Have a model 59 I'm thinking of selling and would like to know a fair price. Serial number is a262xxx have the original box and all of the paper work that came with it. It looks like new, barrel is perfect. It is factory nickle. Thank you.
model 59 value
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loeman
Member
About a year ago my LGS had the exact same gun as yours but NIB and advertised as being unfired. It also had box, papers etc. I had to have it due to the condition and history of the Md 59. They wanted $750 but I was able to buy for $700. I thought it was a bit high but I doubted I would find another one anytime soon. Based on my experience I'd say around $700 would be a fair price for you and the buyer.
gman51
Member
I had a 59 blued that looked almost new. I bought it for around $350 and sold it for $400. That was about 5 years ago though so that will not help you much now.
On Selling That M59-Nick
As a whole, I'm in agreement with jmace57 and loeman, while noting a caveat the $650 to $750 price is likely the most you'll realize should your description be spot on or better.
Otherwise, expect price downgrading for handling marks not readily seen in the images you've included. The marks as negatives start entering the realm of subjectivity, but the more of 'em the worse the price to you. The price to you will be most negatively impacted when marks are more tilted toward the gouge than simple little scratches that can be carefully buffed away.
However, not everyone is interested in buffing, for doing such can be a treacherous trail, indeed.
The ONLINE Blue Book of Gun Values (worth its weight in gold, for it is regularly updated, but sells for about $30) puts a "100%" nickel Model 59 at $600.
Most people don't read the Blue Book's fine print (well, it's really in a larger font than "fine," but most folks don't seem to read it anyway) notes that a 100-percent gun must have every single duck aligned perfectly in a row (me paraphrasing Blue Book's words), including a box absent of marks, busted corners, etc., etc.
For what it's worth, GunBroker.com's 19 ENDED M59 nickel auction price offerings since 01 Oct., 2016 averaged $439.
Included within the preceding is a Model 59 with what this collector considers an absurd "Buy Now" price of $995 (obviously having a reserve price in roughly the same neighborhood) that has thus far taken nine, count 'em, nine runs at selling and yet, relisted a 10th time, remains on the GunBroker.com board.
The highest no-sale price thus far attained: $600; once.
That M59's description notes no special aspects beyond a "box" and, if such is to be considered "special," ". . . no papers or tools."
The seller has been around for awhile so one presumes the seller knows how to market a gun, but my logic differs with his or hers. And that's what makes the world go 'round.
Nevertheless, the above example wasn't at the top of the unsold M59 pile having, um, "unusually" high "Buy Now" pricing, given that one came in at better than $1,200 and even possessed medium-quality, often-seen, often-offered, non-factory grips that this Smith & Wesson aficionado wouldn't screw onto his M59 if paid to do so. Unless, of course, such payment were to reach ka-raazy sums.
To further parse the GunBroker.com Model 59 nickel offers in the time period running 27 Sept., 2016 to Present, of the roughly 20 M59 nickel individual (excluded in this figure were duplicate sales attempts) offerings and among which three actually sold brought an average of $548.66. Yep, three M59 handguns in that beautiful nickel.
Needing to be noted: The offerings weren't, couldn't really be exactly the same in condition or accompanying accessories.
And yet, as seems to be generally the case with nickel firearms, they all were in very good or better shape.
Some good news: A smooth-front grip frame will add about 25 percent to an M59's value. A smooth front and smooth rear grip frame will double the price. Yes, 200% for a nekkid rear and front.
Restated: The Model 59 frame, at the point where the middle-through-little fingers rest when wrapped around the grip, has 13 grooves running parallel to the 59's magazine well so as to improve overall grip stability. Likewise found on the vast majority of M59 rear "frame grips" are another 13 grooves to aid the hand's palm in gripping the firearm. (Only an estimated 20 Model 59s exist with smooth fore AND aft grip frames.)
Additional thoughts:
As one who religiously works live gun auctions across the U.S., I'm first gonna be a smartass but speak the truth and say: the price will be "what the market will bear."
The practical: December is generally among the poorest month during which to sell a firearm, especially the deeper into the month, joined by January, because people are expending usually crazy TOTAL sums of money on Christmas and, perhaps somewhat less so, Hanukkah gifts. The summer, except in its lattermost months, also is a pretty poor time, possibly due to vacation expenditures.
When I offer a firearm on GunBroker.com it carries no-reserve pricing because I don't offer anything for sale unless I wish for it to be gone while deriving the greatest possible price the market will bear.
With over 20 years of offerings I've found a no-reserve and reasonable "immediate purchase" price (derived by the same research as seen above) are those aspects which sell the guns at the higher end of what the market will bear.
This seller is not among those who will await a market "coming to him" because, exactly, how long might such take? To me, the biggest question needing an answer prior to pricing something is, "What return on investment might I get if I were able to repeatedly turn the derived proceeds?"
To me, it just seems dumb for a seller to price a firearm and then await years for the market to come to he or she and think they've scored, big time.
Well, the market did, indeed, come to them. But at what cost? Might they have taken and repeatedly reinvested a lower initial price and realized a greater return over the same period?
That's what goes through my mind; how fast does this gun need to turn? If quickly so, then it's best not to get stupid, as do the above two examples possibly demonstrate, and price it unreasonably.
If one can afford a bit more time, then price the product somewhat higher. The biggest question then becomes: "How long can I afford to await its prospective sale?"
Just as should one do when pricing real estate, look for contemporaneous comparable pricing to derive a sales price. Those means are available in many forms, from GunBroker.com to auction sheets, from the immediate to far distant past, at the major auction houses. Most will share those at not cost. But it will cost YOU time and, presumably, money to look 'em up. Still, it may cost you more money to be ignorant of them.
Unless a particular firearm sought for purchase has some special aspect - e.g., a particular previous owner; engraving by a well-respected master; production scarcity; etc. - then it is but a firearm. Others just like it also were produced and will be available for purchase sometime and perhaps some other place.
As a collector, taken is the route believed to produce the lowest possible initial cost so as to maximize a later return.
As a seller who will take into account any possible "scarcity" aspects, emotion and "What I wanna get" are aspects that are best left on the table and not placed into a price because as a buyer one couldn't care less if "grandpa" gave you that gun.
And that's that. At least for me.
Later.
As a whole, I'm in agreement with jmace57 and loeman, while noting a caveat the $650 to $750 price is likely the most you'll realize should your description be spot on or better.
Otherwise, expect price downgrading for handling marks not readily seen in the images you've included. The marks as negatives start entering the realm of subjectivity, but the more of 'em the worse the price to you. The price to you will be most negatively impacted when marks are more tilted toward the gouge than simple little scratches that can be carefully buffed away.
However, not everyone is interested in buffing, for doing such can be a treacherous trail, indeed.
The ONLINE Blue Book of Gun Values (worth its weight in gold, for it is regularly updated, but sells for about $30) puts a "100%" nickel Model 59 at $600.
Most people don't read the Blue Book's fine print (well, it's really in a larger font than "fine," but most folks don't seem to read it anyway) notes that a 100-percent gun must have every single duck aligned perfectly in a row (me paraphrasing Blue Book's words), including a box absent of marks, busted corners, etc., etc.
For what it's worth, GunBroker.com's 19 ENDED M59 nickel auction price offerings since 01 Oct., 2016 averaged $439.
Included within the preceding is a Model 59 with what this collector considers an absurd "Buy Now" price of $995 (obviously having a reserve price in roughly the same neighborhood) that has thus far taken nine, count 'em, nine runs at selling and yet, relisted a 10th time, remains on the GunBroker.com board.
The highest no-sale price thus far attained: $600; once.
That M59's description notes no special aspects beyond a "box" and, if such is to be considered "special," ". . . no papers or tools."
The seller has been around for awhile so one presumes the seller knows how to market a gun, but my logic differs with his or hers. And that's what makes the world go 'round.
Nevertheless, the above example wasn't at the top of the unsold M59 pile having, um, "unusually" high "Buy Now" pricing, given that one came in at better than $1,200 and even possessed medium-quality, often-seen, often-offered, non-factory grips that this Smith & Wesson aficionado wouldn't screw onto his M59 if paid to do so. Unless, of course, such payment were to reach ka-raazy sums.
To further parse the GunBroker.com Model 59 nickel offers in the time period running 27 Sept., 2016 to Present, of the roughly 20 M59 nickel individual (excluded in this figure were duplicate sales attempts) offerings and among which three actually sold brought an average of $548.66. Yep, three M59 handguns in that beautiful nickel.
Needing to be noted: The offerings weren't, couldn't really be exactly the same in condition or accompanying accessories.
And yet, as seems to be generally the case with nickel firearms, they all were in very good or better shape.
Some good news: A smooth-front grip frame will add about 25 percent to an M59's value. A smooth front and smooth rear grip frame will double the price. Yes, 200% for a nekkid rear and front.
Restated: The Model 59 frame, at the point where the middle-through-little fingers rest when wrapped around the grip, has 13 grooves running parallel to the 59's magazine well so as to improve overall grip stability. Likewise found on the vast majority of M59 rear "frame grips" are another 13 grooves to aid the hand's palm in gripping the firearm. (Only an estimated 20 Model 59s exist with smooth fore AND aft grip frames.)
Additional thoughts:
As one who religiously works live gun auctions across the U.S., I'm first gonna be a smartass but speak the truth and say: the price will be "what the market will bear."
The practical: December is generally among the poorest month during which to sell a firearm, especially the deeper into the month, joined by January, because people are expending usually crazy TOTAL sums of money on Christmas and, perhaps somewhat less so, Hanukkah gifts. The summer, except in its lattermost months, also is a pretty poor time, possibly due to vacation expenditures.
When I offer a firearm on GunBroker.com it carries no-reserve pricing because I don't offer anything for sale unless I wish for it to be gone while deriving the greatest possible price the market will bear.
With over 20 years of offerings I've found a no-reserve and reasonable "immediate purchase" price (derived by the same research as seen above) are those aspects which sell the guns at the higher end of what the market will bear.
This seller is not among those who will await a market "coming to him" because, exactly, how long might such take? To me, the biggest question needing an answer prior to pricing something is, "What return on investment might I get if I were able to repeatedly turn the derived proceeds?"
To me, it just seems dumb for a seller to price a firearm and then await years for the market to come to he or she and think they've scored, big time.
Well, the market did, indeed, come to them. But at what cost? Might they have taken and repeatedly reinvested a lower initial price and realized a greater return over the same period?
That's what goes through my mind; how fast does this gun need to turn? If quickly so, then it's best not to get stupid, as do the above two examples possibly demonstrate, and price it unreasonably.
If one can afford a bit more time, then price the product somewhat higher. The biggest question then becomes: "How long can I afford to await its prospective sale?"
Just as should one do when pricing real estate, look for contemporaneous comparable pricing to derive a sales price. Those means are available in many forms, from GunBroker.com to auction sheets, from the immediate to far distant past, at the major auction houses. Most will share those at not cost. But it will cost YOU time and, presumably, money to look 'em up. Still, it may cost you more money to be ignorant of them.
Unless a particular firearm sought for purchase has some special aspect - e.g., a particular previous owner; engraving by a well-respected master; production scarcity; etc. - then it is but a firearm. Others just like it also were produced and will be available for purchase sometime and perhaps some other place.
As a collector, taken is the route believed to produce the lowest possible initial cost so as to maximize a later return.
As a seller who will take into account any possible "scarcity" aspects, emotion and "What I wanna get" are aspects that are best left on the table and not placed into a price because as a buyer one couldn't care less if "grandpa" gave you that gun.
And that's that. At least for me.
Later.
The just published SCS&W 4th Ed.........
ANIB..... $750
Exc. $600
Approx 232,000 made 1971-82
ANIB..... $750
Exc. $600
Approx 232,000 made 1971-82
loeman
Member
Yes sodacan, you are absolutely correct, except that Edsels are ugly and Md 59s aren't. And the Md 59 has historic significance as the USA's first "wondernie". The Edsel? Well, it's just ugly.
StakeOut
US Veteran
I've purchased 2 NIB blue Model 59 for $525 and $550 respectively during this past year.I got a LNIB for $475 that had only 1 factory 14rd mag.
I bought an excellent condition nickle Model 59 with all the correct parts but no box,papers or original 14rd mags for $350 while waiting in line to enter a gun show a month ago.I traded it + $200 cash before I left the show for a snub nose 686-4 with factory combats.
I bought an excellent condition nickle Model 59 with all the correct parts but no box,papers or original 14rd mags for $350 while waiting in line to enter a gun show a month ago.I traded it + $200 cash before I left the show for a snub nose 686-4 with factory combats.
I'm staying out of this thread because I've owned an "unfired-in-original-box-with-everything" late production blue Model 59 since 1981 that I wouldn't part with for anything. 
You can't put a rational value on something you're not willing to sell. 
If they don't bury it with me, it will be the good wife's problem to get a fair & decent price for it. 
You can't put a rational value on something you're not willing to sell. If they don't bury it with me, it will be the good wife's problem to get a fair & decent price for it. Similar threads
