[RevolverMan567]

Some of you may remember I posted on here a while ago about buying a revolver. I'm wondering what value it may carry in a real market.

The gun is a 4 1/4 inch barreled Smith and Wesson model 57. Gun has no dash, no internal lock, it is nickel plated and flawless cosmetically. The barrel Is pinned and the Cylinder is recessed. Has the wide target hammer and trigger, both case hardened. Orange ramp front sight as well as white outlined box adjustable rear sight. It comes with an undamaged and unmarred wood smith presentation box with unused barrel swap, missing the screwdriver.

thats about as good a description i can give right now. If you know of any dis qualifiers or qualifiers that make it more or less valuable please post here or with any questions. thanks again. I am thinking about trading the gun off but dont know the approximate value of my trade.

[Gator]

$650-750 is my guess. I'd love to find one like you describe, but blued.
Post a pic!

[weregunner]

According to The Blue Book Gun of Values as follows: 100%=$650 ,98%=575,95%=$475, 90%=$400,80%=$350
Add 10-20% for a S prefix serialization
Add10% for nickel finish if New In Box
Add 10% for pinned barrrel and recessed cylinder

There were four engineering changes to this model. End of Quote.

[Ala Dan]

Easily, $900 in my area (if in the original factory supplied mahogany box, with tools
and doc's)~! :scrutiny:;)

[Gator]

The Blue Book is hopelessly out of date concerning S&W values.

[weregunner]

Gator, I'm curious. How so is the Book out of date and why?

[Gator]

The Blue Book is useless for any collectible firearm. At time of printing the values in the latest Blue Book are almost two years old, so they are out of date to start with. Plus, in the case of Smith & Wesson, used values have risen dramatically in the past few years due to a growing appreciation for the quality and features of older Smiths. The editors of the BB are not experts on everything and, in addition the unavoidable lag time in getting a new edition printed, they simply can't keep up with changing prices for every firearm.

[XavierBreath]

The resource for S&W fans is The Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson (http://xavierthoughts.blogspot.com/2006/12/supicas-third-edition-is-out.html), by Supica and Nahas. It lists the Model 57 at $650 NIB, $575 at Excellent, $400 at Very Good. S serial prefix = 25-75%.

The SCS&W is fairly current, although on some guns it too is out of date a year later. The .41 Magnums tend to be stable in price though.

Your missing screwdriver, believe it or not, may lower your NIB price by $75!

Expect a dealer to give you half that in trade. .41 Magums are not a popular caliber in many areas, and can be tough to sell.

[wnycollector]

+1 on the blue book being out of date! I was at gander mountain today and picked up a 95% S&W model 27 with a 6" barrel for $433 otd:) I LOVE the fact the blue book is out of date!

[weregunner]

Got news for you guys. The prices quoted in the book are a few dollars either way of what was paid for the guns mentioned. 10-20 dollars difference doesn't put a 2007 copywrited book out of date with that little a difference.

[1man]

That Blue Book is for dealer reference so they can make money(so they can get it for as low as they can)! I went to a local gun shop(not a shop I deal with at all, did it just for fun) and ask him what he would give me for my S&W 696, he said 100 dollars. I laughed and asked if he was joking, he said no. But I realized that there are people out there that don't know anything about guns and their value(perceived and actual). He thought I was one of those people! Gun dealers make big profit on people that come in to sale their or someone else(spouse or family member that passed away) guns and not undestand it's reasonable value! You will always get more for your gun saling to a private citizen than a dealer!

If someone has a rare or extremely hard-to-find piece in very good - excellent condition, they are going to get money well-over what the Blue Book of Guns will say it's worth! Check to see what the 3 inch(Pre-Lock/Pre-Frame Mounted Firing Pin Models) K & L Frame S&W's(Model 66 & 686 Custom Service) as well as the HK P7M8 and M13 are going for!

[Gator]

10-20 dollars difference doesn't put a 2007 copywrited book out of date with that little a difference.

Got any S&Ws to sell :)

[Ala Dan]

Actually, the dealer who offered a $100 for your S&W model 696 was testing
your sanity, and your intelligence. The Blue Book is only one reference to
help dealers identify all types of firearms; not to establish a dollar amount
that is written in stone. My advice is to only deal with reputable persons,
with a basic firearms knowledge; and provides a "fair market value" for firearms
you wish to sell or trade.

Yes, the .41 magnum is not everyone's cup of tea. For us old timer's, who
know and understand why this caliber was introduced in the first place-
its a magnificent caliber; between the .357 and .44 magnums. Kind'a like
the .40 S&W is to the 9m/m and .45 ACP. Its ashame that more ammunition
manufactuer's don't provide suitable commerical loads for this caliber. But,
with the proper handloads the .41 magnum is the perfect caliber for most
handgun hunting, or occassional target shooting. Long live the .41 magnum.

[RevolverMan567]

Ala Dan I too am in the hot and muggy south (kind of) but if it brings that kind of cash down there then let me know if you interested. I'll make you a deal :D

Anyway thanks to all of you guys who posted I kinda stumbled into this gun and did pretty well for myself it seems. But i am thinking of selling it to help fund a project truck I'm building. I have to admit that she is a real beauty though, hurts to even think of selling her even at a nice return.

[weregunner]

What I was doing was using the one guide for help. Not written is stone covers it. Add the other things not included in my post and the amount goes up a bit. Figured our asker was looking for ballpark figures as the things are different everywhere. Price for that is also listed in the Gun List or it's new name.
A gander at what they are asking for by personal sellers would be an eye opener too.

[22-rimfire]

I think the Blue Book is a valuable reference for getting a rough price on most firearms. There are always exceptions. If you follow the market closely, you can get a more accurate value. But getting someone to buy it for that is another matter. Just like trading a car in, most sell to a dealer and about a third or so sell it on their own.

Model 57's can be hard to find. I don't know if it is worth what Ala Dan mentioned in my area, but you back it off a $100-$150 and you will probably sell it for that. I'd probably consider buying it and I have one.

You all talk about the exploding values of Smith & Wessons. I recently purchased a Model 19 that was NIB. I don't follow pricing that close on most Smiths. I felt I got a fair price. I post on the forum and ask folks to give me ball park pricing... what do I hear... same prices that are in the current Blue Book or less. How is the Blue Book wrong?

I bought a nice Model 10. Again I was curious and all I read is about the low prices on this common gun. I see higher prices in the Blue Book. I paid a fair price, but it was higher than the numbers frequently floated around on this forum.

Bottom line... you're on your own. This advice is worth what you paid for it...nothing..... (except mine of course. :) ) At least the Blue Book is a stable guide to pricing. The Blue Book was never particularly great at pricing the rare or uncommon variations (examples; 3" Colt Python, Nickel 22 Diamondbacks, 2.5" 22 Diamondbacks) and yes the BB is slightly out of date the day it is published. Can you do any better?

[Ala Dan]

To sum up-

In our shop, we recently pulled in $1200 for a LNIB (98%) 4" factory nickel Colt
Python w/o box or doc's. Now, we have another Colt- a 98 per center 4"
LNIB Diamondback that wears a price tag of $850; so I feel quite certain
that I could get $900 for the facory nickel S&W model 57, provided - its in
the condition stated above. :scrutiny:;)

[Iggy]

I don't think you could touch that .41 here for under $1000:(

[22-rimfire]

Seems like every show I go to, if there is a nice Model 57, the price is higher than the last show. Ala Dan, I suspect you know the Birmingham market. The right buyer would pay your price. I think I need to visit your store next time I pass through the area. I was tempted a couple of weeks ago, but I was in a hurry on my way back from Mobile. Sounds like a pretty fair price on the Diamondback. Those 4" 22's and 38's are my favorite.

Edit: Remember Ala Dan's price is "retail" and the gun shop would likely not pay you that amount.

Sorry if I was a bit strong in my rant in my last post.

The Vols sure didn't make a good showing against Alabama saturday. Alabama was playing real good!

[aguyindallas]

As I read this thread, I see how funny it is. You see, I am a Sales Mgr for an Acura dealer. We go through this every single day. There are several "guides" out there. Kelly Blue Book, Edmunds, NADA to name a few. People generally gravitate to the highest value guide for their personal needs.

Here is where the disconnect happens.....

When they look at those online "guides", they fail to notice that there is not a button on the screen to "print check" for the value of your car. Guess what folks, its just a "guide"

Gun, like cars (diamonds, fuels, groceries etc...) are commodities and are worth EXACTLY what the market will bear, regardless of what ANY book says its worth.

The Blue Book of Gun Values is just that....a guide. Its not the scripture.

[Ala Dan]

Thank you 22-rimfire My Friend-

for your comments. You are correct, our shop most likely would not
even come close to paying that amount for a pristine S&W model 57;
as top values for nice S&W N-frames rarily exceed the $500 mark, in
this area. However, we do have a few .41 magnum guru's in this locale
that may very well pay $900 for said weapon? At least with a price like
that, it leaves room to negoitate a "fair market value".

Yep, the Tide ambushed us yesterday; and if we ain't real careful "The
Old Ball Coach" will do the same next week~! I think the boo birds will
be hollering for old Phil's job at seasons end; however, I'm not one of
those. I'm with 'em -Win or Lose, as my veins have orange blood in 'em~! ;)

PS: Stop on by the shop, next time you are in the area. Its always a
great pleasure meeting folk's from The High Road.

[XavierBreath]

Well........I suppose the price of a Model 57 would go up if a feller came in lookin' fer one. If'n he was a lookin' fer a..... .say...a stainless steel .357, then the price on that Model 57 might just come down some.

I recall running into one or two fellows who were looking specifically for .41 magnum guns. That's in the past decade or two. I don't get out much.

[RevolverMan567]

I am wondering because if the time comes that i want to sell this thing would I be asking too much at 800, which by asking too much i mean will I still be the owner of this gun if asking that much or would it actually sell. just wanna get my bearing in case i decide to sell, or at least i'll know what to expect my trade worth if i trade.

I am thinking about asking for something like a really nice H&K USPc in 9mm. stainless slide V1 with a few mags...am I dreaming.

P.s.- sorry i know this isn't a for sale or trade thread I am just looking for more knowlegeable people than myself to tell me if i am way off base like i said i haven't even decided if i want to get rid of it yet.

[Gator]

You are not off base, but you may have to wait a bit for a buyer, it would be a help if the $800 included shipping. If you do decide to sell, take some good pictures of it and post an ad on the S&W forum (http://smith-wessonforum.com/eve/).

[XavierBreath]

You are correct RevolverMan567, this forum is not the one for sales or auctions. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt on that one. Use the Buy Sell & Trade forum if that is your aim. State your price and location, and wait for nibbles. I agree with Gator, the S&W Forum (http://smith-wessonforum.com/groupee) is also a good bet.

Assuming your gun is worth $800.......

If you go to a gun dealer to sell your revolver, expect to get half value, or $400 as a trade-in.

If you place an advertisement and find a private buyer, expect to get 75-100% of it's value, or $600-800.

If a private buyer finds you, expect to get 100%, or $800.

If you place it on consignment, expect to get 75-100% minus fees.

If you run an auction on GunBroker or AuctionArms, expect to get 60-125% of it's value.

Will a dealer swap you a HK USPc9 with a stainless slide, V1 for your Model 57? Not very likely.

Will a private individual make that swap? It's possible if he wants a Model 57. The problem is finding such an individual.

My opinions only, based on my past experience trading guns.

[RevolverMan567]

I'll leave this as is then and won't step on any toes. Appreciate the benefit of the doubt xavier. Thanks to all for any insight, especially if said insight required personal research, it is greatly appreciated.

[billhilly66]

Gunmasters in Plano, TX had a 4" nickel 57 in the case for $550 last week. I got mine a couple months ago so I thought I'd pass it along.