Over the last few years I have watched in amazement as the price of antique Smith revolvers especially N Frames and even 70's-90's era prelock Smiths has escalated up to and past the cost of new revolvers.
Some of the most desirable models have gone up into thousands of dollars for mint condition revolvers with all the accessories and original boxes.

My concern as a collector and Investor is that most of the other folks who are collecting seem to be my age or older 50+. The last few times I was in local gunstores there are almost no new revolvers in the cases all are semi autos. The generation of folks under 30 has virtually no interest in owning a revolver. Its now all about modern tactical guns and semi autos that are seen in most movies and on TV.

20 years ago I could have gone into to most gunshops and found .38/44 heavy duties, and classic N-Frames and K22s for 1/2 to 1/4 of the price of a new gun $2-$400 was typical for a LNIB example. Then the current collector demand picked up due to folks our age, 50+ , haveing disposable income and a desire to collect the classics. Now many of these old revolvers are well over $1000 and into the many thousands.

It makes me wonder how good an investment the classic revolvers really are. I can see the potential for the prices to drop precipitously much as the Beanie babies did some 15 years ago due to collector loss of interest.
Will a registered magnum now worth $5000 drop in value to a few hundred dollars, as it will be seen as an obsolete and old revolver by the next generation?

In the case of the classic revolvers it would be aging of the collector population and the passing of their collections to descendants who would likely put them up for sale. This could lead to a glut of old "obsolete" revolvers on the market and very low prices. Now this will not stop me form buying and enjoying fine old revolvers, but it certainly makes me leary of paying top dollar for them and seeing them as an investment.

SO tell me I am wrong about this please, or am I?.
Who here shares this concern or thinks its a non issue?

arc2x2, I can only speak to a couple of other areas. I watched the single shot rifle collectors go bonkers a decade or two ago... in the '40s and '50s they had little or no value except among the most hardcore of shooters and collectors, but by the late '80s and the '90s they had taken off in interest thanks to the Coors Schuetzenfests, and other factors, and they have not let up since. Other than the panic buys of guns and ammo during real or perceived shortages or threat of new regulations, the overall trend for gun values has been upward, with occasional sudden leaps up, but seldom down. Will it continue? My crystal ball is foggy on that point, but I have a gut feeling it will continue unless the economy collapses totally and we're just scrabbling to stay alive. The foregoing is JMHO and is worth exactly what you paid for it!

Froggie

arc, I must agree with most of what you posted. I am in the age group you mentioned, 50+,(higher really) and I do have a small collection of older S&W's. However, I have not been acquiring older Smiths as an investment. I firmly believe that you are correct and there will be a "correction" of value on some older Smiths in the near future. However, I am acquiring these older Smiths because I want to do this. I just love the look, the finish, and the style of older Smiths. When I am gone, I am not going to be concerned about whether I left my family a great investment package. I will be happy in the knowledge that I left them some great old Smiths for them to look at, shoot, sell, whatever they decide to do with them. I enjoy them now and am grateful that I have the ability to acquire some old Smiths. The prices may be high, but the enjoyment, priceless.

Every class of collectible will have its seasons. I too foresee an eventual decline in the value of uncommon and older hand ejectors, but I suspect that day may still be a few years out. Some models will probably be proof against this trend; I only wish I could know today which those will be!

Anyway, I don't collect for value. I collect for pleasure. If something I want becomes available at a price I am willing to pay, I'll get it. If not, I won't. A sense of out-year valuation just doesn't come into play.

__________________
David Wilson

Arc, I too agree. I would not consider a firearm as an investment in any case myself. I believe we of the 50++ persuasion are in a position financially to collect, accumulate, toys, objects d'art,whatever and the market will eventually self-correct. And, some of use as we age and eventually divest or our heirs do the result will be as you anticipate.

Here in So. Oklahoma looks like revolvers and autos are about equal in popularity. Explainable maybe because here in podunk, mid-point between Dallas and OK City.

Gents, I am just one shy of the 7th decade and still have my first .22 my Grandfather gave me (a Winchester 74). Over the years I have had literally 100's of guns, of all types, pass through my hands. As most "collecors" I was a gatherer for years. No particular real area of interest, just had to have it. I had 1941 Johnsons I bought for 200 bucks, sold for 2500 and they are now 4000. Sharps, same deal. I don't think "Old Smith & Wessons" are going to fall independently of the overall collectors market. Have you priced anything from WWII lately? Talk about an escalation. WHOA!!

I have records of my sales over the years and quite frankly I wish I had put every $ I had in guns rather than the market. And I have done ok in the market. But the guns I have let go over the years did better. I don't look at it from a purely investment standpoint; the "entertainment factor" is justifiable too. This is from a man that still maintains a boat so I wouldn't take it for much. It is just MHO on the subject.

Regards


Bill

I agree to a point.

I am just shy of the age bracket, but I guess my idea of collecting is different than most. Unless a firearm of any kind is super rare and in pristine condition, I will use such firearm as the factory intended. Does using and enjoying a vintage revolver lower its value? I don't think so as a used revolver is only bought with shooting it in mind (at least in my case), so I will only buy it for the "right" price.

I had bought several unfired 1950's lever action Marlins a while ago. What was the first thing I did? That's right, fired them.

I think there will always be a "collector" premium on certain guns and I also believe that the current market will correct itself at some point. People who are paying $7K or more for registered magnums will wind up in the same predicament as the collector/investors that dove into the muscle car market 5-7 years ago. They paid super inflated prices and when they tried to sell, they took a bath. Heck, they made 5500 RM's, which may be a small percentage of overall revolvers produced, but it is a HUGE number in a collection standpoint. I guess it is sort of a good thing these guns are under the $10K price point, as when they do drop, the owner will not take a huge loss such as the musclecar guys did.

I'm just past that that 7 decades mark, and I have been "accumulating" firearms for about 30 of those years. First to shot in competition, then to shoot for hunting, then to shoot for fun. Most of my shooting now is trap, skeet, and a little small-bore bullseye. I still like picking off Prairie Dogs out to 500 yards, (my eye's won't let me go much further), and once in awhile I might try to get a few doves. I can't walk far enough for much else.

I buy guns I like, not specifically for any kind of investment. But, since guns do rise in value I try to keep track of the value of my guns so my wife (who has no interest in them) will have some kind of idea what they are worth when my time comes (if I haven't disposed of them before that). I would wager to say I have very few guns that are not worth more than I paid for them, but some not a great deal. Unfortunately good scopes do not hold their value as well as the guns do, and some of my $500 to $800 scopes are barely worth half that amount. Value is relative. One of my favorites is a 3 1/2" Pre 27 that I have $125 in. Yes, that one did much better than the stock market. But, the $450 scope I put on my Anschutz sporter is worth about half that and brings down the value of the package to about what I have in them. I figure my enjoyment over the years counts for something. If I sold off everything I have now, it would cover a year of two in a nursing home, so it is all relative.

__________________
H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

I have been wanting to start a thread like this, so I am really glad to see you did it, Arc2x4.

I never bought guns as an investment, but have noticed that even the most humble gun I own has gone up 10% in value, minimally. Most have appreciated far better than that. Of course, when inflation is taken into account, I'm probably about where I started, which is as-per-usual for me.

Last time I made the "10% ... 50%" statement, some of the "Chicken Littles" of the Forum advised me to panic sell immediately! Not gonna do it. I bought them because I enjoy them. If I do sell one, it will be to finance the purchase of another.

I'm ok either way. If Registered Magnums sell at dirt-cheap prices someday, GREAT! I can finally afford one! Conversely, if prices for plain-jane Model 10s go through the roof, GREAT! I'm rich!

It will be interesting to revisit this question in 2020. I do not see any precipitous drop off in the next decade, perhaps longer. Unlike beanie babies, guns actually have real intrinsic value.

__________________
You're shy a few manners.

From my prospective it seems that kids will get rid of anything they have no connection to. 90+% of the old farms have been broken up and sold off and we see all the posts from forum members who have inherited uncle Joebobfred's pistol. Their question, what is it and what is it worth.
I feel if we want our love of Smith's and other fine old guns to continue we must share the things that made us revel in them. Take your children shooting and hunting. Kill all of the tin (alum) cans you can find and share.
It doesn't have to be your children. How many of you had someone you just loved to hang around because they spent the time to show and explain things to you. Cultivate the next generations. JMHO
Larry

Have you priced anything from WWII lately? Talk about an escalation.

Amen.
I think the reason for high and rising prices on what a lot of us old gray heads still see as "army surplus" or "poleese specials" is because our generation's collectors bought up and squirrelled away the nice Winchesters, Colts, and Lugers, etc. So the current crop of collectors and speculators has to make hay out of SOMETHING.
Heck, the gunboards are starting to talk about "rare variations" of Mosin Nagants. Find a "Cossack model" and you are considered sharp.

I have bought most of my guns to shoot, plus some for novelty or "kewl factor." You would not make much money following my tastes, but I have had fun.

I'm going to ramble here.

I love it when the older, wealthier, collecting crowd gets busy. You guys talk about buying whole sets of firearms and casually mention how you spent several thousand dollars for (fill in the blank). I can't compete with you guys. And that's okay because you guys don't typically look at the more pedestrian revolvers that I like.

Sadly I will probably never be one of you even when I break the 50 barrier (I'm currently 43). I choose to go into law enforcement and while we have made some money from investments they're modest. Hear that music? It's the world's smallest violin playing for me. *Sigh*

Okay the sad moment is over.

Anyway down to more serious stuff.

Here in my little corner of Idaho I've been seeing more and more older S&W revolvers (as well as other different makes and models) coming up for sale. Over the past few years it's actually been astounding. My guess is it's a combination of the economy and a more and more of the Depression/WWII generation is dying off and leaving their collections to the tender mercies of their descendents. Many who have no idea what they have - or just don't care and want to get rid of the guns as fast as possible.

I've picked up a couple Colts, a Luger, and several Smith & Wesson M&P's, K-38's and a pre-war Heavy Duty. All for very reasonable prices. Like elsewhere the majority of the under 50 crowd isn't into revolvers - except as backup or concealed carry pieces. It's all about semi-auto hi-cap shooters now. Semi-auto pistols, rifles and shotguns. Three gun shooters and what not.

I'm something of a freak. More than once I've found myself in local gunshops looking at a neat revolver with 60+ gentlemen while Millennium babies oogle the latest polymer Wundergun.

A local pawnshop knows about my fondness for wheelguns and will call me when a nice piece comes in. A few weeks ago I picked up an NYPD Model 64 DAO round-butt for example. How in god's name it got from the east coast to Idaho I'll never know. But it's definitely one of the NYPD Model 64's from the mid-eighties.

Is it real valuable? Of course not, but it's fun and it's cool. And the best part is nobody wanted it - except for me.

So to wrap things up there are younger shooters out there who are into revolvers. And I have no idea if the market will correct itself. Here in Idaho I'm glad only throwbacks and the mature crowd wants revolvers. Because all you guys with the big check accounts don't want to buy mid-range, common .38 Spl K-frames and the Tactical Gods wouldn't be caught dead with such a clunky old gun. Yippee.

Oh for what it's worth my duty sidearm is a GLOCK 19. My two BUG'S are a Model 49 and a G26. I have to admit that I like both the GLOCKs and they are good shooters.

Hey I'm not a hypocrite. Well not most of the time.

It's time WILL come, sooner than later. Look at the Model T. Their price peaked when the people who grew up with them started to dwindle. Same with 60's muscle cars. Prices are starting to drop as the older collectors pass on.

I have watched the trend here on the forum over the past nine years and watched the S&W prices esculate upward mostly caused by ourselves, yes us forum members , creating our own inflation of prices on guns "we just gotta have" and were willing to overpay "just this one time", just to get "that special one". The problem is we don't live in a vacuum and other boards, auctions, dealers, table renters and the like follow what we, the "experts", are willing to spend on a given gun and that becomes the new standard of pricing for everyone. An thus prices escalate across the board.
That said, do I think prices will level out and some even go down over the near future, YES. I have already seen prices soften in my area and I've watched repeatedly overpriced guns go unsold on the auctions and classifieds. Some people are going to take a loss on their investment due to the lack of buyers. They made a whole lot more guns than they did collectors and there are only so many buyers out there with too much money to keep the trend and demand up forever.
Any one remember the recent Dot.Com bubble, how about the Real Estate bubble? It happens in all forms of industry in any given economy.

__________________
Dick

As the pool of people who are interested in the older firearms is depleted the number of people willing or able to buy the higher end firearms goes down. The olders firearms will always have a value but maybe not what it was a few years ago. I have an older friend who is selling a majority of his collection as he sees the number of interested buyers going down in the future. He is cashing out while he is still able to get a good return on the firearms he is selling.

All I can say is the 'Beanie Baby Syndrome' statement made me laugh for a solid 5 minutes ..... dear god that was funny

Maybe a better analogy would be Colts. SAAs weren't worth much at all in the 1950s but then the cowboy fads really took hold and the price went thru the roof. They still hold significant value, but no where near what the 1990s saw. Those guns lost their glitter because of fakery and the same kind of price rise the housing market saw.

I'm guessing RMs are a bad example. They didn't make enough of them and they didn't all survive. I can guarantee you everyone here on the forum doesn't have one (not enough made) but everyone would like to own one or two.

If they start selling cheap, there are a lot of us who would dive back in. There was a time, several years ago, when I owned 34 1/2 RMs. The half I still own half interest in. But I sold off a good number of them. Just no reason for one old fool to have that many. So I did the right thing, I allowed you guys to have a shot at owning some of them. But a funny thing happened. Most of the ones I sold just moved into other large collections. And when Gary Galbraith passed away, his RMs also moved to other collections. Today we have posters here with a bunch of them. And if one or 30 came up for sale the collectors will still be out looking and trying to add to their little hoards.

And I can use my own collecting style to kind of refute the OPs theory. I started out in the early 1970s buying then "in production" guns. Had to have a stainless steel gun, needed a M29, then a M39 and M59. But as I got older I wanted even older guns. The ones produced before I was born. I read the gun writers stories, and accepted some of what they belched out. But as soon as I tried my first 1950s K22, I needed an earlier one. Then I needed one from the 1930s, then a Second model. All that had been written about those guns was true. Proof was in the owning and shooting. All that literature is still out and about.

Any of us old guys goes to a range, we see the young who are sure the jam-a-matics are the cat's meow. They even, like the OP, laugh at us oldies with a revolver, shooting the black out of our targets. Never a misfire, just bang, bang, bang. Then as we are packing up, we stop and watch the young guys with their new, great, gun of the week. We lived that same stage, only with our M66, M19s, M34s, M29 and M57s. Except our guns from our early adulthood generally worked well. The new gun owners have hitched on to malfunctioning lemons.

They even comment about why us fools would own a S&W Registered Magnum instead of a Bersa, Tauri, Beretta or other glimmering clunker. Don't-cha know they're the sexiest and most in gun. Besides the guns us oldies like aren't available anyplace. Someone must have the all squirreled away, or worse, they all failed and got scrapped out. Why else would we need a few dozen K22s?

I have no idea if my son's will sell off my junk, or if my wife will have a stroke of brilliance and call David Carroll when I croak. Want to bet which avenue will produce the better return? Sure won't be the LGS route.

My prediction is we aren't anyplace near the end of this value rise. I figure I've probably got 10 more years before I die. In that time I fully expect to buy a couple more guns! You can bank on the idea they won't be plastic semi-autos. I'm not the youngest fool in this game, so I'd think there will be an active market for the better guns.

Oh, both my son's have their CCW permits. Guess what they carry. No, not jam-a-matics. Ratty old prelock J frames. Wonder why? They want a gun that will go bang when the trigger is pulled. They own autos, they just don't carry them. Gotta own one, its the "in" thing to do.

__________________
Dick Burg

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I like cranky old men.

GF

I too like "cranky old men", I know because I "R" one. lol

I think that the prices will hold up, until all of us old f*rts,(north of 70), who still remember when owning a Smith&Wesson, was a thing of pride, and Smith&Wessons were made by real craftsmen. I don't think that the ones made now, will ever be collectors items.

EarlFH

I've been collecting (mostly) older S&Ws for almost 40 years now, and it was a blast for decades. But in the last ten years or so I've only added a couple of older Smiths to the collection as the prices for the mint guns I only buy have gone crazy. The rich guys have ruined the hobby; I can't pay car prices for guns.

Found a 99+% 7" Registered Magnum back in the late '90's, with box, certificate, etc.. Got it for what was a lot of money to me but reasonable even back then. It was one of the "stars" of my collection and I figured I would die still owning it. But eventually the word got out that I had it and Richie Richs started bugging me to sell it. When one offered me ten times what I paid for it, it suddenly became just an old revolver to me and I sold.

I am having doubts that I will ever again find another older Smith on my "want list" that I can afford and that saddens me. Plus I find that with no recent additions to the collection I am in danger of losing interest. I for one hope the market does soften, even tank--'tho with the ungodly amounts of money many people seem to have these days I doubt it.

I don't know, every once in a while I see some tupperware packin' hot shot wander over to see what that ol fart is shootin' and he is hypnotized by the quality and feel of that old 6 shooter.

They keep showin' up and lookin' just like I did 40 years ago. By the time they get to our age they will be able to afford something a bit different and that old six shooter of long ago may come to mind.

Least I'm hopin' so.
My guns aren't an investment, I'm just a caretaker until the next generation catches up.

When I go to a gun show I have to wonder about the question being debated. How many people under 35 do you see? Very few. I'm concerned that shooting and collecting guns in general has declined.

I have a modest few S&W revolvers, but there are other "older guns" in which I am heavily "invested" and about which I question the future:



You can stew about the future all you like, but in the end I'm not going to worry. If all my toys are without substantial value when I cross the river I have lost nothing. They have thoroughly enhanced my happiness during life. That's reason enough to own them.

rburg sez,

"Maybe a better analogy would be Colts. SAAs weren't worth much at all in the 1950s but then the cowboy fads really took hold and the price went thru the roof. They still hold significant value, but no where near what the 1990s saw. Those guns lost their glitter because of fakery and the same kind of price rise the housing market saw."

I am thinking he and I agree, sort of. I am not the collector Mr. rburg is but I am currently following 3rd Generation Colt SAA's and trying to buy a few. The world of Cowboy Action Shooting has also affected the price of Colt SAA's...lots of clones being sold while not so on the Colts. Judging by the online auctions and sales if a 3rd Generation Colt (and I must clarify myself I am speaking only here of 3rds) can be had for $1,000 or less, it sells. If the price is above that it sits. I remember that being about the same in the 1990's. So if anyone is wanting a Colt 3rd SAA there's a lot of overpriced ones out there not selling. And the ones I paid $1200 to $1500 for (I know YIKES! but I wanted the later badly) I will probably only break even when Colt stops making them.

Again I am not a high-end, broadly experienced collector, I'm a shooter who wants the most pristine he can buy. Then I'll have my "way" with them and some day sell all of them.

However as to S&W's I think the desires for the more "uncommon" models and the good clean common models might still rise a bit. And, sadly, there will be more Smiths and Colts hitting the market as the aged owners pass on or sell the remainder out right. So to me, there will still be opportunities out there to buy quite a lot of the older Smith's but it's going to require diligence, patience, and being in "line" at the right time.

At a gun show last year a vendor who I knew had two Pre-War .357 Magnums on his table. One was a Utah State Police 4 inch and one was a "reblued" 6 inch. He was asking $1200.00 and $1100.00. I also overheard him say to an acquaintance that he was thinking of selling out completely as he was getting old, he was in his late 70s. Three days later he passed away. His collection was either liquidated by a close friend who also attends the gun shows or by a local gun shop.

I believe that eventually the broad-based "desire" we are seeing for older S&W and Colt D/A revolvers will shallow out a lot. But I have no idea when that will happen, I suspect in about 10 to 15 years or before. More guns will come into the market due to the events above but then more buyers will "ignore" the market because they desire the latest "wondergun" that Clint Eastwood's grandson is using in the "Return of Dirty Harry Part Two".

I do not begrudge the "richer" investors who can buy and run up the price of certain models I want but may never have. Almost all of us will always have someone around who is wealthier than us. In my case, immensely so.

I do consider myself fortunate to have gotten deeper into S&W's just about the time the prices became sorta "stupid". I was able to buy the shooters I want for some very good prices.

What I mean by "stupid" is the gun auctions. Starting prices in many cases are best described as "wishful". But I have still seen, and bought, nice ones on the auctions. Not everyone is foolish in their pricing.

__________________
Have guns...will shoot'em.

I believe that a quality gun that is well maintainted will keep its value. Although values may not increase as much as they have in the past several years, I believe politics may have some thing to do with recent spikes in values.

All the above talk about growing old and the boat load of S&Ws I currently care for being worth less than I gave for them is a wake-up call actually. Time to thin the herd for sure.
Chuck

__________________
SWCA1517 SWHF256
Rangers LTW!

I am certainly smack in this age bracket, and proud of it!

I don't have money to burn, but from time to time I do have a bit of discretionary income and I get to choose what I do with it. I am lucky in the fact that I have children and grand children who have all grown up with guns and they all own guns now. (yep, even the 10 year old) I don't look at a nice older S&W as something to be bought and sold as a commodity, but rather as something of beauty and quality no longer made that will, in all probability, never BE made again either. The fact that it shoots and shoots very well, indeed, is a bonus, along with the fact that...if I bought it at a decent price...that it will at the least hold its' value better than a sofa or a truck. If it increases in monetary value, so much the better.

I also own 'black' guns, polymer guns, 'tactical' guns and even a couple of hunting guns although I almost never hunt any more. I own them because I like them and because I still make a part time living instructing younger cops and would-be cops how to use them. For the most part these are stamped and welded bullet squirters. Efficient, reliable, plenty accurate enough, tough as nails and priced at a working man's price point. My revolvers take me back to when we (our age group) thought we had all the answers, but really didn't even know all the questions. Back when we had the world by the tail...or thought we did.

Frankly, there are times I just want to shoot something that is not so 'tactical'...that speaks to me of a different age when men took pride in a product, and did their jobs willingly. When PC was a beach in North Florida and kids still got spanked when they did wrong and hugged when they did good, and no one worried about adults hugging kids simply because if the 'hug' was inappropriate that kid's dad would kick your ***...not sue you.

Look at what gold has done in the last few years...do I want to sit and stare at a small pile of it and rub my hands gleefully at how much money I will have made if I sell it? Or would I rather hold a beautiful old Colt or Smith & Wesson revolver, or maybe a Winchester M52 Sporter or a High Standard HD Military, etc. and marvel at the pure quality put into what were essentially working guns in those times? You know the answer.

Besides, if my grand kiids sell off the really nice guns I leave them I will come back and haunt them! :-)

__________________
Run Fast, Bite Hard!

I'm not an investor...Of firearms anyway.

I buy 'em and try not to pay more than fair market value at the time.

I'm tryin my best to use em all up in this life time,
but I ain't makin much headway.
Got the sons and grandsons helpin me now.

Them ol Smiths are tough.


Su Amigo,
Dave

__________________
"IN GOD WE TRUST"

Boys, I am gonna try a new slant on this subject. Fast forward 40 years. Do you think the polymer crowd will be hovered around a particular , lets say Glock, and drool over it because the slide rails are made of ???? rather than XXXXX? Do you think the polymers will ever enjoy the envy of a handfitted pre something or another. I don't see this happening. Personally I think a Collector has to be of a certain age himself to appreciate something that is equal to or before his time. I think the "collectabilty" of a Smith or Colt has something to do with taking us back to a period that we, the aged think, was a better time, for whatever reason. The firearm of that era was "from a better time and place." Some famous guy said "You can't go home again." Perhaps this is what we are trying to replicate with our endeavors, our searches, our collecting, and our dollars?

Just my 2 cents

Regards

Bill

Beanie babies have no intrinsic value, unlike gold or firearms. same thing with baseball cards, it's a piece of cardboard with someone's picture of it.

Those of us in this "collector" market that buy for fun and or use never really look at the dollar value of the gun we presently hold in high esteem until we are thinking about selling it or have found another to replace it on the that throne, whether it is days or years later! The one thing we neglect in establishing that amount of increase from our investment is the value of the money used. What was the value of the dollar when we bought compared to the value of the present day inflated dollar! Using the inflated dollar of today I think you will find there was little or no increase of your initial investment.
jcelect

I don't know. I talk to my young deputies about six guns, and they listen patiently and politely, admire the craftsmanship to a degree, but to tell you the truth I am not sure they get it. Why carry a heavy gun that only holds six rounds...when almost any self loader holds twice as many??? Or those old guns have to be kept clean and dry, or they rust?? Or if you bang 'em around too much getting in and out of a patrol car the finish is ruined??
There are exceptions.....and I am not branding EVERY member of the polymer generation, but even in LEO survival training revolvers are sneered at in light of the so called advantages of self loaders!!! Look at your average CCW forum and look at what the guys and gals tote...Glocks, XD's, 9's, 45's of the polymer variety, and some version or another of a 1911....the guy who carries a Model 10 is viewed as a dinosaur, or out of touch with the "reality" of "modern" combat shooting...
Sign up for a civilian "training class" lately???? Guess what they want you to bring...a self loading pistol, 400 rounds of ammo and a footlocker full of magazines...
It is a wonder that any of us that carried revolvers ever lived through an entire shift...much less finished a career.
Anyway, someone, somewhere will always appreciate blue steel, wood stocks, and the smooth double action pull of a Smith revolver...but if you are buying a bunch of them as an investment, I am not sure you will live long enough to make a bunch of money on your investment....

Well, I'm closer to the 8th decade than the 7th so I've been playing with these things since early in WWII. Started with Colt percussions back when you could, if you stayed away from the Walkers and Patersons, buy as many as you wanted and rarely ever top a "C" note. Maybe my memory is failing me but I can't ever remember buying a gun of any kind with the primary reason being to turn it for a profit. Every gun that I ever bought was purchased for only one purpose and with one consideration: I wanted it and I could afford it without negatively impacting the other important parts of my life.

I decided not long ago that it was time for someone else to enjoy the Colts so I shucked them off and can say I don't think I lost anything on a single one of 'em. (And that's a good thing when you are on a fixed income and the govt. is trying to "fix" it even more.)

All of my Smiths fall between 1901 and 1983 with most of them pre-WWll. I have no interest in those with three piece barrels, glow worm sights, or pimple locks. I do occasionally shoot some of my old ones but as a general rule I would say that I collect Smiths and I shoot Glocks. Other than taking a deer yearly, I rarely hunt anymore so I have thinned out a lifetime of hunting guns somewhat just to make more room for those nice old N frames.

Determining the future of my guns is a lot simpler for me than for most of you. I have no kids or grandkids so I can enjoy them-whether I shoot them, look at them or ignore them-without concern for much other than my pleasure. If I get some clue of my demise beforehand I will probably take formal steps to get as much as they will bring. Should I go in the night tonight, my wife will know who should be contacted. Sure makes life simpler.

Bob

Interesting point. Wheelguns sell well now because us guys with gray on top buy them as we had them in our youth. But 30 years from now guys our age will not have grown up with revolvers as we did so maybe they will not have a big interest in them. Or maybe they will seem even MORE nostalgic. Of course, 30 years from now how many of us will care which guns are valuable?

Besides, guns are not generally the best investment if you want a return on your money.

The S&W's (and other guns) I accumulate are for my enjoyment.

My heirs can regard them as investments if they so choose.

OK, its not a bad post, but one line stands out as great!


It would make a pretty good signature line.

__________________
Dick Burg

Thanks rburg...it is funny when you listen to these high speed low drag tactical guys...

I have thoroughly enjoyed this thread. I am in the minority of the posters here in that I do not have any gray hair (well - maybe just a few). I'm still under the 1/2 century mark, but I do have a bunch of nice old Smiths. I went through the autoloader phase (albeit mostly 1911's) and I still enjoy shooting my XD's and other "plastic guns". BUT when I want to handle fine craftsmanship of a bygone era, I head to the safes and pull out the beautiful pre-war 357's, 38/44's, K-22's, M&P Targets, etc. Staring into their deep bluing, I get carried back to a simpler time. I feel a connection to my roots, both direct ancestors and collective gun enthusiasts of years past. I try and take the time to pass that enjoyment on to my teenage boys and their friends, most of whom have come to think of revolvers as something very "cool". I took a bunch of them (both guns and boys) shooting last summer and we went through thousands of rounds - it was a blast.

I do view my Smiths as an investment...an "investment in my enjoyment" and I will continue to enjoy that investment.

__________________
Richard
Engraved S&W fan

I collected Nikon cameras, lenses, and accessories for about twenty years. Then digital cameras became the rage and the old Nikon stuff lost about 1/4 of its value. I thought I saw the writing on the wall and sold it all. Within 2-3 years the values came back up. Bottom line: they were innovative, made in relatively small quantities, and of extremely high quality.

I now collect top-break S&Ws and think the same holds true for them.

Can't say that for beanie babies.

__________________
Peter #2091

I am hoping that large caliber revolvers will always have and hold their value as defense and hunting arms.

As we've seen recently with the internet age, it only takes 2 persons with
computers to create value in any one thing.

Hell, I've bid against 1 person in an auction and paid too much because of it.

As to the next generation coming along behind us?
I sadly must say I have not seen much from them other than a
penchant and ability to operate small electronic devices.

Interesting thread,, all these posts in just one day.

Allen Frame

__________________
NRA cert.instructor&R.S.O.

Some of you Gents will savvy this..."A ten dollar horse and a forty dollar saddle."

When I was a young man, a month's wages would buy me a RM...Now in days it takes that same month's wages to by one.
Go figger.



Su Amigo,
Dave

__________________
"IN GOD WE TRUST"

If Beanie Babies lost their value what happened with the Cabbage Patch market?!?!?

I remember that craze and having relatives from out of state calling us to see if they were available here.

__________________
Have guns...will shoot'em.

i am in the 50 plus age group but a couple guys i work with in their mid thirtys love old smith blued revolvers. especially n frames. some of these "kids" still appreciate the classic revolvers and despite trying to raise a family and make ends meet they have nice modest collections. i believe there is hope for the younger guys. they just dont have as much ready cash as some of us old duffers.

I understand this perspective. I operated a music store for many years, and there's been a general movement away from acoustic guitars by young people. Despite this, I saw the value of vintage acoustic guitars (and old guitars in general) start to skyrocket in the early 1990's...It was middle aged guys reliving their adolescence.

Don't complain too much about the price of S&W revolvers...old guitars that I thought had topped out at $5000 to $15,000 in the early '90's reached $10,000 to $25,000 by the end of the decade.

But that pricing COULDN'T go on. These were instruments that cost $250 when they were new, and the extremely high vintage prices didn't reflect intrinsic value, they reflected the affluence of guitar buyers and the EMOTION DRIVEN PURCHASING HABITS of baby boomers. Auctions and the auction mentality helped fuel this emotion. (There's a reason why primo stuff is sold at auctions, folks.)

When baby boomers die, their passions die with them. True, guitars will always be popular, but not like they were popular in the 1950's, 60's and 70's.

One thing to consider, though - it's the top tier vintage stuff that's astronomically priced, and in the long run it has no where to go but down. It's the second , third and fourth tier stuff thats a better value and investment (at least in music, anyway.) Stuff that's made by top makers, but isn't quite from the "best" era or isn't the most desirable or "iconic" model.

Anyway, my point: Ihe reason I bought several old S&W revolvers instead of just one was because I saw parallels with the second or third tier guitar market I'd just left (after close to a couple of decades.) A 1970's pinned barrel, case hardened trigger /hammer .38 may not be a 1950's
5-screw .357 but it's STILL a pretty nice gun. And it's a lot less money than both high end vintage AND new. Not an "investment", per se, as it won't make me rich, just a smarter way to buy.

I think that a lot of the younger shooters just have not had a chance to shoot some of the nice old revolvers, and appreciate them.

My son has had that opportunity, and he now has more S&Ws than his old man. I went shooting with my new FFL Dealer who is totally in with all plastic guns. He only distributes plastic, and only owns plastic. I took along several nice ole Smiths when we went, and you should have seen his eyes when he lit up my 3" 29. At the end of the day he was saying that he needed some revolvers. His first purchase was a 4" 686.

I don't know if he will ever be a "collector," but he is a young fellow who now knows what a revolver is.

Tom

Dang Dave, you shure as hell ain't ranchin' on them wages!

Your $10 horse and $40 saddle reminds me of my Dad. He was so tight that he took such long steps to save his $30.00 boots that he split is $40.00 pants.

Ah there Iggy...
Ya knows, behind every successfull rancher is a woman with a good job in town.

And o'course I've been peddlin' them drygoods on the side.


Su Amigo,
Dave

__________________
"IN GOD WE TRUST"

Boy that thar is the durned truth. Trouble is, with price of gas today they burn up the profit in the commute.

Exactly

My son and hopefully his son will continue on where I left off and they will have had a good start to do so!