investing in Colt and S&W revolver questions

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i got into the precious metals several years ago and so far my gut feeling was right. now my gut tells me to put some money into collectable guns. i already have a safe full of shooters so i can hopefully resist the urge to shoot these.

now i don't have the kind of money to buy revolvers that already cost thousands each. my price range is somewhere between 500-1200. i want to concentrate on the era of WWII to the 70's or so. a few questions would be: should i only consider new/lnib or is very good to excellent an alternative. is it worth to pay the premium to get the gun with the box? are there specific models/calibers getting hot now? somewhere i read that the colt troopers, for example, are rising fast. the pythons are already pretty pricy which does not mean they cant go up more (just like stocks). was wondering at the amount of SW 29's for sale, as if everybody had bought those years ago and now want to unload...:confused:
 
I know some collectors who will not touch anything but NIB or at least LNIB. They snub anything boxless or used....I don't...As long as the price is right, I have no problem with used. You just need to educate yourself on how much something is worth today and not pay too much. I won't speak for Smiths, but nearly all Colts will be worth more tomorrow than today.

Colt MK III's are sure to rise. Nice boxed ones, even NIB, are stil out there for $500-$700. Those are the real deals today, IMO. Those guns have pretty much doubled in value over the last decade. That rate of return is much better than what the stock market's been offering in that time.
 
ColtPythonElite said:
Those guns have pretty much doubled in value over the last decade. That rate of return is much better than what the stock market's been offering in that time.
Click to expand...

Interesting side fact: for something to double in 10 years implies a 7% increase per year. so with that you are beating many/most common investments.

one more thing i was wondering about: unless there is a particular reason (like being much more scarce for a specific year or nodel) does barrel length make a difference? are the 4-6" as good as the 8-10"
 
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I have quite a few Colts but I think ColtPythonElite

said it all pretty well for you, and you can go with that advice and do quite well -- Good luck, Snoop
 
investing in guns is more about shopping well than buying the right guns.

people make lots of money buying cheap and selling at market
 
$500-$1200 per gun is a bit on the low side for investing in any collectible gun, and more than likely closer to $1500. A good N frame S&W will probably start at about $1K, and rocket up from there; K frames a bit less. NIB revolvers for .357 Magnums, introduced in 1935, will go for mid four digits and above.

In the Colt arena, shooter grade Pythons are starting at about $1,100; NIB will set you back about $2K. Lesser desired models can be had for some less, but rarer grades of SAA revolvers go upward from $10K.

The last two years have seen prices rocket upward. However, as with any collectible market, there will be a correction. A seven percent annual improvement is just not sustainable.

Your example of Model 29's is very appropopriate. Early Model 29's, ca. 1957 when the model numbers were introduced, bring at least $1500, and that's for a typical model. A NIB or LNIB will start at about $2500.

Start by prowling the real auction sites and read their catalogues. Gun Broker and Auction Arms are not the place to shop. Track what the NIB and LNIB sell for, and use that as a guide. You can also use the various web sites geared toward the particular communities (S&W, Colt, etc.). They have folks who are avid and astute collectors, and they weed out the BS very quickly.

After all, real information is your best weapon.
 
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