Should I sell a couple safe queens?

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But in the other hand, I get little to no enjoyment out of them. I have a good chunk of money just sitting in the dark year after year. Sometimes I think I should just sell them and buy something I could actually enjoy. But a part of me knows if I sell either gun, I'll probably never own another one again. So I hate to let go for that reason too.

This is what I don't understand: why would you worry that if you sold these guns you would probably own another one again? If you don't get any enjoyment or use out of the guns now why would you even contemplate buying them again? Sell them and get something that you really do want and will get some use out of.

I personally don't have much use for what I consider "museum pieces" or "safe queens". In a similar context, if I owned a Ferrari or a Porsche I would drive it as often as I could. I wouldn't have it stored in a garage with a car cover over it.
 
If I didn't shoot them and didn't get any enjoyment out of them, I'd sell them in a minute. Very few guns in my possession are considered part of a collection. The majority of them constitute my arsenal. There's a big difference.

Personally I think the Snake gun market has peaked. How much higher can it go based on a tv show? If I had any Colts, and wasn't attached to them as anything but shooters, I'd sell. Just me. Good luck.
 
Usually guns are just toys, sometimes they are tools, a few are investments. Pythons certainly qualify as good investment over the last several years. The pride of ownership thing is just a little bonus. The decision to sell or keep it should be treated just like any other investment.
 
No way I would sell a mint Python or a mint High Standard unless I really needed the money.

Some of my guns are tools, some I treat as works of art (even though they're not really valuable). Those that I consider to be more art than tool are governed by my heart and I tell the brain to think about other things.
 
I think you answered your own question - you own it, and say you get little to no enjoyment out of it. So divest yourself of it, and go get something you would enjoy, or just pocket the cash. Would you miss them? Really? Would you rather enhance your family's enjoyment of other stuff? I think that's what your saying.

I have several items I own that have never been used (at least by me), but I actually do get a kick out of owning it. So, I actually wish I was in your shoes - it would have been easier for me to shrink the collection a bit. I did sell off about 80% of my collection. Painful, to say the least. But, priorities in life, and all that ...

Wanted to get some thoughts on whether or not I should sell a couple safe queen pistols. I've got two guns that I've had fir at least 10 years and never shot. One of them is a mint Royal Blue 4" Python. I have been going back and forth on whether or not I should sell these guns. I've never fired them, they rarely even get taken out of the same to show off. I basically own them to say "hey I own auch and such". I bought both guns for great prices and they have both doubled their value since I've owned them. So they do make good investments and they don't require much and they don't cost anything to store or maintain, so they are zero maintenance.

But in the other hand, I get little to no enjoyment out of them. I have a good chunk of money just sitting in the dark year after year. Sometimes I think I should just sell them and buy something I could actually enjoy. But a part of me knows if I sell either gun, I'll probably never own another one again. So I hate to let go for that reason too. You can see why I go back and forth.
 
These prices are what someone else would pay for your revolver. I don't look in my holster and see a roll of cash. I own a number of handguns that maybe worth more than a Python. I shoot them. :)
 
To me this is a tough call that I've been faced with a number of times. I'm all for the crowd that says if you don't use it, sell it. That makes sense to me for sure. Yet...there is also a certain part of me that has what I call 'pride in ownership'. This is the little part that justifies me keeping a safe queen, even though it may never be used and only come out of the safe on the rare occasion. Sometimes it just feels 'good' to sit and know you have such and such locked away, be it a Colt Python or a Balabushka pool cue, etc.

So yeah, there is definitely a pride in ownership and to me the pure enjoyment of owning such an item definitely has some value.

Now, with that said...if your family needs that camper and they'd get more pleasure out of it than those safe queens, well pride in ownership can diminish pretty darn quick when those type of situations arise. That's one of the beauties of owning such investment grade firearms or watches or cues, etc...you know you can always turn them into quick cash if necessary.

So the bottom line in my opinion is, only YOU can make that determination. Good luck! :)
 
Different strokes....

I have several firearms that I bought NIB with the intention to NOT fire them. When my son was born 9 years ago, I realized that a lot (all) of the firearms I inherited from my family were in poor shape, and just how much I wished they had been in really good shape.....and LNIB would have been outstanding. I imagine what it will be like when he's an adult and I hand him un-fired Colts, S&W revolvers, BHP, etc.. If he isn't "in" to firearms as he approaches adulthood, then maybe I will sell them for a profit....IDK.

I look at it like this - if your family needs the money, sell them today. If you do not need the money, and they aren't bothering you, why sell them? An investment is an investment, whether it's a 401k, gold or a mint Python. Some guns are tools, some are beautiful works of art.....
 
I think I've only sold two guns, although I've given a fair number as gifts.

One was a trade-in to upgrade a Taurus PT-92 when the mag release was moved to the current "thumb" location. The other was a trade of a S&W 59 for a 10MB hard drive and controller (yes Mega byte), was a smokin' deal for me at the time and I'd never warmed up to the slide mounted safety/decocker. But I suspect that 59 is still going strong and worth what I paid for it factoring in inflation, that hard drive died long ago and controller is long past uselessly obsolete. Think about this when you sell it and buy something else. "Collectables" are hard to predict, but un-fired NIB guns that are out of production are getting rarer all the time.

If you need the money, for sure sell it, otherwise think about what you'd buy with the money would be worth ten years down the road and how your feelings might change.

Another option if you don't need the money,keep it and put it in your will to donate to the NRA or your state association to help the cause.
 
I'm in the "guns are tools" camp. I tend to buy used and shoot them. I take really good care of them. If I don't shoot a gun for a while, I will sell it with little hesitation. I don't try to "time the market." If I'm selling a utilitarian gun, it goes on the classifieds section of the gun forums; if it has some esoteric value, I'll put it on an auction site and let the market price it. Life is too short to accumulate stuff I can't take with me.
 
Well...I'm going to buck the trend. My rule is never...EVER...sell a gun. I have guns i haven't fired in years. They don't cost me a dime.

In the past, I have sold a few firearms. With rare exceptions, I eventually regretted it.

Sold a Universal M1 Carbine. It was a post war commercial copy partly made from left over USGI parts. No historical value. Sold it. Missed out on the CMP Carbines, now can't afford a wartime carbine. So I'm pretty much screwed. Kick myself every day.

Sold a perfect Ruger Secuirty Six 4" stainless revolver. Loved that gun. But I was competing in the Air force with an M9, so I bought a Taurus PT99 as my practice gun and sold the Ruger. Took many years, but now I kick myself ever day.

Sold a Winchester 94AE 30-30. My dad bought it for me when I turned 18. Realized I was never ever going to be a hunter. Sold it. The followig year I moved to Alaska. Guess who goes hunting every year now? Kick myself every day.

Sold that Taurus PT99. When I left the Air Force. Decided I didn't want anymore to do with training for killing people. 10 years later, and now I'm looking for a Beretta 92. Kick myself every day.

Sold a beat to crap S&W Model 10. I had just got an awesome Ruger Security. Now I'm looking for a Model 10 to pair with my M1 Garand. Kick myself every day.

OH THE M1 GARAND! How could I forget. Sold my WWII production Springfield Armory M1 Garand. I had been shooting Service Rifle with it. (And doing very poorly.) Decided I liked High Power better with my bolt gun. 15 years later, I was kicking myself for selling it. Luckily, I sold it to a good friend (who owned it all 15 years and never once fired it.) She sold it back to me for what she paid me for it. What a blessing. (And yet, I ALMOST sold it a second time. When will I ever learn!?)

What else? Oh yeah! S&W 22LR pistol. Sold it thinking I was done shooting handguns. Oops.

Ruger MK II. Same as above.

You see a pattern here?

NEVER.....EVER....SELLL.....A GUN. You will eventually regret it. Not this year or the next. But one day, some day...a long time from now, you wil regret it.

PS: Sorry for the long post.
 
I've sold a LOT of guns. Not once have I ever regretted selling anything. I can't even think of one that I wished I had back. Maybe a DW PM-9, but I could buy another one anytime I wanted so I guess I don't miss it that much.
 
NEVER.....EVER....SELLL.....A GUN. You will eventually regret it. Not this year or the next. But one day, some day...a long time from now, you wil regret it.

I've sold a LOT of guns. Not once have I ever regretted selling anything.


Ive never understood the never sell mentality it reminds me of those Hoarder shows on TV. *not saying these people are slobs, but its the thought process of never getting rid of anything.
There is a whole lot of mediocrity in the gun world and some turds are just not worth polishing. They may not cost anything to keep other than space, but that space can also be filled with a better gun that doesn't shoot minute of barn, is reliable, has proper lockup, etc. etc. etc. etc.

I too have never missed a single gun I sold and never will. Every gun Ive sold has been for a reason. Might be a trivial reason, but it was reason enough for me to not want the gun again even if the gun worked 100% i.e. serrations not aggressive enough, seeing my bullets through a closed slide, slide release in the wrong spot for my grip, poor sighting system, gritty bolt, gritty trigger, flimsy stock, etc. etc.
 
I had the same dilemma with my Colt Government 380 stainless. Ended up selling it at a good friend of mine to purchase a range gun which will hopefully arrive at my local gun shop next week...
Infact the Colt is now in my "Owned" list which is longer than my "Own" list...
 
It's easy to say "never sell" and most times we don't because there isn't that much real value to anyone but yourself. I have a bunch of guns and other items I don't use and I'm not looking to sell worth $100 to $500 maybe a little more. What happens when your beloved handgun is selling for $5K or $10K or more? Admit it or not we all have our price.
I only have one thing that can't be bought for any price, there is a photo to the left.
 
Wanted to get some thoughts on whether or not I should sell a couple safe queen pistols. I've got two guns that I've had fir at least 10 years and never shot. One of them is a mint Royal Blue 4" Python. I have been going back and forth on whether or not I should sell these guns. I've never fired them, they rarely even get taken out of the same to show off. I basically own them to say "hey I own auch and such". I bought both guns for great prices and they have both doubled their value since I've owned them. So they do make good investments and they don't require much and they don't cost anything to store or maintain, so they are zero maintenance.

But in the other hand, I get little to no enjoyment out of them. I have a good chunk of money just sitting in the dark year after year. Sometimes I think I should just sell them and buy something I could actually enjoy. But a part of me knows if I sell either gun, I'll probably never own another one again. So I hate to let go for that reason too. You can see why I go back and forth.

You aren't ready to make a decision yet. When you are ready...you'll know.
 
Let's just say that if I had $3500 in my pocket to spend on something fun, I would not choose to buy a Python or a High Standard Trophy.


You answered your own question especially since you have similar guns to shoot and enjoy.
 
I have been thinking about letting go of some of that stuff in the safe. I have two sons
and two grandchildren so they will automatically get them all when I leave.

Zeke
 
My dad has a pile of nice guns. There may be one or two I would like. However, if he said he wanted to sell them to spend the money elsewhere on something he would enjoy more, I would be the first to say go for it.
 
Unless it is a gun that has sentimental value, sell it if that's what you want to do.

Do I have regrets about some guns I sold? Sure! But overall they are small regrets compared to the looming backlog of other stuff I regret:)

Some people like collecting guns, others are more like gun lotharios- you love them fierce and briefly for a spell, then it's time to move on to the next.
 
I am in the camp of life is to short to have stuff you don't use or enjoy. Sell em or shoot em. You can't take anything with you when you're gone. Enjoy life and the stuff in it. Without sounding to religious theres better things on the other side and a minty python won't matter a lick then. I have regretted most of my sales of guns save 2. Made money or came out ahead on nearly all but one, but most I wish I still had.
 
Sorry, but I don't believe the Walking Dead is the cause of the high prices of Pythons. I know at least a dozen Python collectors and doubt if any of them have watched the Walking Dead.

I think it's at least partially responsible for the ridiculous asking price. Just about five grand on Gunbroker for a stainless Python Elite.

I bought one at the tail end of production, so I paid what was (to me) a lot of money at the time to get it because I really wanted a Colt Python. Once the prices started getting ridiculous I bought a 686 to use as a shooter.

Real interested to see if Colt brings back more snake guns, and if they do, what that will do to the market value of the older guns.
 
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