It's not scarcity that increases the value of a particular model as much as it is demand. The higher-styled a gun gets, the lower its long-term demand. The small-production models that go on to generate owner interest long after production ceases are generally fairly basic models with one possible non-standard variant -- a three-inch barrel on the Lew Horton 24-3, a 2-5/8" barrel and eight-shot cylinder on the "Blood Work" 627.

No matter how much a Magnum Hunter might appeal to a particular buyer, if it doesn't appeal to thousands of other possible gun owners as well, even a production run of a few hundred is enough to satisfy demand for a long time to come. Even inelastic commodities get no value kick if no one is in the market for them.

My basic take on this: guns like the one you showed are tools, not investments. Interested parties should buy the gun for what it is to them, and ignore what it might be worth in the future. I would actually predict that specimens of some hyper-stylized designs might be worth less in the long run, as a percentage of original purchase price, than standard models. In short, I suspect some of these special-run models might perform more like commemorative issues, which to my mind are designed to make money for the original manufacturer, not for future collectors.

__________________
David Wilson