Sometimes they don't get it

[FlSwampRat]

Had someone bring in what looked like a real antique genuine SAA Colt. Looked like. It couldn't have had much more going against it.
First off, it had been polished by someone with ogre strength, there was almost no reading any of the embossings. Barely made "Colt" out on the 12 o'clock of the barrel. All screws in the right place, that was about all that was right.

You could move the cylinder back and forth about an eighth of an inch front to back, pin along with it, and with the hammer back the cylinder would rotate probably 5 degrees. Or a bit more.

Then they'd engraved it, a fair job, but not factory.

Then they'd plated it.

Then they'd let it rust a bit.

Serial number was right for late 1800's.

With the bad polish, rust and all else, it had little value as a collectible, at least, not where they were expecting it to be and with the cylinder doing the hootchie kootchie, I wouldn't fire it unless it was with a string and behind bulletproof glass.

Just because it's old doesn't mean it's worth what you see on the internet folks.

I politely declined and they got mad at me for not wanting to buy their "museum piece". Go figure.

 

[The Evangelist Cowboy]

Its in the private side to...

I do a fair number of private sales a year and someone will get offended when I won't pay 1k for their highway Patrolman that was run through the train tracks.

 

[eastbank]

I have 800.00 in these two S&W 28,s.

 

[ontarget]

But...but....but Antiques Road show said a genuine Colt SAA is worth thousands. Even if you dug it up in the hayfield.....

 

[The Evangelist Cowboy]

I have 800.00 in these two S&W 28,s.

The asking prices around here are ridiculous.

 

[Rule3]

Had someone bring in what looked like a real antique genuine SAA Colt. Looked like. It couldn't have had much more going against it.
First off, it had been polished by someone with ogre strength, there was almost no reading any of the embossings. Barely made "Colt" out on the 12 o'clock of the barrel. All screws in the right place, that was about all that was right.

You could move the cylinder back and forth about an eighth of an inch front to back, pin along with it, and with the hammer back the cylinder would rotate probably 5 degrees. Or a bit more.

Then they'd engraved it, a fair job, but not factory.

Then they'd plated it.

Then they'd let it rust a bit.

Serial number was right for late 1800's.

With the bad polish, rust and all else, it had little value as a collectible, at least, not where they were expecting it to be and with the cylinder doing the hootchie kootchie, I wouldn't fire it unless it was with a string and behind bulletproof glass.

Just because it's old doesn't mean it's worth what you see on the internet folks.

I politely declined and they got mad at me for not wanting to buy their "museum piece". Go figure.

I have see a lot of that at a friends local shop. Last one was a lady and son brought in the Dads 1911. Of course it was from "the war" it was so trashed it was worthless but they "were told" it was work big money. As you say, just because it is old doesn't mean squat. Condition sort or means something.

 

[mnrivrat]

I had an elderly lady bring in her diseased husbands collection of old handguns. He thought so much of them he had them all gold plated. Some really nice guns - all ruined.

 

[Keith G]

I had an elderly lady bring in her diseased husbands collection of old handguns. He thought so much of them he had them all gold plated. Some really nice guns - all ruined.

All the money in the world can’t buy good taste.

 

[CraigC]

Sometimes people get VERY invested in a narrative and it's impossible for them to see the truth. Especially when it comes to old Colt's. I remember a guy posting a 1907 SAA .44Spl for sale on CalGuns several years ago and he was convinced it was worth $20,000. Forget the fact that Colt didn't chamber the SAA in .44Spl until 1913. Or that the gun had been terribly overpolished and renickled. The factory letter said ".44" and nickel plating so he was positive it was original. It was really worth about $1000.

 

[P5 Guy]

The asking prices around here are ridiculous.

Those paying the prices are ridiculous.

 

[Tallball]

It's sweet if you are a buyer who wants a shooter, though!

I can't realistically afford a 99% S&W K22, Colt 1903, S&W Hand Ejector, etc.

But I own all of them: the finish was bad and it had aftermarket grips, it was refinished and refurbished, the original finish was ruined, etc.

They still shoot just fine. The people who think they are worth a fortune will have to face reality eventually. Chances are that they will have their LGS put it on consignment for them on GB, and some lucky guy like me will get a great shooter.

I got this one for a $330 bid because someone thought that refinishing it and putting on new grips would make it way more valuable. IDC, I bought it to shoot, not to put it in a museum.

Colt 1903

• Tallball
• Jan 7, 2018
• 1

 

[MedWheeler]

mnrivrat writes:

I had an elderly lady bring in her diseased husbands collection of old handguns.

Did she at least wait for him to become deceased?

 

[CajunBass]

I learned a lesson many years ago, when I took a little Colt Pocket Positive to a dealer to sell it. He looked it over, and threw out an offer. I replied that I had hopped to get a little more. He replied, quite correctly I came to realize, "Well, yea...but that's what it's worth to ME." Ummmm Good point.

 

[Dave T]

Knew a gun shop owner and gunsmith who has had any number of people over the years bring in family heirloom Colt SAAs and want them to re-blue it to make it look pretty. I was there once when he tried to explain to the man that his father's 1st Gen SAA was worth considerable money, even in it's less than pristine condition. And, if he refinished it it would be worth half as much.

The guy got mad and insisted "the customer is always right". The owner/smith told him to leave, that way he wouldn't be a customer anymore. I kind of admired him for that and told him so. He said the problem was they guy was just going to take it somewhere else where they would buff and polish it to death, and probably chrome it.

Dave

 

[CajunBass]

Speaking of old Colts. I used to work with a woman who asked me to come by and look at a couple of her fathers guns that she had. He had passed away not too long before. I went over and one was a nice Ithaca double 12. I advised her not to keep it in the fleece lined case she had it in. The next one was a Colt SAA. Now I don't know much about Colts, but as best I could tell from my Colt book it was made in the 1890's. Still looked good. 4 5/8 inch barrel, and the prettiest pair of Ivory grips I've ever seen to this day. Just beautiful, having turned that delightful yellowish color that Ivory gets. It was in an old Herter's holster. I advised her not to keep it in the holster and told her to find someone who actually knew what they were talking about to get an idea what they were worth. As I was leaving, she casually mentioned..."I've got a Luger around here somewhere."

That was 25? maybe 30 years ago. I never heard anything about those guns again. (I did help her sell her HK-94 about that time.) She passed away not too long ago. I've often wondered what happened to those guns. I'm sure she didn't sell them. She wasn't the type to get rid of ANYTHING, plus she was always "Daddy's girl." I hope someone in her family found them, and I hope they weren't just hunks of rust by then.