can anyone give me a hand on what I have here

You know, why doesn't anyone ever give me anything like this?

A few years ago there was that guy who was given his Grandfather in law's revolver and came here looking for information.

Turned out it was an INCREDIBLY rare .44 Smith & Wesson Special, one of about 36 known, of about 100 made, and worth high four or into five figures.

Ah, here it is. http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=367143&highlight=standard+catalog

I badly misidentified it at first, and then started to cry when I realized what the guy had. :)

Congratulations, Oldsalt, you truly do have a treasure in that Colt.
 
I suspect the next most valuable gun will be either the S&W if it's a model 27 as I suspect or the next earlier incarnation. The Heavy Duty seems to be in good shape too.
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Jim,

I'm just about positive that the .357 in the upper LH corner is a Model 586 no-dash, 1981-1982 production. The barrel is wrong for a Model 27 with an ACx prefix and it looks smaller than the N frame .38/44 Heavy Duty below it. IMHO this is a $450-$600 gun, depending on how much it's been fired and whether it has the original box, documents, and tool kit. 4" M586s with blued finish and a red ramp front sight aren't particularly uncommon.

The postwar transitional .38/44 Heavy Duty, on the other hand, is substantially more rare and valuable. Assuming the rest of the gun looks as good as what's visible in the picture, I've seen postwar .38/44s in slightly worse condition sell for $650-$1,000 on the S&W forum and GB. These guns seem to be pretty hot with S&W collectors right now. I'd estimate that it's a $900-$1,200 gun. :)

FWIW there's someone on this forum with the username Glade who recently started a "Model 20 for sale?" thread... might want to poke him/her if you want to part with it.

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=435054
 
I strongly suspect that is is the single most valuable gun owned by anybody on this forum, unless we include class3 (fully automatic) stuff that is artificially inflated by the 1986 federal law capping the number of such.

I'm almost certain it's the most valuable handgun we've seen show up around here. Ever. I think these things are actually worth more than an S&W Registered Magnum?
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I doubt that it is....of course its valuable but not everyone on here openly discloses what they have. I bet someone has an original 1866 Winchester, or some other rare long gun in addition to rare lugers or other one of a kind guns that are worth more than $10k or 15k.

As far as this colt vs a Registered Magnum, it depends. There were so many special order options that some RMs, based on barrel length and or finish are 1 of few or at times 1 of 1 since the barrel could be ordered from 3.5 to 8.75 by the 1/4 in. I believe the 5.75 length is one of one. Nickel is extremely rare in the RMs as well. There were different sight options and what not.

OP, nice Colt for sure. You are pretty lucky. That other stuff is cool too. I like the 38/44 as well.
 
Looking again, yeah, I think you're right. The cylinder is smaller than the 38/44 which we know is an N-frame.

That would likely put the 38-44 as the 2nd most valuable. Still, I doubt all the rest would add up to the value of that Colt 1900.

Some variants of the .380 Colts (the other auto in this collection) go for decent coin too. Probably won't top the 38-44 but might rival it.
 
i have both the s&w 38 special and the police positive 38 . i was told the positve was worth pretty much nothing so i sold it to my friend for 150.00 . its ruff though . the smith is clean and id give it a 90 . from what i saw the smith was about 3-400 on the broker . am i wrong and do i need to buy the positive back ? :eek:
 
unless you have got to have some money for some dire emergency i would see no need to sell . Just insure them and lockem up they are only certian to gain value as time goes by . I have only ever sold 2 guns 1 sks that had been molested to death and scary to shoot and the police positive b/c it was so ugly and the ammo was high the rest i would never sell for any amount . but thats just me
 
Boatmonkey,

First, the value of a Colt Police Positive is highly dependent on age, condition, and chambering. The Police Positive was chambered in .38 Long Colt, .38 S&W/.38 Colt New Police, .32 S&W Long/.32 Colt New Police, or .32-20 Winchester/WCF. The Police Positive Special was chambered in .38Spl/.38 Colt Special; the chambering makes it a "Special", not all Specials are marked as such. $150 is not far off for a "ruff" garden-variety postwar Special, but we'd really need to know more about the gun to be sure. FWIW I think most of us would agree that the Police Positive Special is the least valuable gun in the OP's picture.

Second, the S&W .38 Special in the picture is no garden-variety S&W .38 Special. :) It's a .38/44 Heavy Duty, which was built for an obsolescent hot-rodded .38Spl cartridge variably known as the .38/44 S&W Special or the .38 Special Hi-Speed. This cartridge was loaded to near .357Mag pressures, but it was phased out by the 1950s due to safety concerns; .357Mag can do everything it would do (and then some), but .357Mag can't be loaded into older small-frame revolvers and cause a gun-destroying kB! :eek: S&W and Colt both marketed large-frame .38Spl revolvers to withstand the punishment; the S&W versions were called the .38/44 Heavy Duty (fixed rear sight) or .38/44 Outdoorsman (adjustable sight), while Colt offered a version of the New Service. These guns are considerably less common than contemporary small- or medium-frame .38Spl revolvers from these companies and command substantially higher values.
 
Some variants of the .380 Colts (the other auto in this collection) go for decent coin too. Probably won't top the 38-44 but might rival it.
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The original picture refers to it as a 32, which makes it the 1903 pocket hammerless, the predecessor to the model of 1908 .380 model. They made over 500k of the 1903 autos.
 
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I would keep the valuable 3 and any that you find particularly cool for whatever reason sell the rest for what little their worth. Whats the point in keeping them? As some have said if its garden variety and 10's of thousands made it will take absolutely forever to be worth something.
 
the colt i had was a 38 s&w pre war first edition ' so i was told ' nickle plated 'use to be' . i do not see anything on smith other than than norm but marked inside the crane area is mod 10 or 10-4 , i dont have it in front of me . 4 in barrel and with some flat nosed wad cutter hand loaded rounds it is pretty dead on although rather heavy for its size . id rather shoot my k framed 6in .22 anyday though
 
Sounds like you have a real nice collection!!!!!!!! I wouldn't sell a single item. I'd also fire at least several shots from each:)
 
where do you live ? i think you and my mom hooked up along time ago during spring break . DAD ITS ME YOUR LONG LOST SON ! . just kidding , id fire them , clean them and hide them . Do you mind us asking how came into this collection ? Kinda hoping my grandad will pull out some blunderbuss's and some BARs in my near future . Just when I think I have hoarded all of dads guns he pulls some more out of his arse that I never knew anything about
 
I would NOT shoot that 1900 Colt. The rest, yeah, pending "the checkout" on the revolvers (see stickied post this sub-forum).

The 586 and the newer model Detective Special (bottom right with the shrouded ejector rod) are probably the best personal defense guns of the bunch. Shooting them and using them in a home defense role won't harm the value any. Carrying them will - all holsters cause at least some holster wear, no two ways about it.
 
Absolutely do NOT attempt to shoot the Colt!

.38 ACP is pretty much unavailable anymore, but it shares the same case dimensions as the .38 Super.

Only the .38 Super is a LOT more powerful, and will go a long way towards wrecking a Model 1900.
 
Oldsalt...

I'm particularly taken by the Colt 1900... those are quite rare! Several people have guessed the value of it ranging from a couple thousand to $15k. I agree - the value is in that range... but closer to the 3k to 5k than a 5 digit value. BUT - that all depends on the actual condition... I'm making assumptions about the gun from what I can see in the pictures.

The sight safety was a pretty cool design that turned out to be rather fragile and did not survive the test of time. With the hammer pulled back, the sight safety could be pressed down thus blocking the hammer from hitting the firing pin. Many of the original sight safety pistols were modified by the factory to a fixed sight configuration.

As Mike mentions... the .38 Super cartridge will fit in the 1900... but it is so overpowered for this design that the gun will likely break as a result of using it.

If you decide to part with the 1900, start with people that are knowledgeable about them... or a quality, nationally known auction house.

For reference purposes, here is a picture of another early 3-digit 1900. The serial of this one is #542. It also has the sight safety intact and is original and unaltered. These guns are out there... in various condition.

IMG_5161.jpg
 
Oldsalt: you need to understand something here, pronto. This forum in general is not a hangout for major-grade collectors. OK? There's a few around here, Mike is one, but...this is NOT the place to find a specialist in that gun.

Don't expect to get complete answers around here, not on something as major as that thing. The only class of guns more valuable than that critter is something that can be linked to a major historical figure, or something really, stupidly, incredibly rare. Like the Colt SAA serial number one or the like...or one-off documented prototypes.

Short of that class, what you have there appears to be a grade-A primo droolworthy collector-grade bordering on museum-grade piece. You're going to need to consult a specialist for the whole story.

This forum is BY FAR populated by people who shoot and modify guns, rather than collectors. That's just plain fact...I'm certainly no collector myself, hell, I own a grand total of two guns, one homebrew tricked-out carry piece and one 22LR practice equivalent of same. The older of the two was made in 2005. I'm not really typical of this forum either :) but...it'll give you an idea where we're coming from.

This isn't meant to disparage collectors, just to point out...well...you sorta "walked into the wrong bar" to get the WHOLE story and a more definitive value.
 
you need to understand something here, pronto. This forum in general is not a hangout for major-grade collectors. OK? There's a few around here, Mike is one, but...this is NOT the place to find a specialist in that gun.

Don't expect to get complete answers around here, not on something as major as that thing. The only class of guns more valuable than that critter is something that can be linked to a major historical figure, or something really, stupidly, incredibly rare. Like the Colt SAA serial number one or the like...or one-off documented prototypes.

Short of that class, what you have there appears to be a grade-A primo droolworthy collector-grade bordering on museum-grade piece. You're going to need to consult a specialist for the whole story.
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Since the gun was a standard production item AND a colt, I disagree that no one here would know about it. This forum is one of the biggest ones in terms of membership and it incorporates all types of people so someone would know about it and to say no one on this forum could afford $10k on a gun is laughable. It really comes down how much $10k really is or how much you view it to be. To some its a ton, to others not so much.

I wouldn't be surprised if someone from this site bought the gun, if it was for sale.

As a collector myself, $10k for a gun really isn't a lot when you consider a walker colt sold recently for over $900k, many early Winchesters are worth more than $10K, etc. SAA SN #1 and this gun are worlds apart. SAA SN #1 is practically priceless. There are many guns which regularly sell for $20k to $50k that only those who trade in them are intimately familiar with. I'm not sure if this colt 1900 is worth $10k or not, but if it is, its a $10k gun, no more, no less. Guns go as high as the sky. Check out Rock Island auction results or Amoskeag if you think $10k is a lot.
 
Just to share my ignorance , that has got to be one of thee most plain looking pistols i have ever seen , if i saw it for sale at some off the wall place i would not give it a second look .i would have never guessed how valuble that is . I know now , thats why im on this forum is to learn . I collect guns but they are not fine relics - there guns i take them all in - now a old 1930's mercury or johnson i can you about . Im just another marine mechanic playing gun smith in the winter ! lol
 
I am far from a major-grade collector.

HammerIt is far more of a major grade collector than I. Some of his Smith & Wessons make me weep with jealousy.

I am more of a major grade accumulator in that I buy S&Ws for my "collection," but unlike a true collector, I buy them to shoot, so I'm not nearly as worried about condition, accompanying items, etc.

Because of that I will never be a true gun collector.
 
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