I was perusing the Gunbroker auctions for used Smith and found one I had not heard of. The model 56 2" USAF snub nosed revolver. It is so rare that there is not even a photo of one for its entry in the new SCS&W. It is so rare that there is not a single Tube video for this revolver. One auction house listed them as likely to be unavailable. That got my attention.
The photos on GB were not of the quality that one would expect for an expensive purchase of a (theoretically) Unicorn handgun. That was something in my favor. Only the foolhardy would the bid need to be for this one. My S&W gun addiction kicked in and I started bidding. In the end it was mano e mano between two of us. MrTrolleyguy verus Wormy99. He stopped at $5,500.00
So did I win or did I pee away five grand, eh? You tell me.
If I collected rare US military revolvers I would be jealous and green with envy. For them it would be a good price. They have sold between $9,000 and $12,000. On the low side in 2008 (I think it was 08) someone did not realize what they had and sold it for $2,500 with extras. I doubt that they will go down in value.
There are other types of collector who have been hunting for one for years.
How many people have a model 56? Of the the 15,205 produced only 20 to 25 are in civilian possession. The Springfield Armory Museum bought four of them but they are not on display now.
The photos on GB were not of the quality that one would expect for an expensive purchase of a (theoretically) Unicorn handgun. That was something in my favor. Only the foolhardy would the bid need to be for this one. My S&W gun addiction kicked in and I started bidding. In the end it was mano e mano between two of us. MrTrolleyguy verus Wormy99. He stopped at $5,500.00
So did I win or did I pee away five grand, eh? You tell me.
If I collected rare US military revolvers I would be jealous and green with envy. For them it would be a good price. They have sold between $9,000 and $12,000. On the low side in 2008 (I think it was 08) someone did not realize what they had and sold it for $2,500 with extras. I doubt that they will go down in value.
There are other types of collector who have been hunting for one for years.
How many people have a model 56? Of the the 15,205 produced only 20 to 25 are in civilian possession. The Springfield Armory Museum bought four of them but they are not on display now.