SW18-Does the story brings premium?

1sg

1sg

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LGS has a SW Model 18, 4inch with TH and TT in matching box with papers (alas no tools). Excellent + condition and while fired appears very little; a few handling marks but no bluing loss or dings that I can see other than a very faint turn line. DOB places it circa 1980. This come from an estate with a Bill of Sale to the original owner who was a former WWII USAAF Bomber pilot with an impressive service history according to his obit. Of course I salute our veteran's service and respect his accomplishments but does it translate into increase value? He's asking $1100 in part for "the story". Thoughts?
 
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No premium as far as I'm concerned.
Is it a dash 3, P&R?

He's asking too much. Nice guns for sure, but he's out there.
In high condition, I can maybe see 800-900 if P&R, correct box, etc.
 
If the former owner's family can be contacted and the story confirmed (photos, etc. would be nice) I could see how the gun might bring top dollar from an interested collector, but even with that $1100 would be a stretch.
 
Great Gun

1sg said:
LGS has a SW Model 18, 4inch with TH and TT in matching box with papers (alas no tools). Excellent + condition and while fired appears very little; a few handling marks but no bluing loss or dings that I can see other than a very faint turn line. DOB places it circa 1980. This come from an estate with a Bill of Sale to the original owner who was a former WWII USAAF Bomber pilot with an impressive service history according to his obit. Of course I salute our veteran's service and respect his accomplishments but does it translate into increase value? He's asking $1100 in part for "the story". Thoughts?
Click to expand...

This is a great gun, but $800 tops.
Best,
Gary
 
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You guys are not a very charitable bunch. :D Yeah, I'd have to agree - no premium involved. If the old gentleman was still with us, I was buying directly from him, and maybe I felt like he needed the money, I might be inclined to give him a little extra, but at this point, it's just iron and wood. Fair market value.
 
I've bought dozens of guns from WW2 heroes, while they were still alive. It's a shame but they get no public honors unless they belong to rich and famous class. German pistol stories from winning in card game to trading a carton of smokes. Still don't add to value. I had a guy the other day trying to trade me a 1911 clone at more than NIB value because it had been gone over and "customized" by his gunsmith buddy. That story was a negative before I herd price. It just so happened it was about the same price as S&W he wanted to trade against. Got to buy me some new garments. I must look like I just got off the boat.
 
I'm going to depart a bit from the opinion of most so far and say I'd be willing to pay a premium for it; maybe not $1100 but more than the equivalent gun with no story. This assuming it is clearly established that the gun belonged to the WWII pilot.

There might be a few hundred dollars worth of fun in researching the pilot's history and that of his unit and you may turn up really interesting information. Owning a firearm previously owned/used by one of our WWII
servicemen is a delight for me.

I have a Registered Magnum owned by a WWII artillery officer who had a most interesting career. I spent many hours digging up his history from when he entered WWI as a 17 year old until he was buried at Arlington after Korea having served in all three wars. I have since acquired a 2nd Model HE .455 and a 2nd Model 44 that he owned. I know where his 1911 service pistol is but am still negotiating its purchase.

Sometimes the story is worth more than the gun, to me at least.

Jeff
SWCA #1457
 
22hipower said:
I'm going to depart a bit from the opinion of most so far and say I'd be willing to pay a premium for it; maybe not $1100 but more than the equivalent gun with no story. This assuming it is clearly established that the gun belonged to the WWII pilot.

There might be a few hundred dollars worth of fun in researching the pilot's history and that of his unit and you may turn up really interesting information. Owning a firearm previously owned/used by one of our WWII
servicemen is a delight for me.

I have a Registered Magnum owned by a WWII artillery officer who had a most interesting career. I spent many hours digging up his history from when he entered WWI as a 17 year old until he was buried at Arlington after Korea having served in all three wars. I have since acquired a 2nd Model HE .455 and a 2nd Model 44 that he owned. I know where his 1911 service pistol is but am still negotiating its purchase.

Sometimes the story is worth more than the gun, to me at least.

Jeff
SWCA #1457
Click to expand...

If the firearm was from the time period of his war service I would agree with that, but a modern day Model 18? 'Fraid not.
 
JohnRippert said:
If the firearm was from the time period of his war service I would agree with that, but a modern day Model 18? 'Fraid not.
Click to expand...

The issue and value isn't just the gun; sure the Model 18 is just one of many and won't shoot any different just because a WWII bomber pilot owned it. But that is just the starting place, there may be a treasure trove where the M18 came from and looking may find it. Does the family still have his flight jacket, insignias from his unit(s), other firearms? Maybe he brought home his 1911 and they've only parted with the M18 so far but it may be for sale too?

If one has no interest in that kind of search and the treasures it may surface, fine, any M18 will do, buy the least expensive one that can be found. But skipping the "story" where there is a solid lead to a good one, seems a wasted opportunity to me. Your mileage may vary.

Jeff
SWCA #1457
 
So so many flew in WWII, I know a few who flew in Vietnam and in the Gulf etc. All great friends and we are extremely grateful to their service but a premium? I can tell you my story and charge you $300 more if that's ok. I promise you'll like it...

I saw a post of Gary Cooper's registered magnum and I think a premium is warranted there.

All else your talking a $700 gun as others have said.

On top of it 22lr are not (yet) subject to the 'shark in the water' hysteria as they have no (close to non..) self defense value.
 
It's at least a $900 gun with no story. A Model 18 is scarce even in normal times; this one has some premium features like the TH, TT, pinned barrel, box, etc.
 
No premium on the gun, but if you can get a pair of his socks with documentation that he wore them during a combat flight........well that's a horse of another color!
 
Oh now I get it why a Wilson is priced at least $1K too high is due to the stories: Ken Hackathron by the camp fire....
 
If the gun were a pre-Model 18 made in 1946 or 1947 with the gold box that the veteran bought after returning from his WWII service and it mostly sat on a shelf for the last 70+ years, $1100 would be more than a fair price.
For a 1980 Model 18-3 with blue box, I'd say $1100 is about what many retail shops would try to sell that gun for but several hundred dollars high for a private party or gun show deal.
 
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My Grandpa didn't get more for his cottage, truck or RV because he was a decorated airborne combat engineer from WW2. I don't see how the story would bring value to an object that was made 35 years after the war ended.
 
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ejr10mm said:
My Grandpa didn't get more for his cottage, truck or RV because he was a decorated airborne combat engineer from WW2. I don't see how the story would bring value to an object that was made 35 years after the war ended.
Click to expand...

The value is more in the story than in the object although the object leads us to the story and hopefully more and more of the story.

We have very few WWII vets with us and soon there will be none. Most of the guns we acquire are purchased for their utilitarian or collector value or just because we wanted them. We don't know who had them before and if we wanted to know it is usually impossible to find out. No big deal.

For me though there is a little extra buzz in knowing the history of folks who "lived through interesting times" and lived to tell about it and to handle the guns they owned and used is even better. I think there are a few folks here who feel fortunate to own LEO owned weapons and to be able to reconstruct the history of those owners and their guns. Even to trace a gun to a particular police department gets some of us excited and I think would justify something of a premium in value to get the story.

I have a pre-27 that I probably paid too much for and didn't know it had a story until I got the S&W letter which confirmed it went to the Kansas City Police Department, perhaps one of the very last they bought. Quite a bit of interest here in 357s that went to KC especially the Registered Magnums. If I could find the link to the officer that used/owned it I would have happily paid a bit more than I did.

Anyway, that's what makes a market, some folks are willing to buy, others not. By the way, if that Combat Engineer Grandpa of yours brought home a Luger or two and you have it and the capture papers I'll be happy to make you an offer. . . .especially if you have the story of how he acquired it.

Jeff
SWCA #1457
 
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No luger. Just a little beretta 32. Said he got it off a dead German in Italy. My uncle has it now and its not leaving the family, well not as long as I am alive. I get how a story or the items history can add value but to me something that was bought well after the war or event doesn't get me excited. Now if it was a 1911 the guy had while flying his bomber missions, that would make sense to me and add the extra value.
 
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ejr10mm said:
No luger. Now if it was a 1911 the guy had while flying his bomber missions, that would make sense to me and add the extra value.
Click to expand...

Yes, and that's the point of considering the M18 in this case. It apparently has with it at least (and maybe more) an obit from the owner. That lead can turn in to so much more, perhaps including finding that 1911 you mention.

As I said above, buying a Registered Magnum led to a very interesting story, essentially the 30+ years of military service by the owner. Eventually I acquired pictures, unit history including a 50 page day by day record of its D Day to VE Day fighting. That led to his two 2nd Model HEs and to his 1911 service pistol which I intend to acquire as well.

Either we have an interest in this kind of history or we don't. No problem either way but in my case I'd buy the M18 at the best price I could, after checking with the family to be sure the obit info is correct. As to the $1100 price, in "excellent + condition with box and papers," it isn't priced out of the range I see them for where I shop; high, but not ridiculously so.

By the way, that little Beretta 32 would be priceless if it were in my family.

Jeff
SWCA #1457
 
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