, in the following percentages of condition and originality to be:
20% $10 40% $15 60% $25 80% $30 90% $35 95% $45 100% $50
Daisy 1938B
Red Ryder Classic
In 1988 Daisy celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Red Ryder based on the 1938 date of the first meeting between Daisy and Red Ryder Enterprises, Inc.'s Stephen Slesinger and Fred Harman. Today, we base more recent anniversaries on the year 1940 - when the first gun was made.
The 50th anniversary gun had a medallion embedded in the stock that had 1938 on the left edge and 1988 on the right edge.
That gun was so successful that they came out with a second gun which they marketed as the Daisy Classic.
The Classic was a Red Ryder with a similar medallion but the medallion had 19 on the left edge and 38 on the right edge. The gun was made for several years and was in the company catalog in 1992. I've seen several made in 1992. At one point it was marketed with a reproduction of a Red Ryder comic and another version was sold with a treasure chest of BBs. This gun was marketed in different packaging with different "in-packs" through 1991.
Your gun, marked 92117529 was made in November, 1992.
The Blue Book of Airgun Values estimates the value of thisvariation in the following percentages of condition and originality to be:
20% $25 40% $35 60% $55 80% $75 90% $90 95% $105 100% $125
Daisy 94 413291
I'm going to need to ask you to take another look at the Register Number on this gun. The Daisy 94 was made, as a Red Ryder, with that brand embossed on the plastic stock, from 1954 to 1957, then continued, without any Red Ryder marking, from 1958 to 1961, as the Western Carbine. Because all of those guns were made before November, 1972, they have Register Numbers on them, on the top of the frame of the gun. All of those Register Numbers began with an uppercase letter followed by 6 digits. In 1954, the earliest 94s had Reg No.s beginning with the letter "A" and by the time the product run was finished they were using the letter H. So your Register Number for this gun begins with a letter between A and H. Are the six numerals you listed correct?
I'm going to assume that, if the gun was a Red Ryder you would have said so. If you'll give me the initial letter for the Register Number I can tell you the day it was stamped.
The Blue Book of Airgun Values establishes values of the 94 Western Carbine, based on the following percentages of condition and originality to be:
20% $50 40% $75 60% $115 80% $145 90% $175 95% $215 100% $250
We hope this information is useful and that you'll keep it with your guns for future reference.
Sincerely, Joe
Joe C Murfin
I replied to Jim this morning, on the Model 94... The Missing Register letter was an H.. so adding 413291 maybe August 1954..
