The future of collecting S&W autos-what's your crystal ball say?

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heekma

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Howdy folks.

I'm new to S&W autos, but not new to guns or collecting. I'm wondering what the forum thinks are real sleepers in S&W autos at the moment and which models will become "hot" as time goes on?

I'm betting on 639s, 659s and 645s, especially models with the winged adjustible sights. Neat, quality, all-steel guns and the winged adjustible sight is an iconic and instantly recognizable S&W trademark.

The barrel bushing and grip panels add to the classic appeal as well.

Just my thoughts, but I'm much more interested in hearing yours if you'd like to share.

Best,

Heekma
 
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Revolver-time said:
Anything in 10MM.
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I agree. 1006s and 1076s bring some serious coin these days. For me, as a "shooter/collector," but mainly a shooter, I'm content to let those interested in the 10mm guns pursue them. I'll take a 4506 over a 1006 any day, but that's just personal preference over pure collectability for me.

Best,

Heekma
 
I recently picked up a 1066, and a 1086....with the intention of them becoming safe queens.

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I own two 3rd gens - a 5906 and a 3954. The first is as common as dirt, the second less so. Don't start any rumors that they're collectable and I gotta put either of them away for "posterity"! :eek:
 
I am not a collector, but did buy a pair of PC 3566 356 TS&W compacts in 94 to hold and see what happened... There were 300 made for Lew Horton and I have 2 w/Con. SNs under 100 (only factory test fired) and it seems like they are worth no more than what I paid wholesale for them back then... They are beautiful safe queens, but probably come warmer weather I will be doing some very fun shooting with them...lol...
Have a good one...XPman...
 
My bet is both the alloy and steel frame autos will keep getting rare and slowly creep up in price. More of us are finding them preferable to the current offerings.
 
The breaking point will be when some Hollywood propmaster puts a 3rd Gen S&W in a modern action movie.

Once that happens its curtains for affordable 3rd Gens.If Milla Jovovich jumps around in another Resident Evil sequel packing two 5906s get ready for $1000 gunbroker bids.The guns are high enough quality that its a price they will stay at for good long after the PR dies down.
 
How will the current retirement of 3rd. generation autos affect prices? Might be a good time to speculate.
 
I appreciate S&W semi-autos without really understanding them or what makes one model preferable to another this year as opposed to what was in demand a couple of years ago. In general, I think predicting collectability in this family is going to be tough. The hallmarks of collectible guns have been excellence of design, demand, and scarcity. If you can identify a few models with those elements, that would usually indicate where the future value is.

But I'm not sure that we can talk about scarcity with a straight face after about 1980, and maybe not for a decade or two before that. I think the sky-high prices commanded by some S&W revolvers will never be seen in the semiauto world unless you find a gun owned by someone important or famous. I think some guns may go through periods of popularity, but I'm not sure this year's fad collectible will still be in demand a couple of years further on.

I just paid a lot of money for an almost new early 4006. The model is not rare, but this particular specimen belonged to someone I respect, and that gives it some appeal over other ANIB 4006s in the marketplace.

Just to beat a dead horse, I think collectability of S&W autos will more easily be observed in the future rather than successfully predicted in the present.
 
My guess is, anything in 10mm, anything in 45. Anything out of the ordinary or tied to the FBI or other big or noteworthy LE org.

Harder to get concealable models will be popular in a utilitarian sort of way but as time goes on in a collectable way.

I also think the full sized, all steel guns will come into their own soon as more and more plastic guns are made and metal guns fall to the wayside from manufacturers.
 
My thoughts on 3rd generation pistols with which I have had personal experience:

645: A truly great .45, so classic that it must be included even though it's a 2nd generation pistol. :D:D:D:D

4576: Excellent size for a .45 ACP and, with its frame decocker, it's also rare (and just plain hard to find) with only 1,386 produced. :D:D:D+

4516-1 and -2: Despite being a little heavy, these are great .45 compacts. :D

1006, 1066 and 1076: After all, how many successful 10mm pistols are there? These have become classic 10mm pistols. All of these were somewhat limited production (1006 - 26,978 units, 1066 - 5,067 units, 1076 - 13,805 units). :D:D:D

4013: Excellent single stack compact .40 S&W and not too easy to find, especially in 99% or better condition. :D

4014: Excellent single stack compact .40 S&W in blue (black). This pistol is rare with only 550 produced. In addition, because of the black alloy frame and limited number produced, it's very, very hard to find in 99% or better condition. :D:D:D

5903: Much harder to find than the 5606. With an alloy frame, the 5903 is lighter and (IMHO) a better balanced 9mm than the 5906. :D:D

6904: Much harder to find than the 6906. In addition, because of the black alloy frame, it's very hard to find in 99% or better condition. :D:D

3913: This is a classic single stack, reliable 9mm compact. It's a light, well balanced, slim 9mm. In nice condition, they move very quickly and at a good price. I particularly like those from the early 90s with hard chromed triggers and hammers. :D

Now, as for the 4506, 4506-1, 4566, 4006, 5906 and 6906, they're all excellent pistols. Except for the 5906, which I sold over a year ago, I have one each. However, there are just too many around (apparently because they were used by so many law enforcement agencies). So, I did not include them above. I don't believe they'll be all that valuable in the future, especially in condition less than 99%. Nonetheless, for shooting, you can't go wrong with any of these.
 
David is much more knowledgable than me about S&W's, but I have to agree. I am almost exclusively a S&W revolver guy( more of a buyer than a shooter, I mostly shoot rifle), but I have started to buy some of the "rarer" S&W Autos. Bought a NIB 4567 ( SW made 1263 in 1991) I am now looking for more Rare stuff I guess, Want a 4505 ,1046, 1076 and a NIB 745. I think limited production, NIB guns with everything will stand the test of time, that is if you can buy them at a "reasonable price" whatever that means....



DCWilson said:
I appreciate S&W semi-autos without really understanding them or what makes one model preferable to another this year as opposed to what was in demand a couple of years ago. In general, I think predicting collectability in this family is going to be tough. The hallmarks of collectible guns have been excellence of design, demand, and scarcity. If you can identify a few models with those elements, that would usually indicate where the future value is.

But I'm not sure that we can talk about scarcity with a straight face after about 1980, and maybe not for a decade or two before that. I think the sky-high prices commanded by some S&W revolvers will never be seen in the semiauto world unless you find a gun owned by someone important or famous. I think some guns may go through periods of popularity, but I'm not sure this year's fad collectible will still be in demand a couple of years further on.

I just paid a lot of money for an almost new early 4006. The model is not rare, but this particular specimen belonged to someone I respect, and that gives it some appeal over other ANIB 4006s in the marketplace.

Just to beat a dead horse, I think collectability of S&W autos will more easily be observed in the future rather than successfully predicted in the present.
Click to expand...
 
I seem to remember when the "wondernine" craze hit, there were a lot of model 10 M&P revolvers that people ignored and went for low prices at shops while everyone bought into the new market. Eventually, they went up in value - Well went up some anyway. I picked up some model 15 and 10s for great prices back then, and would pay triple that now, not they are super valuable, just not a bad investment over time (30 years Yikes, I am old!) the 1980s were 30 yrs ago?) I'm not sure if it outgrew inflation.

I think you certainly won't lose any money buying some good smiths and they may go up in value faster than other guns and are cheaper than newer guns that don't have as much craftsmanship (e.g. metal work). Just my 2 cents. People usually regain interest in quality items over the long run.
 
In my opinion, only the low production models, the 10 series guns and a few select others will be collectable.
 
If collectable = investment, then I think there are better ways to make your money grow. Guns like the Colt single action revolvers and the Colt 1911 are collectables because they are associated with an interesting time in American history. They seem to appreciate in value.

But look at the Model 10 revolver that has 100 years of history and a close connection with law enforcement. Those guns, with millions produced can be bought for very low amounts. People do collect Model 10s but they are not an investment. I think the same thing will happen to the steel and alloy semi-auto guns. Some people will collect them by model number and features and some will look for low production numbers but over the long term there will be few people who "have to have" one of these guns.

Bill
 
Well if the latest shotshow is any indication steel frame 2nd and 3rd are going to be getting rarer and more expensive as time goes on as it seems like everyone is coming out with more polymer guns to atempt to steal people and contracts away from glock

and with the 4th gen teething issues it couldnt be more aptly timed if they wanted it to be.
 
The breaking point will be when some Hollywood propmaster puts a 3rd Gen S&W in a modern action movie.

Once that happens its curtains for affordable 3rd Gens.If Milla Jovovich jumps around in another Resident Evil sequel packing two 5906s get ready for $1000 gunbroker bids.The guns are high enough quality that its a price they will stay at for good long after the PR dies down.
Click to expand...

Denzel Washington carried a pair of 4506's in Training Day
 
My list of the blue chip (now and in the future) collectible S&W automatics:

Pre-39 and steel frame Model 39

Model 41

Model 539

As far as the later guns go, I agree regarding the 10mm's, and find it hard to quibble over the list posted above by Denver Dick. I'd add to his mention of the 3913 to watch out particularly for that model in its LadySmith configuration.
 
My crystal ball says keep collecting, especially the Performance Center models. I have said it once before, and I will say it again. I collect Performance Center pistols because I can also shoot them. Back in 1994 I bought my first Performance Center pistol, the Shorty 40. It was a safe queen until I traded it in 2011. After my unsuccessful efforts to find a NIB FBI 1076, I purchased another PC pistol in late 2007. It was an 845, and I couldn't stop with that one. Thanks to Grinder's photos, I now have many more PC pistols. Most are new except three that are excellent plus. Until recently, I had not shot a PC pistol, only the S&W 39 and 52. Then I qualified to use three as LE duty pistols—the 9 Recon, the IDPA 5906 4" and the 945 4". These PC pistols performed better than I ever expected. They out performed my H&K, Glock, and Sig 229 with their superb triggers and solid and smooth slide cycling. The improvement in my accuracy was awesome with the 9 Recon producing a 100% score. I attribute the improvement in accuracy to the solid and smooth operation of the slide which seemed to dampen the felt recoil while the smooth and crisp trigger enabled me to put shot after shot in and around the x ring. These PC pistols took the stress out of qualifying and replaced it with pure excitement and joy.

I always thought the S&W pistol was the better looking pistol, and they fit my hand well. I started collecting them because of their looks, fit and quality, the S&W lifetime warranty not withstanding. Over the years the Performance Center has produced a variety of models and collecting a representative sample of these pistols will provide a lot of excitement in the hunt and pride in the investment value of the covey. However, the performance experienced when shooting one is priceless. Shooting a PC collection just doubles the pleasure and doubles the fun. I expect to spend less time collecting and more time shooting. Nevertheless, I will continue the hunt for one or two more of the elusive ones (3566 Tactical 5" and 4006 IDPA 4") so my grandchildren will have something besides Tupperware to shoot.
 
Hoping to close this deal..

What about the SW 59 NIB? I have a chance to buy this... I think it will be collectable in 10-20 years. I hope to make deal this weekend. In my house by next. We shall see. I like it!
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