A beauty Colt 1908 .380 ACP

Bob A · Dec 21, 2014

Machodoc said:
Everyone has different opinions, of course, but when someone(s) have taken special care of a gun like this one, I personally feel and obligation to continue that level of custodial care if I'm lucky enough to have one that nice come to me.

Agree.

A hundred years' worth of restraint and careful storage ought to be respected.

Then there's the value issue: the world's best example of anything worthwhile carries a lot of financial weight, which is easily diminished, and cannot be restored.

Then there's the historical value of having a pristine example of an object can be very useful to those who have an interest in such things. For example, there is a purported Stradivari violin in Oxford's Ashmolean Museum which is virtually unplayed. Its chief value lies in being unchanged from the days when it was first constructed, and as such is of great importance to luthiers; most violins of the era have been messed with to a significant degree, such that they depart greatly from the original maker's intent. I'm not saying this pistol has that sort of significance, just making a point about the value of having an iriginal, unaltered example. It's a time capsule.

Mendozaco · Dec 21, 2014

Machodoc said:
I personally feel and obligation to continue that level of custodial care if I'm lucky enough to have one that nice come to me.

Well put and a valid point. I agree with all of you and thank you for the awakening. I will keep it in this condition for our next generation to cherish.

ken792 · Dec 21, 2014

Wow, those are nice.

mawkie · Dec 21, 2014

somd_mustangs said:
... and get a visit late one night from Crufflers with socks filled with sand

Or soap if you're a fan of Full Metal Jacket.

28Shooter · Dec 21, 2014

Beautiful! Congratulations! With a gun that nice are we really the owner or custodian? Tough call.

Melnic · Dec 23, 2014

The finish on that is so pristine, how does one tell if something this old in such condition has been re-blued or not?

Bob A · Dec 23, 2014

Melnic said:
The finish on that is so pristine, how does one tell if something this old in such condition has been re-blued or not?

The sharp image of the rampant colt, serial numbers and other rollmarks; the crisp edges, the color of the bluing, the lack of any wavy surfaces that might have been polished. Look at enough pictures and the re-blues will jump out at you.

somd_mustangs · Dec 23, 2014

Bob A said:
The sharp image of the rampant colt, serial numbers and other rollmarks; the crisp edges, the color of the bluing, the lack of any wavy surfaces that might have been polished. Look at enough pictures and the re-blues will jump out at you.

What he said

Also notice the edges of the Rampant Colt "stick up" as it was applied after polishing.
On some guns, various inspector marks were done after bluing (and in some cases even the S/N was applied afterwards) and will show bare metal, "pooching" of the surface, and even a "halo" around the marking.

A well-restored gun (e.g. Turnbull resto) is much harder to detect and probably only by close in-hand inspection.

It's important to know the idiosyncracies of the specific gun you're looking at...

Mendozaco · Dec 23, 2014

Thank you guys for sharing your opinion on this pistola. Here are more pics showing the datails.

somd_mustangs · Dec 23, 2014

It's awesome.
You'd be seriously hard-pressed to find a better one.
Definitely not a range gun.

Mendozaco · Dec 23, 2014

somd_mustangs said:
It's awesome.
You'd be seriously hard-pressed to find a better one.
Definitely not a range gun.

Somd_mustangs what don't you know?? :thumbsup:

I'm wondering what it's value will be in 2035 when it is 100 years old and is kept in the same condition. I know I got it for a good price at Redding Auction, but can't find a reasonable market value for it today. Do you have any leads?

somd_mustangs · Dec 23, 2014

$1500+ in todays market.
Easily. There's an almost exponential increase in value (and scarcity) as the condition gets above 95%, this one looks to be a solid 99% (even a brand new gun is hard to be 100%).
So it is hard to judge the $$ some collector might be willing to fork over.

Mendozaco · Dec 23, 2014

somd_mustangs said:
$1500+ in todays market.
Easily. There's an almost exponential increase in value (and scarcity) as the condition gets above 95%, this one looks to be a solid 99% (even a brand new gun is hard to be 100%).
So it is hard to judge the $$ some collector might be willing to fork over.

Thanks for the estimate and condition percentage. Good news is always welcome.

somd_mustangs · Dec 23, 2014

I'd insure it for $2k.
That's not insanely unreasonable.

BlackBart · Dec 23, 2014

Guns are like a 70 Hemi Cuda..... not meant to be virgins. Hate to say it but the next generation or the one after may not give a shit about them one iota. Oh goody, I swapped Grandpa's old gun for 10 computer games! :thumbsup:

Shoot em while you got em! :shrug:

somd_mustangs · Dec 23, 2014

In general I'd agree, but a gun this nice should be preserved.
There aren't many left like it.
I'd go find another that's not in such a nice shape for shooting.
There's plenty of those.
Shooting this one much will degrade the value significantly if you want to go "intrinsic" on it vice emotional

Or get it into the hands of a collector that will preserve and conserve it.

But we're talking hypothetical here since the OP has seen the wisdom of preservation.

Mendozaco · Dec 23, 2014

BlackBart said:
Guns are like a 70 Hemi Cuda..... not meant to be virgins. Hate to say it but the next generation or the one after may not give a shit about them one iota. Oh goody, I swapped Grandpa's old gun for 10 computer games!

Shoot em while you got em!

BlackBart I have some old Atari video games to trade. Do you have any more of the old man guns?

BlackBart · Dec 23, 2014

somd_mustangs said:
In general I'd agree, but a gun this nice should be preserved.
There aren't many left like it.
I'd go find another that's not in such a nice shape for shooting.
There's plenty of those.
Shooting this one much will degrade the value significantly if you want to go "intrinsic" on it vice emotional

Or get it into the hands of a collector that will preserve and conserve it.

But we're talking hypothetical here since the OP has seen the wisdom of preservation.

Sure, if one has the luxury the pristine can be put in a vacuum sealed case but if not, shoot it, that's why it was built. If you had a Worlds Fair Mustang from 1964 would you not bring it to shows? Drive it if it were local?

BlackBart · Dec 23, 2014

Mendozaco said:
BlackBart I have some old Atari video games to trade. Do you have any more of the old man guns?

Whats a old man gun? :rolleyes:

CSJ · Dec 23, 2014

I would love to get a pistol like that for my collection. Sweet!

A beauty Colt 1908 .380 ACP

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