Hardy - let me just say that a year ago, I bought a "new" in the box CVA 1861 steel frame Colt Navy - made by ASM and a beautiful pistol - for $160. At the same time, I could have bought a '51 Navy for the same price - new in box made in the 80s - steel frame and a '49 Colt Pocket Wells Fargo - same era new in the box for $180. All were pristine and I believe all were made by ASM and marked CVA. The guy I bought them from had urchased them new as an investment. Had I wanted all three, I'm sure that I could have gotten him down and walked away with all three for around '425 - $450. The only one I wanted was the '61 Navy - for some reason he had that one marked at $200 and it didn't take much to get him down to $160.
The prices you're talking about, especially if brass framed, are way more than they are worth - regardless of them being "vintage" and NIB.
This economy has hit everything hard and guns are not immune to it. Yea, you can look on Gun Broker and see guns listed at high prices - but are they selling. Over the last two years I have liquidated my long gun collection that I've had for 50 years. I consigned them to a reputable dealer and he has been selling them on GB for me. As an example, I had a number of Civil War muskets - some quite rare. On the average, they have brought about 60% of the value they once had ten years ago.
As has been stated, the guns you are talking about are still there because of the price on them. Anhyone can ask a high price and a lot of people figure since they are asking that, they are worth it. If that is the case, I have a new Yugo that is worth 30K. If you are looking for "investments" - I would think that a person would be better off keeping their eyes open and when they run across something like a Colt Python in great shape or a vintage S & W that will appreciate in value as time goes by.
One might look at Cabellas for example and see a C & B revolver that is selling for say $50 more than it did last year and surmise from that, that the repros are "appreciating" in value. What IS appreciating is the overhead of the store, liability insurance, etc. that is driving the cost up.
I'm not knocking anyone who wants to collect reproduction pistols. I can only express what my thoughts are. If you were to put one of those vintage NIB CVAs on the table at say $200 and lay a Colt 38spl OP or a S & W M & P along side of it at the same price - I'll be reaching for the Colt or the S & W as an investment as I know that they will appreciate far more than the CVA.
As anyone knows, the rules of investing to make money is "buy low / sell high". If you could go in and buy the "lot" at a price of say $75 to $100 each for a quantity, that would be one thing. Those prices would allow yo to turn around and sell them below what someone like Cabellas is getting for a Pietta brass frame and you could make a little money on it. But if they want what you are saying they have on them, I doubt that you will be able to deal.
Just my thoughts.
Or buy them dirt cheap if I can. If so I'll produce the photos on this line and see what happens. I really forgot how many were in it but the glass stand up box containing them was a CVA display for at least 3 or 4. And again, one was a derringer.