junkyard 440 approx price?

Keep looking. I doubt Mr. Hoarder has anything in his pile worth $1K. I bought a complete pair of cores recently for $300 and got a 727 thrown in for free. A couple of years ago I bought a core shortblock for $250. So, it varies but there's some risk involved. There's some factory stampings on the engine ID pad I'd watch for and avoid if you had several to choose from.