1851 Navy Colt Value

[Robert an saa fan]

Lots of good advice above for you to consider.

I agree the flask, mold and nipple wrench are 3rd Generation Signature Series Colt. If the larger cap tin has " Sam Colt " on the side then it is also 3rd Generation.

The box is replica / reproduction.

A Colt factory letter will tell you the firearm's configuration when it left the factory. Colt usually tells where the gun was shipped which can add value in some cases. Mailed in letter requests take about two to four months to receive. If you phone Colt and pay a higher price with a credit card they should tell you the information immediately over the phone and send the factory letter fairly quickly.

The 1851 Colt Navy may or may not be correct. You need personal examination by an expert.

Several possible contacts in Southern California are:

Carol Watson's Orange Coast Auctions of Irvine. She and her employees display and take in items for auction at the Big Reno Show and other gun shows. She had a booth last week at the great Beinfeld Antique Arms Show in Las Vegas:
www.cwocauctions.com

Another possibility is Lock Stock & Barrel Investments of Simi Valley, who had tables at last weeks Las Vegas Antique Arms Show. LS & B will auction replica / reproduction stuff with it properly ID'ed:
http://www.lsbauctions.com/

Please be aware that I am not endorsing the above companies; just providing information.

 

[nit wit]

Anything under the loading lever?
Nit Wit

 

[suzkat]

Everything but the pistol is repro

 

[old gunsmith]

Boy, those grips are really something! I can't tell from the photo what the motif of the carving on the panel might be but if the motif is for the American market rather than the Mexican market, then the grips are worth as much as the revolver, maybe more. Even as grips for the Mexican market, they'd bring $600-800 on a good day. Unfortunately, the non-Winchester antique gun market is in steep decline; only firearms with a very high percentage of original blue and case hardening have much collector's interest and even "minty" guns are worth less than they were ten years ago, and its a bit hard to put a value on this particular revolver. The case and accessories are modern. If you want to sell these days the auction market is the way to go and outfits like Julia's, Amoskeag, or Rock Island would be the folks to contact. Hope that helps- IrishFritz

 

[Tinker2]

Good to see you posting once again.






William Alexander

 

[Col. Batguano]

....Unfortunately, the non-Winchester antique gun market is in steep decline; only firearms with a very high percentage of original blue and case hardening have much collector's interest and even "minty" guns are worth less than they were ten years ago, .... IrishFritz

This is an interesting statement. I would like to know more about from whence you made it. Is there some sort of an "antique firearm index" that is followable, or is your statement an anecdotal one based on personal observations?

That said, I HAVE noticed that at gun shows, about 3/4 of the tables are filled with black guns.

 

[old gunsmith]

Hello to Col Batguano: I have a number of clients who deal in antique and collectible guns and on occasion will work for a couple of auction houses. I also try to make a point of following auction prices. And as a young man I was a "picker" of American martial arms for a living. As you may guess, I talk to a lot of folks in the collectible gun business and they all tell me things are very flat. If I had to put a consensus on it I would have to say that the gun market was built on the Civil War centennial and the Revolutionary bi-centennial, coupled with the idea of gun collecting as an investment strategy that became popular in the 1970's. Unfortunately, the folks who were active collectors back in the day are now aging or passed away and there are no numbers of younger folks coming into the market to replace them. Hence lots of good guns coming to market and fewer buyers who are interested. The antique American martial arms market is perhaps the hardest hit. Single action army Colts and Winchester lever actions are still popular as well as classic American double shotguns- but even here the prices are dropping . The one bright spot seems to be WW1 1911 autos that are really hot at the moment. Younger folks who are new to shooting seem to be focused on self defense and combat shooting and they have very little regard for history. Perhaps some of the new crop will develop an appreciation for history and muzzleloading firearms and even better, perhaps the prices for antique guns will fall far enough that average folks will be able to buy and enjoy shooting antique guns again. Hope this clarifies my comments... Apologies to the moderator for straying far afield. IrishFritz, the old gunsmith

 

[Col. Batguano]

That's a great explanation. Thank you for fleshing it out further for us. Yeah in the 70's when inflation was going nuts is when a lot of people got in to it (myself included). The classics (Colts and Winchesters) are classics for a reason. I suspect part of it is Hollywood, and the gobs of westerns that were made. The Mountain Man movies of the `70's got a lot of people in to ML'ing too. I suppose if you were to anecdotally take a generic but classic gun--say a Win Model 12, or M1 Garand--guns that are around in abundance, no special variants--it would be possible to get a good feel for things. I would think WW I 1911's current interest has as much about the centennial of WW I as it does anything else.

 

[Zonie]

Gentlemen:

I am letting old gunsmiths and the Col's post stand but they are technically over the limit when it comes to subject matter on the forum.

Please return to discussing firearms and replicas of firearms that date from 1865 or earlier.