A friend of mine is considering selling his 80's Series Colt Gold Cup. He bought it new and has shot it less then 200 times. It is with the box and all paperwork. It is the blued model. I have seen it once years ago. I realize I could get on a Colt forum and get the info I seek, but I am a member here and trust the members here. With this limited info, would anyone with Colt experience, care to guess at the worth? I want to offer him a fair deal. thanks for any and all input. Barry

A new series 70 version sells for $1100-$1200

$1K maybe.

Most Colt collectors like the 70's better than the 80's.

But I think the 80's are great too.

Dave

I had a 80 series that I bought new in the early '80's. Decent gun. Reasonably accurate, but not the proverbial laser. Rear sight pin kept coming loose. No beavertail, so had hammerbite issues. I do not regret trading it off.

Thanks guys. I'm in the same neighborhood-1K. Barry

The series 80's are very good guns and like others have said the series 70's are a little more respected and preferred. I have a stainless series 80 Colt Government model and it has been an excellent shooter.

I love Colt Gold Cups and own many. However I have not bought one since they stopped doing the flat top and grooved slides. Round top GCs are just not for me.

If it is a round top GC I probably would not go over $800
If it is a flat top GC I might go to $1000

The current head of Colt is a Python and GC shooter. He is responsible for the current re-release of the blue 70 series GCs that Colt is producing. If the used 80 series can't be had for under $1000, I would be buying the current 70 series GC instead

I have a well-used Gold Cup '70 and a Series '80 Gold Cup Elite and a Gold Cup Commander. All these guns were bought before I recognized they all had way too heavy triggers and weren't noticeably accurate. Gold Cups are also known to lose the front sight; my Series 70 has all new after-market Bo-Mars.

If you're not a serious shooter and just want to own a GC, go for it. They resell well.

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Bob.
SWCA 1821

I'm looking at it as more of an investment. I like shooting S&W revolvers MUCH more than the semi-autos. I really don't see me shooting it much at all. Barry

Back in my pistolsmithing days, I found that the Gold Cup needed about as much TLC as a standard 70 Series to make it shoot really well as well as reliable. I also found that the sights were suspect and the lack of a good beavertail grip safety about soured me on Gold Cups. I think that purchase for the purposes of an investment is more a reason a buy than purchase for target shooting. ...........

It depends a lot on condition. I bought one several years ago, not in very
pristine condition, for $500. Sent it off to a world class pistol smith.
It came back in like new condition (correct that - better than like new
condition.) Well I've got a grand or so in it. I think new ones catalog at
up to $1,400. Wouldn't trade mine for a new one.

I guess I'll be contrarian here, and advise you to buy it and shoot it. There are a lot of Series 80 GCNM's out there, and it's not likely to take off in value any time soon.

Right now, at a LGS, there are three used Series 80's that are going from $800-$900. All with boxes and 2 mags. Colt has been producing Series 80's longer than Series 70's.

The Series 70 GCNM brings a premium, because the mid-late 1980's models were sometimes not of the highest quality owing to the Colt v. UAW labor problems. The Series 70's seem to have better fit/finish than the Series 80's from the era. The only down side to the Series 70, is the collet bushing which is considered a weak point, and this was discontinued shortly after the Series 80 was introduced.

Buy it; shoot it! It's what Dr. Browning would prescribe.

If you can get that gun for $800 or so, go for it. Starting out with a Gold Cup may get you hooked on 1911's.

old 1911 fan

Called my friend last night. He went to Colt web site and looked up serial#. It said built in 1971-so it can't be a series 80, can it? When did the 80 series come out-1980ish? Going to look at it tomorrow. I'll know more then. Barry

Unless you get it cheap I wouldn't plan on significant appreciation.

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Just hanging with my dogs

The series 80 came out in '83.

More like 1983, I think.

barrya if it's a series 80 it should say series 80 on it. I called Colt, gave
them my serial number, and they told me the year of manufacture. 1984

Information I have says Colt's series 80 Gold Cup was introduced in 1983.
Stainless steel not until 1985.

I bought my Series 70 GC in 1979. It had/has the same issues as your Series 80. The rear sight pin kept migrating out. I was afraid to peen the pin myself for fear of damaging the finish and I never did get around to taking it to someone who could or sending it back to Colt. I put it in my safe after about 200 and there it has remained. I'm really happy that I have kept it.

My apologies for the thread drift.

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I'm gonna grow fins.

I owned a series 70 Gold Cup many years ago and shot it quite a lot. It certainly didn't measure up to its claim as a target pistol. A Colt pistolsmith put a slight bend in a solid pin (original had a roll pin) to keep the rear sight from coming off. For the money, I think there are better choices of 1911's out there, but Colts always retain a lot of value because of the name.

Not to hijack, but-

Why did they re-release Series 70 pistols? What makes them better than the series 80 or 90?

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Because of the metric system?

Fewer parts in the trigger mechanism makes for a nicer feel.And the whole nostalgia thing

The rap on the Series 80 has been the trigger, since Colt added the firing pin block. A lot of people don't like it, and they still prefer Series 70 pistols that didn't have the parts.

There's evidence, albeit not much, that the firing pin block is a definite safety feature; and there are a bunch of folks on the opposite side of the issue, that Colt folded under pressure from their legal department, changing a pistol with a good trigger, to one that was mushy and horrible.

A couple of years ago, Colt decided to bring out the Series 70 again, although they omitted the collet barrel bushing, which is what separates the pre-70 from the Series 70 pistols. They're enjoying a lot of success with the retro Series 70 GCNM.

I own both original Series 70 and Series 80 pistols, and I can't tell a whole lot of difference between the two.

I have several 60s and 70s colts,Hadnt owned a series 80 since the 80s.Found an early one recently and the trigger was definitely heavier and mushier than my other guns.It didn't take much work to get the trigger very close in feel to the others though.

When I was a 2700 match shooter and Camp Perry visitor in the late 60s well into the 70s I opted for buying plain old blued steel government models and having them accurrized by Al Dinan up on the Conn Mass border.Any government model accurrized by Al Dinan or other top pistolsmiths in the field could shoot rings around any out of the box Gold Cup.

I have no idea why anyone would pay all that money for a Gold Cup.

Are they being bought to be safe queens because they sure ain't any where's near good enough to be a competition gun.Are they any more accurate than a 745?

Sounds like it may be a 70 series. Value will change. I looked at GB, some bids on this one to $1100.

Do some googling on the Series 70 Gold Cup, it is well liked, it was the first 1911 where opinions of target shooters were asked, it was the 1st great factory target 1911 per some folks.

I had a series 70 Gold Cup for a while. I liked it but when I got into competitive shotgun sports it helped obtain a Browning O/U Sporting clays gun. Sporting clays are long behind me and I wish I had the forethought to keep the Colt.

I am a GCNM addict and have gone through a bunch of them. I still have a bunch as well. The pre-70 series were the best put together guns but most people gravitate to the 70 series and occasionally people pay crazy high prices for one in the right condition with box & all.
Buy a GCNM for what it is and enjoy it, don't buy it thinking it will be more than it is. They aren't all that accurate.
Best wishes.

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Lynnie, Professional Pest

I think the series '70 gold cups are the best of the 1911's currently available.

Great pistols.

The '80 s model: not as much.

Like you, my pre-70 GCNM is the most accurate of my four. However, the down side with it, are the lightening cuts in the slide. I can load the 180gr SWC's and it punches nice tight holes in paper. I'd never shoot 230gr hardball in it, even with a heavier recoil spring.

I've got a Series 80 Gold Cup that went through Clark's shop. Shoots like a dream. I'd say any 70 Series GC will bring $1100 in good shape, Series 80 a minimum of $1000. You will see them bring much more for premium examples. I wouldn't expect them to increase in value significantly in the near future.

I got my first Gold Cup in 1979. I have had several others since but kept the first one. I was aware of their tendency to drop the sights, so fit mine with a fixed sight top end with solid bushing when I went to Gunsite in 1987, as it was the only full-size 1911 I had at the time.

I find the Gold Cup with it's big, square sights and wider trigger to be easier to shoot well than a standard 1911, but mechanically, the Gold Cups I have shot were no more accurate than post Korean War era Government Models.

Still waiting for the sights to fall off of my 1979 Gold Cup, by the way.

Went and looked at it yesterday. It is perfect. It was made in 1971 and bought new in 2000. It was from a dealer. He gave 1200 for it then. I told him it was worth VERY close to that now. More then I want to put into it. I would rather buy another Smith or 2. Thanks for the info. Barry