CU:
From what I could find, your JC Higgins is eligible as a C&R firearm and does not need to go through a FFL to sell. Values run from about $60 up just under $200 depending on condition.
Q: What is a firearm curio or relic?
Firearm curios or relics include firearms which have special value to collectors because they possess some qualities not ordinarily 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:
- Have been manufactured at least 50 years prior to the current date, but not including replicas thereof; No longer mfg with a 2 year date of MFG.
- Be certified by the curator of a municipal, State, or Federal museum which exhibits firearms to be curios or relics of museum interest; or
- Derive a substantial part of their monetary value from the fact that they are novel, rare, bizarre, or from the fact of their association with some historical figure, period, or event.
[27 CFR 478.11]