I'd like to know where those $450 to $500 Diamondbacks have been hiding . . 4" Diamondbacks in 98% condition have collector status and will find a market, in Canada, for upwards of $950. . 22 LR are worth more than 38 spl. by 10 to 20 %. Find a nickel one in 98% + condition, and you just hit a home run.
Colt built the Diamondback on their "D Frame" (Det. Spec, Police Positive) with the vented barrel machined on the Python line. . If memory serves me correctly they were made from 1966 to 1986. .
A decent Detective Spec or Police Positive, both 12-6, will fetch $450 to $500. . A 4" 38 spl. Diamondback, in 98% condition, will reach out to $900 to $950 as there's still plenty of 12-6 gunowners around. .
I looked for quite a spell to find DB's in 22 LR and a twin in 38 spl. . . Diamondbacks with the correct stocks in 98% condition are certainly not falling out of the trees on a windy day.