Police marked Model 10's

[Jeffkframe]

First let me say that I'm not what you would call an "avid" collector. I have a few smiths but nothing i would call a collection. I recently saw a MPDC marked 2" Model 10 sell on gunbroker for $905. It was 95% or better judging by the pictures.

Question 1: What does MPDC stand for? Maryland Police District of Columbia?

Question 2: I see Police marked revolvers from time to time and the always seem to bring a premium. I always assume its a bidding war between retired police officers from that department. Is this the case or is there just a collectors value to them?

[Fboyj]

MPDC stands for Metropolitan Police DC and you are on the right track on the second part of your question.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[swagmeister]

It must have sat in a drawer for most of its life to be 95% or better. Most police trade ins are pretty well beat up cosmetically but in good shape mechanically. I think $905 was way too high, even if it was a 2 incher. A few years ago my son bought a Boston PD 4" blue model 10 from a local gun store for $400.00. It had a lot of wear but was tight as a drum and very accurate.

[lkabug]

Somewhat high at $905, someone really wanted that one. The old model 10 from the Metropolitan Police District of Columbia (MPDC) do not turn up that offer, but are out there.

[mm93]

In the past the police trade ins were really cheap regardless of condition. The higher condition would get more, but not a lot more. Now it seems people have decided that police marked revolvers are somewhat collectible and are paying premiums. I blame the internet for this, as it allows more people to see them for sale, and develop bidding frenzy among those interested for one reason or another. When I saw them decades ago in local gun shops they were often ignored unless the price was cheap.

[stykshooter]

In the early '90's the gun shop I worked in bought a huge supply of heavy barrel model 10's stamped M.S.P. I think they were Michigan state police but don't hold me to that. I bought 10 of them from the owner for $87.50 each. No one wanted a revolver back then. That's what I gave for Christmas presents to my brothers and F.I.L. that year.

[Absalom]

Originally Posted by Jeffkframe

.... I always assume its a bidding war between retired police officers from that department. Is this the case or is there just a collectors value to them?

The first assumption is not reality-based.

There is, however, a significant number of collectors, me included, for whom another gun, no matter the condition, is of interest mostly because it has a history. A police department stamp is an obvious factor to provide that history.

That’s why in many cases, a department stamp will attract collectors who will drive the price above that you’d expect for the gun as such.

Within that, of course it depends on which department and the quality of the markings as well as personal preferences. Electropencil scratchings don’t have the same effect on value as a nice, maybe even factory-applied, backstrap rollmark.

Attached: Some snips from my files. First three guns/photos not mine.

[ABPOS]

Grrrrrr..... I gotta buy a 10 before they start going through the roof. People are going to see that and think if they have a 10 to sell it's worth just less than a grand......

To me 500 is about normal for a really decent 10. I mean a real good one.

[mpc]

It's a multi-layered answer. A lot depends on the collectors, model, condition and department. Some departments fetch a higher premium than others.

Myself personally, I collect PD revolvers and depending on the department, I may pay more for it. Some PD firearms may have also only been used for a shorter period of time, making them more valuable to those collectors

[The_Truth]

I've got a thing for Virginia State Police and FBI service revolvers/1076s. Don't really know why. I'm not current or former LEO. But I do live in Virginia.

[Birdgun]

Originally Posted by ABPOS

Grrrrrr..... I gotta buy a 10 before they start going through the roof. People are going to see that and think if they have a 10 to sell it's worth just less than a grand......

To me 500 is about normal for a really decent 10. I mean a real good one.

I agree on both your points, ABPOS. I've been looking for a good Model 10 snub nose with round butt to add to my vintage S&W revolver collection.

I did bid on the OP's subject Model 10 revolver. The "MPDC" marking didn't affect me one way or the other. My last bid, $510, was immediately topped. At that point I bowed out of the bidding. I was surprised it went as high as $905.

God bless,
Birdgun

[RMFnLA]

Originally Posted by swagmeister

It must have sat in a drawer for most of its life to be 95% or better. Most police trade ins are pretty well beat up cosmetically but in good shape mechanically. I think $905 was way too high, even if it was a 2 incher. A few years ago my son bought a Boston PD 4" blue model 10 from a local gun store for $400.00. It had a lot of wear but was tight as a drum and very accurate.

Agreed.

I have a Boston PD Model 64 and it has scratches almost everywhere but mechanically is as tight as new.

Of course, being SS means the scratches can be polished out but oddly enough I'm OK with them for now.

Interesting that LEO surplus are going up in value. Probably because they are not making them any more and the newer ones turn so many people off (me included).

[gfors]

Originally Posted by ABPOS

Grrrrrr..... I gotta buy a 10 before they start going through the roof. People are going to see that and think if they have a 10 to sell it's worth just less than a grand......

To me 500 is about normal for a really decent 10. I mean a real good one.

Hang in there, ABPOS! M10's are still plentiful and reasonably priced. Check on-line stores and auctions. I wouldn't pay more than $450, for a nice example, unless you're looking for ANIB. Solid shooters are out there for around 3 Bens. You could try WTB ad here.

[Art Doc]

No expert but from my observation I think the PD markings are a push. Some guys find them interesting and want them (count me in) and some buyers are turned off. The exceptions would be the more desirable agencies like DC police Detroit PD (for some reason) CHP and others.

[mm93]

I'd agree with Absalom that the better the markings were done, the higher the value it will get from collectors. Poorly stamped versions will be looked at with less interest than the professionally marked police guns.

[two-bit cowboy]

I have two police-marked S&Ws -- both are Chiefs from before there were model numbers, and clearly, condition was not a factor.

One was given to a Queens, NYC, lieutenant by his "Men" on Christmas Eve (not a PD-marked gun in this thread's true context), and I would have bought the 3" Baby Chiefs with or without the inscription.

I traded a Model 15 marked "W.L.E.A." (Wyoming Law Enforcement Academy) for the other one, which has the Pennsylvania Railroad logo, just like the logo on the card in that famous real estate board game... I always strive to own the four railroads when I play.

Here's how OCD works: now I must find the B&O and Reading RR-marked Chiefs (yeah, good luck with that!), and I'd likely pay too much for either one.

The game's Short Line RR wasn't named for a real railroad, but rather it's a generic term that represents the many short-line railroads in the U.S.A. Adrian Monk would work himself into a tizzy at this revelation! I'm trying to let it go.

[Mrnurse]

I have a DCMP Rem 700 BDL in .308 that was their sniper rifle in the 1960/70's.

[Chop]

I have a Model 10-8 marked ‘Georgia Parole Board’

[JSticks]

I also prefer the Agency marked handguns. If the marking is factory stamped. Recently I posted a 5" nickel Model 10 marked "Wayne County" with an inventory number. Here it is again:




The stocks are numbered to the frame. I don't think it was used much at all.


It's tight and my only complaint is that the carry up is a little slow,like the ratchets were "over filed".

But, what surprises me is that the vendor has been trying to sell these since last summer at $289.00 and still has them is stock.

At any rate, I agree with those comments that knowing the history of these old Model 10's adds to the provenance and to me the interest. But, I don't know that it adds a lot to the resale value.

[serger]

Kings is gradually peddling these. I should have gotten a couple and also the Colts they were selling.

[Screwball]

If anyone has a US Customs gun and are looking to sell, hit me up. Being in CBP, would be a nice addition to the collection.

[Art Doc]

Originally Posted by Screwball

If anyone has a US Customs gun and are looking to sell, hit me up. Being in CBP, would be a nice addition to the collection.

I have a 19 that letters as shipped to Customs and Immigration in 1970 but the revolver isn't marked in any way. I bought it from the retired agent who carried it. Would any Customs weapons be marked?

[bwade]

I have 2 Detroit PD pre 10 snubs. Both are nickel, one round butt and one square butt, paid a small premium for the police markings.

[PALADIN85020]

I have but one - bought it from a gun store who took in a quantity of police revolvers that were released when they went to semiautos. The price wasn't bad. I replaced the Goodyears that were on it with a fair set of K-frame targets.

John

[Absalom]

Originally Posted by Art Doc

I have a 19 that letters as shipped to Customs and Immigration in 1970 but the revolver isn't marked in any way. I bought it from the retired agent who carried it. Would any Customs weapons be marked?

At least older guns were.

Attached a letter snip from my archive (not my gun or letter) of a pre-war Colt PPS.

[delcrossv]

A premium for police marked guns? Really? I've always avoided them as I like the "factory look". That said, I do have a model 10 marked Detroit Police. Gun was otherwise too nice to pass up.

[Screwball]

Originally Posted by delcrossv

A premium for police marked guns? Really? I've always avoided them as I like the "factory look". That said, I do have a model 10 marked Detroit Police. Gun was otherwise too nice to pass up.

Collecting wise... I’d like to have something marked US Customs, mainly since it is part of the history of the agency I belong to. Even reading about M1917s in Border Patrol always interested me (never saw anything that they were marked). When I was at the academy, my firearms instructor told us that right before that Clinton EO, he picked up a new 686 that was marked Customs. Don’t think he shot it.

If it doesn’t have markings, only one group really fits into my interest; guns that I’ve been issued. If Hell freezes over, and somehow we get to buy back our H&K P2000s... I’d buy mine in a second. And that is a gun in a caliber I hate and with a trigger I despise. Even if pricing was market value, I qualified and went through FLETC with it. That means a lot to me. Someone else’s P2000... I’m good. No desire to buy a clone, either.

[Saablook]

Post from the grave…..

You want a CS 1, that revolver was a 686 that was “tuned” to U.S. Customs standards, the CS 1 was issued in 3 and 4 barrels. Issue was is that they fouled up quick due to the tight tolerances.

Most Inspectors and now CBP officers don’t shoot…the CS 1 made sense, but the Customs shooters that competed with the service revolver had issues….

I want one too….along with a 1086….

[stykshooter]

I have two model 66-2's that were issued to me. One when I came on in 1983 and the second about 1989. Both are marked S.P.D. on the frame below the cylinder. We had a local jeweler who did engraving and when the department got a new match of revolvers in they took them to him and he engraved each of the frames. When we transitioned to 6906's they were engraved on the slide below the ejection port. We didn't have them for long and the following procession of firearms, 5906, 4056, and then various generations of Glocks were never marked as P.D. guns.

[kbm6893]

I have 7 PD guns, but only three are marked. A Ruger GPNY and a post war M&P are both NYPD guns. The M&P has the shield number electric penciled on the back strap. Not as neatly done as others during that time, but a factory letter shows it went to the NYPD, and an NYPD historian gave me the name of the officer, and newspaper articles with pictures of the officer winning the Medal for Valor for a shootout with 4 felons, and it being presented to him by the mayor. His shield number is clearly visible. I also have a 5946 that is marked Garden City Police Department, a wealthy suburb just outside NYC.

I just like guns with history. A Glock 19 that walked the beat is more valued by me than a run of the mill Glock 19. Which is why I value my 1944 Springfield M1 Garand over any modern rifle I own.

[S-W4EVER]

My agency (that I am now retired from) quit having firearms marked with the agency name due to the possibility of a Public Relations nightmare if one of the trade-ins were used in a crime. (I know BATFE can track any firearm by serial number but why make it easy for the MSM?}

[Saablook]

That’s what happened with the Feds, either the firearms went to foreign governments or were destroyed. Our pistols weren’t marked, but we couldn’t buy them back….

[Absalom]

Originally Posted by kbm6893

I have 7 PD guns, but only three are marked. …..

Some older guns will have their individualized markings. I bought this one from a pawnshop in Reno NV and had no idea which city the M in MPD was.

The M&P of 1923 vintage lettered to the Minneapolis Police Dept. Several years ago a forum member who was into genealogy helped me confirm Officer Paul B. Green‘s identity with that agency.

[kbm6893]

Originally Posted by Absalom

Some older guns will have their individualized markings. I bought this one from a pawnshop in Reno NV and had no idea which city the M in MPD was.

The M&P of 1923 vintage lettered to the Minneapolis Police Dept. Several years ago a forum member who was into genealogy helped me confirm Officer Paul B. Green‘s identity with that agency.

Very nice. The NYPD did not mark individual officer weapons since officers bought the guns themselves so they weren’t property of the NYPD, so not theirs to mark. I figured the M&P was theirs since the shield number on the backstrap was standard back then, and the letter confirmed it. I have a blued Ruger Service Six, also not marked, but it was in .38 and not the standard .357, and I know the gun shop was right over the NYC border, and a place where cops trade in their guns. A letter from Ruger confirmed it was sent to the NYPD. The Ruger GPNY was marked GPNY, denoting it was an NYPD gun, and a letter confirmed it. 2 S&W 3rd Gen pistols, not marked but bought from retiring NYPD cops. Same with a Glock 19.

[Absalom]

Originally Posted by kbm6893

Very nice. The NYPD did not mark individual officer weapons since officers bought the guns themselves so they weren’t property of the NYPD, so not theirs to mark. I figured the M&P was theirs since the shield number on the backstrap was standard back then, and the letter confirmed it. .....

Just from observation, the NYPD shield number requirement was put in place with the first "standard" revolvers, the Roosevelt-ordered Colts New Police .32 in 1896/97. It faded away in the 1950s.

The one below is interesting. It shipped to Frank Audley's shop in "Iron Alley", behind NYPD headquarters. It's not a S&W, but I'll try sneaking it in here. Engraving your name in addition to the shield number was apparently not uncommon back then.

[kbm6893]

Originally Posted by Absalom

Just from observation, the NYPD shield number requirement was put in place with the first "standard" revolvers, the Roosevelt-ordered Colts New Police .32 in 1896/97. It faded away in the 1950s.

The one below is interesting. It shipped to Frank Audley's shop in "Iron Alley", behind NYPD headquarters. It's not a S&W, but I'll try sneaking it in here. Engraving your name in addition to the shield number was apparently not uncommon back then.

Very nice! That’s what I’m talking about. For practical purposes, an old wheel gun doesn’t make much sense. If a gun is just a tool to launch a projectile, I guess a modern semi auto makes a lot more sense. But I just don’t believe 100 years from now, that anybody is going to look at a plastic auto loader the way people look at a vintage revolver.

I wonder why they got away from putting shield numbers on the revolver. I guess maybe since shield numbers changed if you got promoted. Maybe they should have went to engraving a name or your tax ID number. Just added a bit more sentimentality to the weapon. Although a lot of guys couldn’t have cared less about the guns they carried.

[Targets Guy]

I got a pretty nice deal on-line back in 2019. I think it was from the NY Dept of Corrections. A Model 10-10 with holster, two speed loaders with holster. Pretty good shape.

photo website upload



Matching stocks
$345 delivered to the local gun shop.

[kaaskop49]

What a steal! Does that holster have a retention device? When such rigs came out, I was carrying a snub.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5106

[Goblin]

Originally Posted by Absalom

The first assumption is not reality-based.

There is, however, a significant number of collectors, me included, for whom another gun, no matter the condition, is of interest mostly because it has a history. A police department stamp is an obvious factor to provide that history.

That’s why in many cases, a department stamp will attract collectors who will drive the price above that you’d expect for the gun as such.

Within that, of course it depends on which department and the quality of the markings as well as personal preferences. Electropencil scratchings don’t have the same effect on value as a nice, maybe even factory-applied, backstrap rollmark.

Attached: Some snips from my files. First three guns/photos not mine.

The US Customs Colt looks like it could be a trooper or 3-5-7. Does anyone know?