I'm thinking about selling or trading my CMP 1903MKI. It's in good shape for a firearm of it's age. It does have finish wear but not gouges in the metal. So what's this thing worth?

About what you paid for it from the CMP.

Not sure what the going rate is but I never understood why people think less of CMP firearms. They act like they are POSs or put togethers, I actually place more value on most of them if they are in good shape due to the fact they were in Govt. warehouses until recently when they were shipped to CMP. True USGI.

What year and make is the barrel?  That will determine value, plus I might be interested in it.

$500.00-$650.00 depending on condition and how bad someone wants one

sounds like what one goes for around here when one actually pops up at the local gun shops

What makes a 1903 valuble is originality then condition.
Most of the guns coming out of CMP are greek military rebuilds/mixed part guns. Only value is as shooters. Then the bore must be in good to excellent conditon.
Ballpark fiqure is CMP price.
Sometimes you can score a rare stock or reciever and barrel.
The "early" guns don't sell as well as the later made guns because of fears of a brittle reciever.

I find this amusing.

"Correct" USGI guns sell for more than rebuilts.  Which I also find amusing, since:
a.  So few USGI guns were not rebuilt, reparked, or had replacement parts installed in their service lives
b.  So many of the "correct" guns were made that way by USGI weapons collectors replacing parts to make them "correct"

Very few USGI guns will not have had parts replaced in their service life.  USGI armorers did not care that a Remington gun got Springfield replacement parts.  As such, most USGI guns "in the wild" will have mixed manufacturer parts, unless they have been unissued or "corrected".

That a "correct" gun made that way by collector swapping parts is worth more than a USGI in service condition direct from CMP is laughable, if it weren't true.  A gun some collector swapped parts on is worth more than an "as issued" rifle, because the issued rifle may not be "correct"

A wise man once told me "The best thing about collecting USGI guns is that they don't have serial numbered parts.  The worst thing about collecting USGI guns is that they don't have serial numbered parts..."

There's many things to look at when determining value of a 1903.  I don't thing CMP provenance is a bad thing.  However, if the finish of the 1903 is "Greek Black" rather than USGI grey or green park, then value is dropped a bit.  Typical 1903 values can run from $600 on the low end for a Greek rebuild to $1000 or more for a nice early CMP or DCM 1903.  Don't forget wood condition is a big part of the value.  People like pretty, unsanded wood of the "correct" stock style for the rifle's vintage.