Colt Detective Special(1973 vintage)for $410: Opinions Please?

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boa2

New member
I found a local City Police Department(1973 vintage)Colt Detective Special priced at $410(Before fees & tax)! The bluing is really nice(With just a slight touch of wear at the very tip(edge)of the muzzle(Hardly noticeable)and it has been fired(But not much)and there is no cylinder ring at all! The story is that this Detective Special was a Police Dept.(Backup)gun! It hung on a gun rack-and, this caused a few dings and marks, to occur on the wooden grips(But, no marks or defects showing at all on the gun metal(Or wear on the bluing!)and, this gun looks to have been carried but not shot much! Following, are my questions:

1)Is $420 too much to pay for this Detective Special?

2)Does the name of the City Police Dept.(Stamped on the lower side of the frame)increase, decrease(Or, have no effect at all, on value?)?

3)Is the 1973 vintage(Serial number C330xx)Detective Special, one of the good years for being a good, well made, Detective Special?

4)Were too many of these guns made, to make them very much of a "Collectible"?

5)The trigger on this particular, Detective Special, feels great(Slick & smooth!)!
 
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If it is a Detective Special and department marked it is worth around $300-400.00. It depends on the condition. Dents and dings, holster wear and timing do have to be considered. I think I would not go over $250.00. What PD is it? It does matter to police vintage revolver collectors. I would look at it as a shooter and not collectible. I recently thought a guy was nuts for giving $600.00 for a Royal Hong Kong Police Colt Police Positive Special. I gave $199.00 for mine. Mine is in better condition than his. Values are what you make of them. This is a D frame, is it square or rounded gripframe? Original serial numbered grips? Condition of sideplate screws? Timing, rotation, bolt pop-up and function checks should be done as usual. Is it refinished? In California it may well be worth $420.00. In the south, I see them way under $300.00.
 
If your state allows purchase from other locales, check with RM Vivas. He always has Dick Spls in stock and the prices are good. Right now he has a 1956 vintage Dick for $225.

http://64.227.196.27/index.html

Never done business with the guy (I'm in Kali) but he's a regular in the Colt and SW forums. He was also one of the folks who was credited with helping Supica and Nahas with SCOSW.
 
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