Curious about value - Hopkins & Allen, Bluejacket #2

[fire@will]

Good day Gentlemen. Would any of you guys who are much more well versed on antiques than I am, care to hazard a guess as to value ? As near as I can tell, it's in mint condition - which floors me, on a piece that is almost 150 years old. Chambers are clean and clear - no pitting or erosions - so is the bore and rifling. Cylinder lock-up is solid. Hammer and trigger engagement is tight and positive. The plating appears immaculate - no discoloration, chips or peeling. Know nothing about engraving, so won't comment on that, other than to say it's still sharp. No marks of any kind, that I can see. Even the grips are 100%.
Thanks for any educated guesses. I have some idea, from what I see of the prices for antique hand guns, but I've never seen one in such amazing condition. - Fire@will
Sorry - screwed up on the title of this thread - it is in fact a Bluejacket #2 - the mind is a terrible thing to lose.

 

[LawrenceN]

Look at Old Guns Canada and maybe check out some of the past auctions. Condition looks immaculate but the problem with these "suicide specials" seems to be the life of the springs. In that condition, I'd expect to see a minimum of $1500 and add $300 for the ammo.

 

[tiriaq]

Auction prices for .32 rimfire revolvers have been rising steadily.
This one looks to be in exceptional condition. The factory engraving isn't seen very often.
Certainly worth a premium over the garden variety. $1500? I don't know. Would need a motivated buyer.

 

[fire@will]

Thanks for your input guys.

 

[Jon9021]

Yes, look at Old Guns Canada. His prices seem pretty sensible & should give you a good price point. Spring damage is common which can make people leary of paying too much for them.

 

[scianna54]

Asking prices in Canada are a bit high flying. I can still get those spur trigger revolvers in the US for around $300 US but folks in Canada are thinking they are made of gold. Menno, a member here had some listed on gp for under $300 with small issues to fix. They all sold now. I would be careful putting a value of over $700 on one of those. Most ammo still available won't go off, too old. Reloading kits are available but do not work on many of those - the primer is sticking out too much and preventing the cylinder from rotating.

But my price basically fits with old guns Canada. He is asking $750 for one in excellent condition without the engraving:

https://www.oldgunscanada.com/fwrussianmodel

so pretty sure he paid maybe around $4/500 for that one, yours with a premium for condition may fetch more, maybe around $1,000 if you are lucky.

I would very much caution buying those if you want to fire it, better off with a centerfire revolver where you can easily make your own new ammo or buy from rustywood.

 

[Old Guns Canada]

Well, I guess I'll chime in. I can't tell from the picture, but it almost looks like it was re-nickel plated. These usually did not have nickel hammers and triggers. They were case-colored. It also looks like there is pitting under the nickel on the hammer, but that may just be the lighting. If it's all genuine, you may get $750 to $950, maybe a bit more. The engraving looks like it is better quality than standard "factory", so that would be a plus. Nice looking piece, either way.

 

[fire@will]

Thanks for you input Chris. Not sure if the plating is new or OEM - don't know how I would tell. I just assumed original, from the overall condition of the piece.
Nope - no pitting on the hammer, or anywhere else on it. Must be the lighting. The only part of it that I'm unsure of, is the trigger. It appears to have plating on it's face, but not the sides. It also has knurling (on the face) on its bottom half - perhaps for better grip when you're doing quick-draw - ha ha.

 

[Old Guns Canada]

Hopkins & Allen revolvers came in a variety of quality levels. The "Blue Jacket" was one of the cheaper ones. The best ones (except Merwin, Hulbert & Co, which are in a class of their own) were the XL series, and they still fetch the highest prices today. As far as re-nickel goes, usually, but not always, the engraving was done after the nickel plating, so you can see that there is no nickel in the grooves when you look at it with a magnifying glass. Some of them, especially the standard factory engraved ones, were worked on before plating so you can see the nickel in the grooves. If it has been re-plated, the edges may look a bit dulled or rounded, and you may see pitting under the nickel, if it has not been cleaned up properly. It's hard to tell, sometimes. In general, if the nickel is really bright and has more of a blue tinge than a yellow tinge, it would be suspect. Antique nickel dulls and yellows over time.