Went to an auction this past weekend. There were a large number of Colt's being sold. Here are the hammer prices. Add 6% sales tax to get the final price out the door:

Python 2.5" NIB: $3550
1911 Talo Edition NIB: $1500
Diamondback 4" NIB: $1900
Mark IV NIB: $1200
Python 6" NIB: $3000
Python 2.5" NIB: $3000
Diamondback 4" NIB: $2000
Diamondback 6" NIB: $2000
Anaconda 6": $2100
King Cobra 6" NIB: $1700
Anaconda 4" NIB: $3100
Anaconda 8" NIB: $2400
Diamondback 4" NIB: $2400
Single Action Army NIB: $1400
Python 6" NIB: $3500
Rattlesnake NIB: $4400
Python Hunter with case NIB: $6100
King Cobra 4": $1800
Python (nickel) 6" box: $2800
Python 2.5" NIB (nickel): $3900
Trooper Mark III: $1000
Diamondback 4" with box: $1500
Python 2.5" with box: $2750
Python 4" NIB: $2500
1911 with Presentation Box: $1650

Colts are nice, don't get me wrong, but I've never understood the reasoning for their premium pricing.

Wow. Now is the time to pull some of those Colt's out
of the safe. So sez my wife.

The Pythons sound as though they went for sky-high prices, but the others (particularly the SAA) seem to have peaked, perhaps. Is the Walking Dead still on cable?

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Interesting.
Thanks Exiled for taking the time to compile and post this.

Nostalgia for the COLT name is powerful. Pythons are beautiful examples of the gunmakers art, but prices nowadays still boggle my mind. Almost seems like the new benchmark for Python prices is $3000.00 and up. Surprised to see a couple on the list sold for less than 3K.

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NRA Life, COTEP 640

Big bucks for guns that won't get shot

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Buy American
Vote Responsibly

If it was at an auction I'll bet you can add 10-15% buyers premium to those numbers.

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Release the Kraken

Did you notice what the semi-autos were going for...assuming there were some. I bought a Combat Commander back in the early 80's and was curious if it has held value or increased.

With a NIB Colt SAA selling for $1400, they sure have taken a back seat from the price wars of a few years ago. Of course the caliber, bbl length, grips, generation ect aren't listed, but considering the crazy prices paid a few years back, this is a real drop.

The snake guns I'll never understand. Never did care for the Python. The Diamondback is nice,, but not that nice.
..and a Trooper MkIII for $1000,,,no never.

All good investments obviously if they were bought right and sold at these prices. But then anything is.
I'd be selling if I had any lying around!

Thanks for taking the time to list the results,,very interesting and eye opening.

Commander prices were skyrocketing 5 years ago, but it really depends on which Series and caliber. I kept turning down $1200 for a no-box, excellent condition series 70 in 38 super. 45's are considerably less.

My brother loves Diamondback 38's (we both hate the 22's) and would probably pay these prices! (and he holds onto money so tight, it screams!)

Ivan

Unfortunately, not many Colt semi-autos were in the auction. There are a couple in the list shown.

Why, 72b40? It is a gorgeous gun, to be sure, but guns are tools to be shot and carried, not just collected, although I admit to having a collection but every gun in it but one has been fired. Why would someone pay $4,000 for your gun?

A friend of mine decided about two years ago he was going to invest in Colt Pythons. He bought maybe six - he happily dumped them this year, barely making any money at all, and they were all in the 2500 to 3000 dollar range when he bought them. I think we have seen top dollar for awhile with these guns.

A Python 2.5" and a 6" seem to be more in demand than a 4", anyway. I understand the smaller one in the day and age of concealed carry but not the larger one.

I personally don't believe SAA prices are even close to peaking.

Note the description: "Single Action Army NIB: $1400"

The only thing we know about it is that it's NIB. Don't know which generation it is, or even what caliber, barrel length, type of grips, or degree of ornamentation, if any.

We think of Single Action Armys by Colt as naturally being .45 Colt. But really, there are so many possibilities.

And I'm not even surprised at the prices Pythons are going for...not in the slightest.

I'm just curious. Are those Pachmayrs on there? Did it come from the factory with them? I mean, I see the Colt logo on them, but still...?

Irregardless, that's a nice Python. You might get $4K for it around here. About the only time any of the Snake Guns show up for sale around here is when gun shows come to town. They're kinda like Model 27s in that regard...they're scarce around here.

Like real estate, it's location, location, location. Now, you're in Texas. You might mosey on over to Collectors Firearms in Houston and eyeball Pythons till your eyes glaze over. Shops in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona seem to come across guns you don't see anywhere else on a regular basis.

It's a fact that certain guns are more available on the used market in some states than others. We don't know where 72b40 lives. As I said in my post, Pythons are scarce around here. There's one shop about twenty miles up the road from me that has a few on display...all of them NIB and every dang one of 'em marked "Not For Sale". Matter of fact, it's not far from where we'll be having the SWCA Symposium in a week or so. He's also got a bunch of collector grade 1911A1s..."Not For Sale". I'm told his "Not For Sale" tags are to discourage casual lookers and lowballers. If you got the bucks, I think he'd sell.

But anyway...Snake Guns of any type are rare birds around here. The other LGS that sometimes gets a Python in will not deal on them...they seem perfectly content to let one sit in the case until someone pays their price.

Don't listen to her!

I have collected colts for years now always moving up in quality But have recently entered into the S&W area.
Now this could be an " Urban Rumor " but an elder Colt collector told me this story :
After WW1 the Colt Rep and a S&W Rep met on and discussed their business . ( this was the golden age of industry and companies plotting ) The reps agreed that Colt would focus on Semi Autos and S&W would focus on Revolvers Each would make a small amount of what they had in the other companies area of specialization ( just enough to insure they could never be a focus of any Government concerns of an agreement to corner the market
I dont know if its true maybe someone who has more researching skills can look it over
So the moral to my story is OLDER COLT AUTOS are the key in that area, While S&W revolvers in the same area will command a better price ( with the exception of the S&W auto )

I don't think $4k is unreasonable for your NIB four inch BTS Python. Have seen them offered for more than that but don't know how many actually sell at that price. Last year I traded a six inch BTS without box (same grips) which was 98% and had been fired for a five inch pre 27 in perhaps 97%, a N sn 27-2 (8 3/8 inch at 98%) and a 25-5 four inch in hard chrome. Not sure what the three S&Ws are worth but should be over $3k; are to me anyway. Good luck with your Python.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

I'd love to have a Python, should've bought one when they were in production, but that ship sailed. I can halfway understand the high dollar for Pythons. They were hand fitted by the best gunsmiths Colt had. But the others? Nice as they are, they were production guns not worthy of the big price tag. That said, if guys want to pay the high dollar for safe queens, that's their business.

I have owned several Pythons. Even carried one as a duty weapon in the early 70's. Meh,,,,,nothing special on monthly qualifying.
Just showing off some, is all.

x10.......x100.....And all they do fondle & brag on them....Its an artificial pricing scheme.......BTW I've owned a Python from the custom shop since 1980(gift from my wife) but I much prefer shooting my Smiths....The colt has went out of time twice(had to peen the hand) and had to replaced the V-spring twice because of light primer strikes......My old 28 from that era has only been fed ammo.........

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S&W Accumulator

If the same fellow had all these guns, he's retired now.!!!!

Funny how when you could actually buy Colt revolvers from dealers back 35 years ago they were slow sellers. Even the Python which was only about $140.00 over a model 27 sat for a while in the cases.My guess would be that the current buyers paying crazy money for Colts,may not be the same folks who passed them up years ago.This is just my observation covering Ma, Southern NH,and Me gun shops on a weekly basis.

This Python will hit a gun show table in
10 days. 98% 1986 vintage wrong box.
Going to mark it a 3K....doubt that happens.
We will see.

So my good neighbor to the North, how many did you take home .

__________________
Vietnam 1969-1971

I took no Colt firearms home with me as I have a severe case of S&Witis, of which there is no cure and only marginal relief from time-to-time.

Exiled

I was at this auction as well. Nice Colts but expensive! Most of the guns sold went high except the beaters. Always do at this auction house. The SAA was a 71/2" 45 3rd gen if I remember correctly.

Wow is all I can say. Pretty costly back in the day also and S&W models were more affordable for sure. As long as some are willing to pay the price for a Python guess they will always bring the big bucks.

My $.02 worth;

Started getting out of Colts several years ago. The 98% 6" Python went for $2,500 +, The 1944 documented 1911A1 went also for $2,600 +, Both the 98% Colt OMM 22 (in box, etc.) and the maybe 85% Colt OMM 38 went for over $1 k +.

I wasn't really surprised with the Python or the 1911A1, but the 2 OMM's floored me.

I'm not bragging, just saying and I have 4 Colts (well 3 genuine and 1 Argentine Systema Colt 1911A1) for sale right now on this forum, over 4 weeks....no interest...couple of "come close but no cigar" offers.

At 72 with still decent hands, eyes, health my projects these days are totally Smith and Wesson, while I still can, and dumping the prancing ponies and safe queens is the only way to fund this slippery slope we call SWCA (Smith & Wesson Collectors n Accumulators)

Attached Images

	Colt 38OMM-1.JPG (24.0 KB, 12 views)
	Colt 22OMM-7.JPG (47.1 KB, 12 views)
	Colt Python reduced size.JPG (27.7 KB, 13 views)
	Colt 1911A1-1.jpg (33.2 KB, 14 views)

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Charlie B
SWCA#3083, SWHF#570