klhill
.30 Stingray
Posts: 137
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Post by klhill on Feb 12, 2013 9:43:33 GMT -5
If it were 45 or 44-40 I think it would be a $3000 gun.As has been said the caliber really hurts the value and I would agree with Cubrock that it's probably in the $2000-$2500 range. If I had it or could buy it for low $2000 figure I'd have it converted to 45 or 44-40. Beautiful Colt!
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Post by savit260 on Feb 12, 2013 17:24:35 GMT -5
I'd take it just exactly as is for mid $2K's if I had that kind of cash on hand, as I like the .38 Special round, and love SAA's.
That one is just plain stunning IMO.
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Post by Frank V on Feb 12, 2013 20:33:34 GMT -5
That is a very pretty Colt. Thanks for sharing with us.
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cubrock
.401 Bobcat
TLA fanatic and all around nice guy....
Posts: 2,865
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Post by cubrock on Feb 13, 2013 21:12:08 GMT -5
Well, he traded it for two Colt 1911s - a Commercial Model and a WWII or later reworked WWI gun. Hard to tell from the pics whether he did just a fair trade, or did really well.
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Post by CraigC on Feb 13, 2013 22:22:16 GMT -5
I don't really know enough about old 1911's to know.
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cubrock
.401 Bobcat
TLA fanatic and all around nice guy....
Posts: 2,865
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Post by cubrock on Feb 13, 2013 22:34:03 GMT -5
If the Commercial was as nice as the picture made it look like he might be, he knocked it out of the park. Hard to tell from that one pic of it. Otherwise, he still made a fair trade.
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Post by jplower on Mar 23, 2013 22:29:55 GMT -5
I'd like ti interject here and give a foundation to work off of when considering a restored Colt of any type, but in particular the SA. A restoration of the quality in the photos is pretty typical these days, as the smaller shops are trying very hard to meet the standards of Lanara and Turnbull. Each of them started their business by using hand work and as it grew, they adopted mechanical methods that replicate factory polishing and appearance. The smaller fish are doing it by hand and the results are as good, but they don't get everything right. The pictured gun should not have a fire blued ejector button, and as you all have noted, the caliber change affects value in a big way. The lack of a coating on the frame could be any one of many shops, big and small. Larry Larson, Al Harton, Dave Lanara, all use uncoated CCH, to name a few. In fact, this is the correct method for Colts of all generations. The factory NEVER coated their frames with a varnish of any type. HOWEVER, the use of sperm oil, which dries into a varnish like film, was a standard protective oil used by gun owners. We feel this is what started the myth about varnishing the frames.
Second, a true restoration will follow the factory shipping information concerning caliber, finish, barrel length and grips. Only then will value exceed the cost of restoration. All of us must remember that, and also remember to evaluate a restoration by comparing it to a known, high finish original example. Many persons restoring Colts have never had an original to use a a guideline. No self respecting "restoration artist" would attempt the work without that knowledge.
Third, the values placed on restorations by their owners is a direct reflection of their desire to have high condition at an affordable price. That firearm restoration has not been accepted by the collecting world the way all other forms of artifact and object restorations have is troublesome. There's a good article in one of the Colt Collectors magazines, a few years back, titled , "Restoration, art or deception?" which really sums it up. No good reason exists for the disdain cast upon restorations, and there are growing numbers of collectors and shooters who would Rather have a perfect restoration over a high dollar original.
Last, if you want a restoration, go to the shop that specializes in that specific gun. The devil is always in the details and details are what make a great restoration. It is hard for the "artist" to work on all kinds of guns and get them all perfect, and it always shows in some detail, like the ejector button discussed above.
JP
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Post by boxhead on Mar 24, 2013 2:13:52 GMT -5
Craig,
I would give Alan Harton a shout. He knows what you are after darn well. I mean really well. He does more Colt work than any other including full restorations and owns an azzload of 1st Gen guns. In my discussions with him, and as you have noted, a properly restored 1st Gen gun is a whole lot more than any 3rd Gen piece. I came close to buying one for him to restore a number of years ago. My 2 bits.
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