Just a quick question. What does a police dept mark add to the value if anything to a firearm? It's a model 66.2.

May add value to a collector wanting that gun. Detracts value for most other buyers.

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No life story has happy end.

Mister Doctor (Saxon) Pig gives excellent and succinct advice. My short answer to your question is, in general, there is no value added to a police department marked gun. Condition is a more important factor, everything else equal, in my opinion. A collector very interested in police department marked guns may be willing to consider a lower condition police department gun or even pay a premium for one they don't have. On the other hand someone like me, who is not specifically interested in police department guns, might consider one if it was in excellent condition or was in some other way outstanding (rare, unusual configuration, interesting documented history).

John
Scoundrel and Ne'er-Do-Well in Training

No value unless it's something historical

If the gun was from a PD like NYPD or LAPD or even a state police or federal agency it may gain interest to some but being from a small PD or corrections department takes away from the value in my experience. Unless the gun was carried by an administrator it likely had a lot of holster time and range time.

I'm not a collector and all my guns are shooters. I sort of enjoy the agency marked guns and I own quite a few of them. I wouldn't pay extra for one. Many buyers see the additional stampings as a distraction or a marred finish unless the buyer specifically wants a gun from THAT agency.

Wait, I already said this didn't I?

Since you brought it up, I have some department marked Smiths...

A Registered Magnum factory inscribed for the Utah Highway Patrol (for some reason Roy Jinks doesn't count the 50 UHP units when he discusses factory inscribed RMs).




One of my favorites is this 5" M27-2 in nickel stamped for the Florida highway Patrol.




A 2" M64 marked for the Corpus Christie PD.




Oh, I like this one a lot. A Victory Model used by a PD in Saxony after the war. Means it was carried by a...

wait for it...

Saxon Pig.

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No life story has happy end.

I have a Houston PD (factory marked) 3rd model 44 which I value highly.

Attached Images

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Randy
Provenance nerd

I'm not sure if the mark has added value to the gun but it usually indicates it has been carried a lot and shot little.
I have a model 64 in 38 special , obtained when the department went to 357 magnums, and it was a great deal. Carried a lot but tight as a drum.
Gary

I agree that a run of the mill PD marking on a gun adds no real value. On the other hand my marked and documented(factory letter) Colt Police Positive Special with the Wells Fargo & Co marking has considerable extra value over a plain specimin.
Jim

I have pics of some LEO guns that looked like a kindergartener marked them! What a turn off to spoil a weapon like that! Bob

I also have a couple. M67 from LA County, M64 from Ohio DOC, M10 from Australia, 5906 from a fellow DPD officer... and, if it counts, my own 3913 that I carried for several years.

And too think, I used to like bacon!

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Don Mundell

I think they are cool because they add to the history and back-story of the object which gives it a little provenance.

Provenance is always neat.

If it is a nice marking like the Detroit Model 10s and 15s, I might get it. If it is an ugly marking, I would probably keep away from it.

What I have seen, is if it is a desirable model in its own right, it can drive the price/value skywards, ie Reg Mag, 44 spl 3rd mod, mod 27's, and 58's. I have an Austin PD 3 1/2" nickel and a Houston PD marked 44 spl 3rd model. I love 'em. I got a bargain on the APD and paid a premium on the 44. Would love to get a mod 58 - I think San Antonio and San Francisco both issued mod 58's.

Charlie

Well I went ahead and got it. It's a model 66-2. I traded a winchester 94 with some visual issues. It has the department stamp on the side that actually looks VERY attractive in my opinion. It's spotless and locks up very tight. I have some issues with loading pics on my computer that I've spent enough time with microsoft on trying to fix it is going to have to wait for the next upgrade or I'd post some pics. (pretty soon)

I for one believe the value increases. The reason for this comment is as follows. I started at the BPD in 1985 and retired from the BPD after 22 years of service. When I started we were issued the Smith & Wesson model 686, by the time I left we carried the Glock 22. The BPD went to from the Smith & Wesson 686 to the Glock 20 (a boat anchor IMHO). The Officers could buy their 686 if they wanted, I was a relatively new at the BPD and in the process of buying a house. I just didn't have the extra money so I let my 686 go. Move now to 2009 and I found a BPD marked 686 at a local gun shop,,,, well God is good and I did have the money sooooo I now have a BPD issued 686. This particular one was issued to a Detective whom I had a great deal of respect for and besides he wasn't big on guns so it wasn't shot very much. He was a Great Detective and I am pleased to have his BPD issued side arm. Life is gud.
Just my thoughts from the Big Sky Country, Montana.

What he said ^^^^. An engraved badge logo will bring a premium to the right person.

This one has the county sheriff badge logo stamped into the right side. Whether or not it increased the value, I like it visually very much. Very nice stamp, Very well done, not deeper on one side. I'm very pleased with it.

Hello all:

I would like to know where one can get in on the police dept. trade ins or surplus?

Ideas for W. Tennessee?

Thanks.

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"That is all!"

I was approached wit hthis one for a trade on a rifle. How he got it I'm not sure. I hope it's not my last.

Buds gun shop has police trade ins a couple of times a year.
Buy Police Trade Ins at BudsGunShop

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Get off my lawn!

Also Sportsman's Outdoor Super Store, Robertson Trading Post, and Hyatt's Gun Store carry trade-ins when they get them, all on the internet.

As others have said, it depends on the agency. If it's a nice gun, the markings wouldn't detract from the gun. However, there are a handful of agencies I would like to have a gun from due to a personal connection with them.


Sent from my iPhone 4s using Tapatalk

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.......

(see my screen name! )

I think at this point most of the good trade in revolvers have already been traded. Back in the 1980s and 90s was the heyday for snapping up PD revolvers as most cop shops went to semi-autos. You will still see individual guns for sale, usually by dealers, but I think the days of really great prices on revolvers are mostly over.

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No life story has happy end.

I still run into some fairly frequently although you are correct it's mostly over.

One of my LGSs is a store front for a large police distributor. They provide firearms to LE departments, how many I don't know but it is all over the country, and in return they buy up all the police guns and confiscated guns. A few times a year they have the revolvers for sale. This Feb I picked up a 66-1 but over the years I've missed out on what I know now ...were quite a few deals

Did manage to pick up two 870's as police turn ins but not department marked. And the only revolvers I have seen down here police marked were 4 elderly model 10's or pre model 10's from the Baton Rouge police dept. Nickle plated but most of the plating was long gone and rust replaced the nickle. Think the dealer wanted $250 each. Frank

KINGS FIREARMS in Columbia, Tennessee deal in police department trade-ins. My department has dealt with them in the past.

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Retired Dep Sheriff & Armorer

I have 2 S&W's and 2 Glocks all former leo guns. Only one marked is a model 58 to SFPD....I kind of like it that way, seems to give it some charactor....

Two years ago I picked up a Rem 870 Wingmaster for $130 that had a property tag from a county in SE Texas. It's close to the end of the stock. I'm thinking of removing the tag to shorten the stock, install a good recoil pad, then reinstall the tag.

I've owned several PD trade in (or likely to be) but only one was marked. It was a Glock 17 from a police academy around San Antonio.

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I miss my 4546 the most.

Besides police guns marked as public property there are guns with logos or shields that add value to a collector. State Police, Fish & Game etc.

My one and only is merely marked with a unit logo. The Philadelphia Highway Patrol. This would be mostly meaningful to Philadelphians of a certain age who remember when an officer became Commissioner and then Mayor. Frank Rizzo.

This is a 60 nd with original grips