what is this worth to buy? a dealer has one to sell and says he has to have someone tell him what it is worth before he sells it to me.its serial # is 184XXX.and is in ex + condition...what should I offer him after he has a s&w dealer friend of his look at it to get a price? I edited the serial #.

That serial number points to the early 1930s, in case you are wondering.

There are so many M&Ps that there is nothing rare or scarce about them to generate higher valuation. In general, any unmodified M&P that functions smoothly is worth a minimum of $250-300 as a shooter, and you add more money depending on condition or special features. A prewar gun in 99% condition in its box with docs and tools is probably a $750-900 item depending on geography. Without the box and accessories the collector value drops quickly. I suspect a high-90s M&P from the 1930s by itself is probably a $400-500 gun. If that gun's condition is "good for its age" but still shows some marks and muzzle wear, I don't think I would go over $400 for it.

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David Wilson

I looked at completed auctions on Gunbroker and found 2 1905s with original box. Both were excellent condition and one sold for $490 and the other sold for $560. There was also a 1905 Target in excellent condition that went for $580. There were hundreds of thousands of the 1905 manufactured, so prices are not as high as some other models. Shooter grade guns go for around $200 to $250.

Round butt revolvers versus square affect price in some of these models and if the gun left the factory with target sights, they are worth more than the standard sights. If the gun is factory original, I would guess a current price would be $350 to $450 in excellent plus condition.