Maybe.
I've owned this forum for more than ten years, and I have often been puzzled by people who post some interesting collectible guns, but have apparently never joined the S&W Collectors Association (SWCA), so I'll offer my opinion on whether you should join. I have been a member since 1982. I've been a Life Member for about 12 years.
Basic Facts:
Dues:
USA- $60 for the 1st Year, then $50/year thereafter.
Foreign- $90 for the 1st Year, then $80/year thereafter.
After your first year, you can renew for 5 years at $200 in the US, $330 if foreign.
Foreign members pay more because postage for the multiple mailings per year are higher.
Benefits:
1. The SWCA Journal- You will receive three Journals per year in the Spring, Summer, and Fall. The Journal contains interesting articles written by members about all things S&W, along with club news and a report with pics about the annual meeting. The articles cover all types of S&Ws- Autos, Regular production models, military S&Ws, Antiques, etc. They are not just about high end collectibles!
2. Access to the private SWCA Forum-
In the SWCA forum, you can:
Request one ship date per week if space is available. No more than 5 can be posted at any one time. As he has time, Roy provides the month/year and NO other data. Some weeks he provides many, some weeks there are few.
You can ask Roy questions.
3. The SWCA Roster- The SWCA Roster is basically a phone book of SWCA members. It is published yearly. Most members include their phone numbers, email address, and collecting interests. YOU decide whether to be included or not. ONLY members who are listed in the Roster receive a copy.
4. The Annual Meeting- The SWCA has one meeting per year in June called
The Symposium. It is a private show open to pre-registered members only. There are many fabulous displays and sales tables. It starts at noon on Wednesday and runs through breakfast Sunday.
There are usually four 1 hour lectures by different members- two on Thursday, two on Friday. They are very interesting. Here is Roy giving a lecture on the Model 1926 .44 Special:
You will see stuff that you will never see elsewhere!
Like ALL the Single Actions ever made by S&W:
Like WW II Experimental Carbines in 9mm and 30 Carbine:
Like one of Elmer's favorite S&Ws:
Like the Flush Valve S&W made during The Depression. This valve is how Carl Hellstrom came to be associated with S&W. He was an engineer hired as a consultant to fix the design:
Like maybe the FIRST regular production revolver made by S&W!
Like experimental WW II revolvers in 9mm and 30 Carbine!
Members donate S&W items for an
auction that we have on Saturday. All proceeds go to the SWCA. Some REALLY neat stuff appears in the auction, like Catalogs, Ammo, Grips, S&W memorabilia of all kinds, and even a gun now and then. Not long ago, Roy donated a doorknob from D.B. Wesson's office! Keith Brown donates a set of grips each year. There is no buyer's premium.
We also have a
gun auction that sells member's guns on consignment. The Buyer pays a
10% Buyer's Premium. The Seller pays a
10% Seller's Commission, so the seller realizes 90% of the hammer price. The seller can voluntarily pay a higher percentage commission. The buyer's premium and the seller's commission go to the SWCA.
Jim Supica is our auctioneer.
We have a
cocktail party/socializing time on Thursday night with a cash bar. Food is provided, and it is GOOD.
There is a
Show-and-Tell held one night where members show and pass around favorite guns and items. VERY informative.
There is a
Banquet Saturday night at which awards for the displays are presented.
In short, a Symposium is a great time!
5. Discount on Letters-
Letters for S&Ws now cost $100. SWCA members get a $10 discount. If you are also a member of the S&W Historical Foundation, a letter is $75. More on the SWHF is below.
Myths about the SWCA I've heard over the years:
1. The SWCA is for advanced collectors only.
Not true. You don't have to collect Reg Mags or have 50 Pre-War guns. If you have any interest in the older guns, or discontinued guns, company history, or the evolution of different models, or even variations of modern guns and/or currently produced guns, you might want to join.
There is NOTHING wrong with collecting 3rd Gen Autos, Performance Center Guns, or the M&P or Sigma Autos.
Do you have the "collector's heart", meaning do you have a desire to observe, study, learn about, and accumulate knowledge and accumulate any, many, or all of the various guns produced by S&W?
If so, I think you would enjoy membership.
2. The SWCA is composed of a bunch of arrogant, rich snobs.
Again, not true. The SWCA is composed of a cross section of society. By and large, it is as nice a bunch of people as you will encounter in life. Some members are wealthy. Some are young, working class people raising kids and have to budget in buying a gun only once or twice a year.
When I joined, I was in my early 30s, working construction through various recessions, and raising young kids. We needed a sponsor to join back then, and I would see Bill Orr at gun shows. We both lived in Georgia. Bill was a very wealthy man, was an S&W distributor, and had amassed a huge collection of valuable S&Ws. Look at the photo credits in
The History of Smith & Wesson by Roy Jinks. He saw my interest in S&Ws, and recommended that I join. I protested that I did not have, and could not afford to collect a lot of guns. Bill encouraged me to join anyway for the Journal, for the chance to get to know other S&W collectors, and perhaps to attend the annual meeting. He gave me an application signed by him as my sponsor.
It was decades before I could attend an annual meeting, but I enjoyed the Journal articles and getting to know other collectors in phone calls. I have not encountered too many arrogant snobs.
3. The Annual Meetings are too expensive for the average S&W enthusiast.
It does cost to attend the Symposium. That's because it is an expensive endeavor to conduct. It costs $200 to register to attend for the whole show. One display table is included in that fee. Extra display tables and sales tables are $30 each. The Banquet and the food at the cocktail party are included but you buy your own booze at the cocktail party.
Your spouse can attend for
$100 more, including the cocktail party food and Banquet.
You must stay at the host hotel or pay
$200 more to register. The host hotel is usually $100-129 per night.
They comp us the display room, so we must guarantee the hotel a minimum number of rooms get rented or we pay extra for the display hall.
You can attend for ONE day for $75. You must specify WHICH day. That does not include the free display table, nor the goody bag, nor the cocktail party, nor the banquet. If that day is Thursday, you can pay $60 MORE ($75 + $60) and attend the cocktail party, but you still have to buy your own booze. Again, the food is GREAT. If that one day is Saturday, you can pay $50 MORE ($75 + $50) and attend the Banquet.
We provide 24 Hour Security for the display hall for the duration of the show. The Security is local POLICE officers.
We have to buy liability insurance for the show.
With the show fees, travel, and hotel, it can cost $1000-1500 to attend the meeting. Maybe more if you fly, your spouse attends, and you eat/drink a lot.
I have attended the last fifteen Annual Meetings. It is worth the expense! You gets what ya pays for!
This year is the
50th anniversary of the SWCA, and this
Symposium will be the greatest yet. God willing, I'll be there!
11-21-20-
Edited to add: Covid forced us to cancel the annual meeting for 2020. It was postponed till September, 2021, and will be in Tulsa, OK. We will celebrate the
50th anniversary of the SWCA at that meeting.
About The S&W Historical Foundation:
You should also consider joining the S&W Historical Foundation (SWHF). The SWHF has spent a fortune digitizing the existing records of S&W. Much historical data has been preserved forever.
Read more here-
Smith & Wesson Historical Foundation
Membership is $100 and never expires.
I am proud to be the 18th Founding Member.
As mentioned above, being a member of the SWCA and the SWHF will get you a $25 discount on letters,
so $100 minus $25 = $75 for members of both organizations.
You can see the website here-
S&W Historical Foundation
Feel free to ask questions. Many members here will answer and offer their experience with the SWCA.
A sponsor is not required to join. Go here to get an application. Open it, print it, mail it:
SWCA Application
You can pay dues with PayPal.
The membership application is now updated to show the PayPal address. It is available as a Word document or a PDF.
Of course, you can always mail a check or money order.
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