I bought these S&W buckles on GB and I wonder
if they are worth very much. They have no boxes
but are in good shape. Was it a smart buy or a dumb
buy? If it was a dumb buy I want worry I have none
that before. I paid $55 for them. Thanks Don

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"Don't worry be happy"

I think you did OK.

Figure any S&W buckle is worth $10 to use on a belt.

Serious collectors want untouched in original box and end up paying LOTS more.

Bekeart

You didn't steal them, but you didn't get hosed either. These typically sell for about $8 to $12 each on eBay , plus about $5 shipping. The only ones that bring more are the NIB ones, and depending on their rarity, they can go for $40 & up, sometimes way up. Pete Roberts wrote a book, some time ago, called "The Buckles of Smith & Wesson." Get a copy of you want to know all there is about these early buckles.

I was looking at those also, seems like a good price to me, I was going to get them just for the round 357 to match my round 44 one. I paid $35 for the 44 mag and it came in the box with the clear lid, the box was unimportant to me, I just wanted a cool S&W buckle!

I bought the buckle with the "Hostiles" new in around 76 or 77 . I don't remember the price other than it seemed high maybe $ 30.00, but I really wanted it . It keep my Levis held up for 30 years , as I only very recently took it off and put it on display . They must have sold thousands of them , but I never saw anybody else wearing one . If it is only worth $10.00 it is going back on my Levis belt . I think you did very well , start wearing them . I am surprised me wearing it didn't make them so cool that the price shot up .

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Idaho , Elmer and Milt

I have worn one or another of my S&W buckles every day for nearly 30 years.

The bronze ones hold up well, the pewter ones scuff up some, much softer material.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

I had and still have a few "new old stock" SW buckles, new in the box from the early 80's. Was lucky to get $25 each for them. A few were on ebay with opening prices of $25 and no bids. In my experience as far as "collector" value, they just dont hold much at all.

I bought and have worn my "Hostiles" bronze belt buckle since I bought it new in 1975 or 6. Never thought of it as a collectible. Only time I didn't wear it was when I flew on airlines. Figured it would drive the security guys nuts, and it's so heavy they would confiscate it as a potential "weapon".

I took about 100 various S&W buckles to the Boise show. I sold about 1/2 of them to members, some who collect buckles and some who just wanted a nice buckle to wear. They were all original S&W buckles or S&W licensed Bergamot buckles. Plain buckles, w/o boxes, made of brass or pewter, sold at $15 ea., S&W buckles with clear box top at $25 to $35 ea. Buckles in the old two piece blue S&W box were $35 to $50 range. Some of the rarer Bergamot animal series, etc. buckles were sold at the $50-$75 range. Boxed S&W gold plated and/or sterling buckles went for $100 - $200 range. Scrimshawed buckles were $50 - $100 range. Ebay is full of Chinese rip offs of S&W marked buckles, some of which are very attractive buckles, but not authorized by S&W. They can usually be bought at gun shows or on the internet for $5 - $10 range, but are not collectable as part of a S&W buckle collection.
Pete Robert's book is a starting point, but it only has about 1/3 of original known S&W or S&W licensed buckles. A serious S&W buckle collector needs to acquire copies of all of the S&W factory accessory catalogs, going back to the 70s up to the current ones, as they are the only print reference that covers most of the buckles marketed. There are also various proof strikes of the original dies, drawings of the proposed designs done by the engravers of the dies, etc., or by the vendors, that show up occasionally on eBay, etc., plus there are several S&W commemorative buckles made for various law enforcement units ( Sheriffs, Police, etc), and special buckles for the S&W Academy classes and some Railroad Company Commemoratives. I expect that the 2013 S&WCA meeting in Kansas City will have some serious buckle collections on display, as there is now a display category for non-gun S&W material. I have loaned some interesting buckles, going back to the 1930s, to a S&WCA member for such a display. Ed.

Be careful if you start collecting S&W buckles. As Ed stated, there are a lot of fakes out there. Just because the buckle says Smith & Wesson or the Seller states that it is a genuine S&W buckle, check here first. I own several knock off buckles that never saw the S&W factory or were never authorized by the company.

This is also true for S&W patches. There is a guy on fleabay selling all sorts of S&W patches that are all fakes or copies of real S&W patches. Buyer beware.

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James Redfield
LM #497

I wear the bear with the fish almost everyday. It is one of the more rare buckles from that series. The guy wrestling the bear, and the bandit being chased seem to be far more common. I guess I'm not tuned in with ebay, because I thought those would go for 20-30 a piece.

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Joshua Brown(Town)