I'm hot on the trail of a potentially VERY nice deal. There are 2 old antique firearms, both in supposedly working condition. One is a .32 rimfire Stevens rifle and the other is a 1864 or '65 Colt revolver. If they are unmolested and operational, what would the value be, roughly? Any knowledgeable input would be most appreciated. Thanks
Good deal? Ideas on value?
- Thread starter LawrenceN
- Start date
No pictures, no real info.
Lets say $35 for the Stevens, and $250 for the Colt, until there is better info to run with.
Stevens made a lot of rimfire rifles. Most of them were crap. They were built cheap to sell cheap.
But there were some 'better' ones. A 44 or 44 1/2 have some value. A Favorite in good nick does too. The various Crackshot models less so as shooters, but if the condition is high enough he collectors may be interested...
As to the Colt revolver...<shrug> condition, model, caliber, and condition again.
Kinda tongue in cheek, but, well, you really need to get some better info to get better answers.
Got a Blue Book? Should get one, at least for the ident pictures.
Cheers
Trev
Lets say $35 for the Stevens, and $250 for the Colt, until there is better info to run with.
Stevens made a lot of rimfire rifles. Most of them were crap. They were built cheap to sell cheap.
But there were some 'better' ones. A 44 or 44 1/2 have some value. A Favorite in good nick does too. The various Crackshot models less so as shooters, but if the condition is high enough he collectors may be interested...
As to the Colt revolver...<shrug> condition, model, caliber, and condition again.
Kinda tongue in cheek, but, well, you really need to get some better info to get better answers.
Got a Blue Book? Should get one, at least for the ident pictures.
Cheers
Trev
If the Stevens is 32 rimfire, I am guessing it is either a Favourite or a Tip Up and with no idea of condition could range from just about zero up to around 250 in reasonable condition for the Favourite and 3-400 for the tip up in reasonable condition. In excellent condition (like new) the tip up could go for a lot more. A 44 in reasonable condition somewhere in the 3-400 range and the 44 1/2 for 4-600 but as previously said, without pictures, we can only wildly speculate. The Colt can range anywhere from a few hundred in poor condition to well over 1000 in moderately good condition and considerably more in excellent condition
cheers mooncoon
cheers mooncoon
The Stevens rifles can be a lot of fun, given that you can source ammunition. Once you know the right model, you can get a spare Breechblock, convert it to CF. You will find that .32 COLT brass works fine in some of them..... and it is still available.
As to the Colt, even a junker is worth bucks, given that it is the heavy-frame big gun. I know where there is one with a $78 grand price tag on it: pickup from the Little Big Horn, fully authenticated and traceable. Of course, they are NOT all worth that much...... but ANY old Colt is worth checking out.
Good luck!
As to the Colt, even a junker is worth bucks, given that it is the heavy-frame big gun. I know where there is one with a $78 grand price tag on it: pickup from the Little Big Horn, fully authenticated and traceable. Of course, they are NOT all worth that much...... but ANY old Colt is worth checking out.
Good luck!
Okay, thanks for the input guys. I went after work to see the guy with the firearms for sale. What a pity!!! The revolver needed a good cleaning but I THINK it was a repro, a good one mind you, but a repro nonetheless. It has a brass backstrap, some remnants of the bluing on the pistol, some faint roll engraving on the cylinder, a nice walnut grip. The mainspring was quite strong, and everything seemed to index well and was tight with no play when it was in battery. The problem was that the ONLY writing on it was the "Colts Patent" on the left side of the receiver. There were no serial numbers, no patent numbers, and no other script or numbers that I could see. A good cleaning might have brought out a makers mark. From what I know about black powder arms, it looked like an old working repro. It had a small frame and looked to be about .32 calibre, though it had a longer barrel than the pocket pistols. It looked like a scaled down .36 Colt Navy. The Stevens was the "Favourite" model, a single shot falling block and also needed a good cleaning, but it was actually in pretty good shape once you got past the dirt and dust bunnies. The guy was asking a grand for the 2 fire arms, but was seriously bummed when I told him the Colt was probably a repro. If I had to tell him what a fair market value would be, what would you say? He really needs the cash and I'd love to be able to help him out, if not buying the arms myself, but at least letting him know a fair value for the two pieces.
In my area the Stevens .32 wouldn't bring over $200 even in really good shape. Ammo is hard to find and reworking to centerfire isn't worth it for most. If the "Colt" is a repro value is only $100-$200 as you seem to imply a fair bit of wear on the pistol. If original it may be a model 1849 .31 calibre which was a big seller for Colt and did come in a six inch barrel.
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Friend, you really need to get a book so you can identify precisely what the guy has.
As to modern repros, they ALL were made in Belgium or Italy, some in Spain, ALL countries with pretty stringent Proof laws. Anything made in either country WILL bear Proof marks.
The USA has NO Proof law, never has had one; manufacturers Proof their own products and that is the way it always has been. The ABSENCE of Proof marks would suggest strongly that this is an American-made gun and very likely n original, being that Turner Kirkland had his new guns made originally in Belgium, as did Navy Arms...... and these were the earliest MODERN repro guns made. I have a Navy Arms "1960 Colt" revolver and it is well-marked with modern Belgian proof-marks.
You REALLY need a book!
Hope this is some help.
As to modern repros, they ALL were made in Belgium or Italy, some in Spain, ALL countries with pretty stringent Proof laws. Anything made in either country WILL bear Proof marks.
The USA has NO Proof law, never has had one; manufacturers Proof their own products and that is the way it always has been. The ABSENCE of Proof marks would suggest strongly that this is an American-made gun and very likely n original, being that Turner Kirkland had his new guns made originally in Belgium, as did Navy Arms...... and these were the earliest MODERN repro guns made. I have a Navy Arms "1960 Colt" revolver and it is well-marked with modern Belgian proof-marks.
You REALLY need a book!
Hope this is some help.
Never heard of Colt repro,s having "Colt's Patent" stamped on the frame but most Colt's had lots of other markings on them..could be a "Lunch box" gun made from Colt parts by factory workers.
I would really like to see some pictures.
I would really like to see some pictures.
That's an eminently optimistic view of it.
Put together from gathered parts in someone's home shop, using what could be found in various bins at gun shows, would be a safer bet than something being smuggled out of a gun plant, even in the days when, for all intents and purposes, no-one cared much if you had guns. A LOT of stuff traveled up from the US, where black powder repros still are not 'guns', over the years, when you could buy ready to assemble kits from a huge variety of sources and build them yourself, finish them as you saw fit, and get on with your life when you got tired of them.
I'd lay better odds that this revolver may have started life as one such. How it came to Canada, I'll not leave to conjecture, but you used to be able to buy the kits here too.
Really, without clear pictures, up close and showing enough detail to make some educated guesses, it is unlike to be solved here, eh?
Cheers
Trev
The marking "Colt's Patent" would indicate that the patents mentioned were still in force, hence the tip of the hat to them.
Problem is that most of those patents expired 150 years ago.
I think what is more likely would be a licensed copy from the period round the Civil War, when things were awfully tight. Colt's DID have that big fire, remember, REALLY put a dent in production for a while.
Research is necessary.
And that means that without PHOTOS, we are all running around blindfolded, hitting at the same pinata.... which might be a wasps' nest.
Problem is that most of those patents expired 150 years ago.
I think what is more likely would be a licensed copy from the period round the Civil War, when things were awfully tight. Colt's DID have that big fire, remember, REALLY put a dent in production for a while.
Research is necessary.
And that means that without PHOTOS, we are all running around blindfolded, hitting at the same pinata.... which might be a wasps' nest.
