Colt WWI Reproduction Carbonia Blue I am in trouble

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WVsig

New member
I had a Colt WWI Reproduction Carbonia Blue which I loved. I shot it and simply loved the old school feel of the gun. In a moment of weakness I traded it for a Collector grade HRA CMP Garand about 7 years ago. I always figured I could get one back one day.

Well 8 years later I have never seen one at a price and in a condition that I was willing to pay considering what I paid back when they were new. Well one showed up in my local market and all I can say is that I am in trouble. One of my greatest fears concerning my "collection" is that one day my wife will sell them for what I told her I paid for them. Add a Colt 1911 WWI reproduction to that list. It is LNIB with a few handling marks and it might have been fired but we are talking a mag or two noting more. Got the box, the outer box, manual, one mag still in the wrapper pretty much everything it came with new except for the larger piece of wax paper which the gun was wrapped in.

Gun looks great. The pictures do not do the Carbonia Blue finish justice. It is beautiful. The trigger is nice. It is clean and crisp and is 4lbs & 2 ozs avg of 5 pulls. It is nice. I am glad it has some handling marks so I won't feel bad shooting it.

Sometimes you get lucky and can rectify your past mistakes. Just hope the wife doesn't notice. ;)









 
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A lot of us have the "two price" problem - what something is worth and what someone (usually a spouse) thinks it is worth. If concerned about an "after I'm gone" situation, one way is to make an inventory with the item described honestly and as well as possible, with the estimated RETAIL value as of the date it is done. If done by a computer spreadsheet, updating it every year or so won't be too hard.

Then take that list, put it in a sealed envelope and put it in your safe deposit box, along with your will. Mark it for your executor. You may choose not to tell anyone about it as you wish. Another copy, without the values, can be kept separate for your own inventory.

You might also want to leave some general instructions on how to handle the estate if your heir(s) don't want to keep your collection. If you have a large collection, an auction service might be better, even though they have a service charge. But if your heirs try to sell a large or specialized collection locally through a gun shop, it might take forever and may never be successful. Example: How many people walk into Joe's Gun Shop looking to buy one of your Colt Patersons at a quarter mil?

Jim
 
Oh there is a spread sheet with the real values. In the end the wife is 100% supportive of my hobbies. She just gives me a little crap. :)

I keep a spreadsheet for insurance purposes so in reality the wife when I pass will just use that as a reference.

When I go I assume most of the guns will get divided up between my sister in law and my wife. They are the only ones in the family that will shoot them.
 
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Out of curiosity, what are those selling for these days (when they can be found
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They range from $1100 to $1600 depending on condition and what they come with.

I have not seen one for sale under $1000 in a long time. They sold new for $900-$1100 depending on how good the dealer was to,you.
 
WVsig said:
I have not seen one for sale under $1000 in a long time. They sold new for $900-$1100 depending on how good the dealer was to,you.
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Oh, I remember when they were current. MSRP was $999, and if you could buy one for under $1100 you were fortunate. I just wondered what a NIB or LNIB example would cost me today (if I could find one).
 
Very nice pistol, worth the money. I've sold four guns in my life and regretted selling two of them. Replacement cost years later has always been double my initial cost.
 
Oh, I remember when they were current. MSRP was $999, and if you could buy one for under $1100 you were fortunate. I just wondered what a NIB or LNIB example would cost me today (if I could find one).
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I got my first one for less than $1000 from Wild West Gun. Ken AKA Wildalaska used to be my go to Colt guy until he got famous. LOL He used to post here and always had the best prices on Colt.

WildstillmisshimAlaska

I you can find them LNIB or NIB these days for $1300-$1400 and you are not getting killed. You can also get the 100 YR Tier IIIs for about $1100 whch are very close except for the rollmarks and the black oxide finish and few other things that I can't remember off the top of my head.
 
Congrats on the re-acquisition! Very nice looking. I have an Anniversary edition and it's nice but the Carbonia Blue finish really is beautiful. Are you going to take it to the range or just store it in the safe?
 
One of my greatest fears concerning my "collection" is that one day my wife will sell them for what I told her I paid for them.... Just hope the wife doesn't notice.
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I'll bet your wife hasn't told you how much she has paid for those fancy purses and shoes in her closet.:p:p:p
 
In a moment of weakness I traded it for a Collector grade HRA CMP Garand about 7 years ago. I always figured I could get one back one day
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Yep. I said the same thing when I sold my S&W 27-2 which I had less than $400 invested in; that gun originally cost me $275.00. I have a 627 and a 686 that are actually better shooters, but I haven't seen an original M-27 in the condition of this one for less than a grand! BTW, great pictures of a nice "pre A1" 1911 reproduction!
 
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