Colt commemoratives value?

[Currahee]

Looking at used Colt saa's, can't help but notice that these are apparently way undervalued compared to regular issue Colts.

Why is this?

thanks,'

C.

[July Smith]

IMHO it is because most of the commemorative SAA guns look very ugly.  If you shoot them the collector value is gone, if you misplace the box the collector value is gone, Colt did a commemorative for just about everything so they are not exactly rare.  I am not an expert on collecting Colts but I too have noticed that they don't seem to sell for more and in many cases much less than a standard configuration. 

[Rip Snorter]

I think there is a Franklin Mint / Bradford Exchange factor.  Some like them, they are collectable but will probably be most valuable when purchased.  On the other hand, buying one at a good price to shoot, to me is a great idea.  The base gun is still a Colt.

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

As noted most of the Colt Commemoratives are ugly and were made to sit in a box.  Only a few are worth more than a standard model.  However they can present good deals as shooters.  I picked up this 125th Anniversary of the founding of Colt SAA about a month ago.  Unfired in the box.  It has a gold plated hammer, trigger, backstrap and trigger guard, base pin and ejector.  I find it to be hideous.  HOWEVER this is a 2nd Gen Colt vintage 1961.  The 50s and early 60s 2nd Gens are more desirable than the late 60s and 70s models.  I got this one for 1/2 to 1/3 of what a NIB standard model would cost.  If I ever find another one at a decent price I will shoot them.  In the mean time this one will sit in the safe.

 

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

I love Colt Commemoratives.   They tend to be less expensive than a comparable generic 2nd Gen Colt, and I don't care.   I just like that I can afford them.

Here's two I really like....

 

The top was my NRA Centennial, and the bottom is the Restoration of Old Fort Des Moines commemorative.  It's gold plated.   I do have the boxes for both, and the original pearl grips for the gold one.   But...  Pearl grips are icky to me.  So, I got some real mammoth ivory ones to put on it.   And yes, I have shot a couple of matches with it.

To me, a gun is to be shot, not sat in a box.   That being said, there are a few specific model commemoratives that are just as expensive as any 2nd gen gun, and I have noticed that many of the commemoratives are also starting to go up in price, so if you see one you like, get it now.

Personally, I like the commemoratives and find them to be interesting guns.   Not that I have any plans to start a collection of them, but since they are still relatively affordable, if I come across one I like, I consider buying it.  To shoot. 

Oh, and pretty much all of them are C&R, which is another plus.

[Zach Taylor,SASS#14359]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

[Kid Shane, SASS #40660]

Everything above is true. I have heard a few opinions that because they are commemoratives and were never expected to be fired regularly that the quality of them is not a good as what a standard SAA is comparatively. I'm going to ask Jim Martin about this topic as he is probably the most knowledgeable about the subject. I also have always found that prices of commemoratives are always less than the standard models whether 2nd or 3rd generation. That being said I have never owned any commemoratives among the2nd or 3rd generations I own so I have never experienced firing a commemorative. 

[Rip Snorter]

It doesn't make sense to me that they would lower quality for commemoratives.  Process changes in manufacturing are costly, and in any case a firearm has to be safe to use, they are still liable.  I'll be interested in Jim Martin's answer.

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

6 minutes ago, Kid Shane, SASS #40660 said:

I have heard a few opinions that because they are commemoratives and were never expected to be fired regularly that the quality of them is not a good as what a standard SAA is comparatively

 

I may be able to speak to that.

The above Ft. Des Moines commemorative, the gold one, was smooth and ready to go right out of the box.

The NRA one was... 

Well, it had a very rough and clunky action.   I took it to the factory in East Hartford, and described it as such, and asked them if they could do an action job on it for me.   They did.  Said job was less than $100, and it functioned and shot like a dream from that day forward.  (This was about 10 years ago.)

Make of that what you will.

[Nimble Fingers SASS# 25439]

I am also a fan, bought a Winchester/Colt commemorative, this one has a black powder frame, .44-40 and 7.5 barrel. Took off the barrel, had a .44spcl 4.75 barrel put on and got a .44 spcl cylinder since that would match the New Frontier I was shooting. Got the gun for 979, at that time barrels and cylinders were cheap on EBay, another hundred for parts and a $60 gunsmith charge about 15 years ago.  The barrel and cylinder either gold engraving is in the box and I am shooting the Colt. It was about $200 cheaper at the time than a regular Colt, and like H.K., I have a Colt. I bet though the JW one in .45 and .22 always will retain their vale and go up!  Believe the .45 goes for between 2,800 & 3,200. The Wyatt Earp buntline with shoulder stock also. To each his own. 

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

I have an NRA Centennial .45.  I like it because the centennial markings are on the side of the barrel in blue, and from a few feet away it looks like any other Colt.  It was plenty used when I bought it and had timing issues.  I was new to SAA's at the time so gave it to Bob Taylor for an action job and it feels great.  Much less expensive than a regular 2nd gen would have been.  The triggerguard is a little bit plum colored which I have seen on some other commemoratives.

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

7 minutes ago, Nimble Fingers SASS# 25439 said:

I am also a fan, bought a Winchester/Colt commemorative, this one has a black powder frame, .44-40 and 7.5 barrel. Took off the barrel, had a .44spcl 4.75 barrel put on

 

The Winchester/Colt was absolutely ugly.  The "gold" on the barrel and other parts looked like it was applied with a stencil.  I converted mine to .38-40.

 

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

31 minutes ago, Nimble Fingers SASS# 25439 said:

I am also a fan, bought a Winchester/Colt commemorative,

Ironically, that's one of the ones that tends to be more expensive than most other commemoratives.

The other that seems to command a premium price is the SAA 100th anniversary one, which is set up exactly like a military issue one.  

And of course, these are the two I'd like to obtain.   

 

 

[Kid Shane, SASS #40660]

I called and talked to Jim Martin this evening about this topic. Jim is 87 now but his mind is still very sharp. He said without a doubt the commemorative Colt SAA's are generally inferior to the standard production Colt SAA.  That being said, there is a variation among the quality of different commemoratives. Without question the NRA commemoratives are much more inferior than other commemoratives, and he said the reason is that the factory got behind when they were making the NRA models and made shortcuts in finishing them. He said you really have to look at the number made of each different commemorative to get an idea which would likely have more defects.  Jim helped edit the Kuhnhausan Colt Shop Manual and has worked on Colt SAA's for about 65 years so he's a good reliable source of information. 

[Nimble Fingers SASS# 25439]

9 hours ago, Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 said:

 

The Winchester/Colt was absolutely ugly.  The "gold" on the barrel and other parts looked like it was applied with a stencil.  I converted mine to .38-40.

 

Well my other Colt was a New Frontier with a 5.5 barrel, and I like the gol. Guess I could have left the barrel on but I was trying to go for a small for my Duke persona. Still have it and still have the rest in the box it came in. I’m satisfied, like I said to each his own!