Collectors - how do you feel about ..

[Jst1mr]

Commemorative editions of firearms? Do they generally hold more, less, or the same amount of value as guns of similar age and condition. I was recently shown a 125th Anniversary edition Colt SAA, .45LC, 7 1/2" barrel, in a red lined wood presentation case. The cylinder has not been turned. I was told the serial # dates it to 1961. There is an impression in the lower left of the box that once contained something that is now missing. Beautiful gun in deep blue with gold on selected parts, but does that kind of treatment translate into value?

 

[longhair]

Not for me. I enjoy seeing them, but even with what I consider a collectible, I like the ability to shoot it. My collection is made up of shooters, all of them. I don't shoot them very much, but it must be shootable.

 

[aterry33]

+1 on what Longhair said. The only time I'd buy a commemorative is if I was a member of a law enforcement agency or something like that... and they issued commemoratives. Or military, etc. Then you have ties to that organization and pride in it and can hang it up on the wall. Otherwise, I'd pass, but that's just me.

 

[perrazi]

i have bought a number of comm. guns to shoot. as long as you can buy them for what a standard gun costs. sometimes it's the only way to get a configuration you want that isn't made in standard models.

 

[45Wheelgun]

In general terms (there are always exceptions) commemoratives don't hold their values and in many cases sell for less then their non commemorative brothers. I once purchased an NRA commemorative Colt SAA second generation that was unfired. I paid hundreds less then the going rate for a normal second generation. For years the 125th anniversary Model 25-3 sold for the same price or less then a "normal" 25-2.

Commemorative Winchesters can often be found cheaper then a normal gun.

So while I don't think commemoratives make good investments, they can be great values in their own right if you are not the first owner and just looking for a shooter.

 

[borntoraisehogs]

I don't understand commemoratives at all . Elmer Keith is a hero to many of us . Certainly the Texas Rangers deserve respect . But if I had either of those commemoratives , I would shoot them and pack them . I think a quality firearm should be fired and enjoyed . I will commemorate people and events by sending a nice Hallmark card or maybe some of those strawberrys dipped in chocolate .

 

[s&wchad]

A friend passed away two years ago, leaving his wife a Colt John Wayne Deluxe SAA. Issue price in 1982 was $10,000 and she was unable to sell it for $5,000, so she gave it to her son. According to the inflation calculator, what cost $10,000 in 1982 would cost $21,939.61 in 2009, so it was probably not a good investment.

 

[2152hq]

I have to agree with what's been posted so far. Kept in unfired/unturned condition, the guns still usually beg for a buyer. Used, they find fewer buyers than the plain-jane issue w/o all the gold trim and special stamped lettering & figures.
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...There was a round medallion in the Colt 125yr Commemorative box about the size of a silver dollar(?). Gold plated with the Colt logo on it and some lettering denoting the 125th anniversary. I think I have one around yet from a well worn gun I bought several years ago and customized.

 

[s&wchad]

I will commemorate people and events by sending a nice Hallmark card or maybe some of those strawberrys dipped in chocolate .

Hallmark supports restrictive gun control initiatives with corporate dollars. Please refuse to buy their products and let them know why.

 

[ar15ed]

it seems to me that around here the commemorative colts are slow movers, and usually bring less than the regular-run guns in the same condition. pretty much the same with the winchester 94-s. most of them are very hard to sell. there are a couple of them that seem to have a "cult" following. some of the law enforcement smiths seem to command a high price. the north carolina highway patrol 29s always seem to sell pretty high. basically, i would stick with nice "regular" units!

 

[Faulkner]

The only commemorative I have is a Winchester "Legendary Lawman" Model 94 saddle ring carbine with 16 inch barrel in .30-30. I have a box of Winchester "Legendary Lawman" special run ammo to go along with it. These were made in 1977 in a limited run, I paid $300 for it about 15 years ago unfired in the box.

I'm not typically into commemoratives myself, but being a deputy sheriff, I found myself attracted to it. I have fired mine half a dozen times, even took a whitetail deer with it. It now hangs in my office, and I even get a lot of comments about it, along with the Winchester M1 carbine I used to carry as a patrol rifle.

 

[gregintenn]

I find most commemorative firearms gaudy and tasteless. TO each his own, however.

 

[truckemup97]

I'm not really a collector, more of an accumulator. However, I have a model 66 that is a TPD commemorative. It has no box, tools, etc, and had been fired before I bought it, so I take it to the range and pretty much treat it like any other gun I own. I paid ~$25 more for it than I had planned to spend on a 66/686. I don't think I'd have paid much more, and if it had been some other city, I wouldn't have paid that much.

 

[n4zov]

I find most commemorative firearms gaudy and tasteless. TO each his own, however.

+1 Most of them feature gold plate, terrible "engraving," inlays everywhere, and generally look gosh-awful!

 

[bk43]

It's interesting that the one S&W commemorative that has increased in value is the Elmer Keith and it is the gaudiest of all of them.

I own a few and like them but I also do not have any great expectations of them increasing in value.

Bob

 

[Gary]

I have heard of folks looking for a user Colt SAA buying one of their many commeratives for less than the cost of a new gun. That sounds like a reasonable approach to me.

 

[Ron H.]

I find most commemorative firearms gaudy and tasteless. TO each his own, however.

Sir, my sentiments exactly.

Semper Fi,

Ron H.

 

[Gutpile Charlie]

Never! They are a sucker purchase. I think anything that is specifically manufactured to be sold as a "commemorative", by it's very nature, is something less than the real deal.

 

[sigp220.45]

Well, if anyone has one of those worthless FBI commemorative Model 27s, I'd be glad to take it off your hands.

I bought the recent FBI commemorative Glock, but it was basically the same price as a regular Glock 22 and it had some modest engraving and FBI in the serial number. I haven't shot it, just because I've never bothered. I'll give it to one of my kids before I croak.

 

[m657]

Never had any interest in 'em. Agree with many of the pithy comments above.