Price Rising on Colt Official Police Revolvers

[VaTom]

Was at the local outlet store and picked up the 39th edition (2017) of Gun Trader's Guide. Was comparing prices with the 35th edition (2013) on some of the guns in my collection. Saw a price increase on Colt Official Police revolver. I only have one Colt revolver - all others are S&W.

2013 Edition Post War Model / NIB-$546,Ex-$467, Gd-$355

2017 Edition Post War Model / NIB $860, Ex $700, Gd-$550

Very pleased. I bought this nice 1956 model at a local auction 2 1/2 years ago for a $325 bid ($395 OTD).

 

[Sixgun100]

Nice!

That’s a Beauty! Always wanted an OP, but the right one at the right price never came my way. With the rising prices, it may never happen. Enjoy that one.

 

[Kurusu]

I'm sure glad I got my 1937 early.

 

[italiansport]

I was fortunate enough to find a new O P in the box a few years ago. Just about anything Colt made is experiencing rising values at this time. Like S&W it would be cost prohibitive to manufacture pistols and revolvers the way they used to. Not a revolver but I'll post this for comparison purposes. The pistol is a Model 1903 made in the 20s in excellent condition and in it's original box. A newly made re-introduction (foreign made parts - and assembled by Colt 1903) is around $1100!
Jim
N.B: I'll dig my boxed Official Police out of the safe in anyone is interested?

 

[Kurusu]

I was fortunate enough to find one new PP in box a few years ago. Just about anything Colt made is experiencing rising values at this time. Like S&W it would be cost prohibitive to manufacture pistols and revolvers the way they used to. Not a revolver but I'll post this for comparison purposes. The pistol is a Model 1903 made in the 20s in excellent condition and in it's original box. A new (foreign made parts and assembled by Colt 1903) is around $1100!

That is one I'm having an hard time to find.
So far, either too rough or too expensive.

 

[Capt. F.]

Was at the local outlet store and picked up the 39th edition (2017) of Gun Trader's Guide. Was comparing prices with the 35th edition (2013) on some of the guns in my collection. Saw a price increase on Colt Official Police revolver. I only have one Colt revolver - all others are S&W.

2013 Edition Post War Model / NIB-$546,Ex-$467, Gd-$355

2017 Edition Post War Model / NIB $860, Ex $700, Gd-$550

Very pleased. I bought this nice 1956 model at a local auction 2 1/2 years ago for a $325 bid ($395 OTD).

Wonder if other Colt are rising as well? Got a 4” Three-Five-Seven
I bought last year for $600.

 

[italiansport]

That is one I'm having an hard time to find.
So far, either too rough or too expensive.

Most Official Police revolvers were purchased, not surprisingly, by police officers and other units that used them as their duty weapon. Therefore many received a lot of years of carry use and since these were just "tools" to the owners they were often neglected. That IMO is the reason it's so hard to find a really nice example and furthermore many families hang onto them as a remembrance of the family member who carried it on duty. I offered to dig mine out of the safe and post pictures so let me know if you or any other forum member is interested?
Jim

 

[bmcgilvray]

I'll freely confess to being dually afflicted and attracted to classic Colt as well.

I was grateful to R. M. Vivas who sold a large batch of Colt and Smith & Wesson revolvers 11-12 years ago that had come from the New York Gaming Commission and before that were NYPD revolvers.

This 1953 vintage Official Police was from out of that batch and came to me for the princely sum of $180 with stocks that looked as if they'd been chewed by a demented Doberman Pinscher. They were too far gone to be salvageable but replacements were secured. The revolver is grand with an action that feels as good as any Python. The NYPD officer's badge number may be seen on the back strap.







The revolver came with a Jay-Pee holster. When I went to my FFL-holder to pick up the revolver I thought: "Neato," and poked the revolver into the holster for the trip home. Got home and could not draw the revolver out of the holster. I knew the holster had some sort of retention feature, but could not discover how to extract the new acquisition from it. Finally figured it out by accident and swore I'd never again holster the revolver in the wretched thing again. I did later for photographs but searched the internet for information about how to properly withdraw the revolver.

 

[Spokes]

Nice OP. I had one in 22LR with a 6" bbl.
Traded it many years ago for something I don't remember for.

 

[Walter Rego]

I have acquired a couple and I like them a lot. Not quite as much as my S&W's but they do have historical relevance on a lot of levels and are great shooters. The .22 shipped to a hardware store in Los Angeles and the .38 went to a defense contractor chemical plant just a few weeks after Pearl Harbor.

 

[Absalom]

This 1951 OP, my first Colt revolver ever, most likely served with the Allentown Police Department, and was sold by a store in the area on GB as such, although it is not 100% certain as it shipped to a major Allentown retailer.

The fact that it was ordered with the stamped number 11 (presumably the other guns in the order had the remaining numbers 1 - 20) makes it definitely an "institutional" gun. I've been hoping to come across one of the others one of these days, but no luck so far.

Allentown PD was already a large department with about 150 officers at that time, so I can't quite figure out why they would order such low numbers, as if these were their first guns.

So maybe the guns were actually ordered by the security department of some company instead. The area was a major industrial center after WW II.

PS: Observant folks will notice that the Coltwood plastic stocks that would have been standard in 1951 were replaced with post-1954 wooden stocks at some point. Happened to many, if not most service OP's from that period, because the Coltwoods tended to shrink and crack over time.

 

[Warren Sear]

Here is my 1927 Colt Army Special, the predecessor to the Official Police. I inherited it from my father.

 

[bmcgilvray]

That's a whole other barrel of Colt fun, the Army Special. I have one from 1925 in the more uncommonly found .41 Long Colt.

 

[Warren Sear]

^^^Sweet!!!

 

[Kurusu]

Most Official Police revolvers were purchased, not surprisingly, by police officers and other units that used them as their duty weapon. Therefore many received a lot of years of carry use and since these were just "tools" to the owners they were often neglected. That IMO is the reason it's so hard to find a really nice example and furthermore many families hang onto them as a remembrance of the family member who carried it on duty. I offered to dig mine out of the safe and post pictures so let me know if you or any other forum member is interested?
Jim

I was talking about the 1903 Colt auto. That's the one I can't find.


As posted above I have a OP from 1937.

 

[DWalt]

If you want a scarce OP, try finding one in high condition chambered for the .32-20. The Army Special and the OP are near-identical guns with different names. The various Officers Model target revolvers are OPs with adjustable sights.

There was a time, not so very long ago, that one could find Colt OPs and Colt PP/PPS revolvers at giveaway prices. No one wanted them.