New to gun collecting question
I am new to gun collecting but want to collect pre-1900 colt revolvers. What do you suggest is the best way to learn about the ins and outs of gun collecting?
I collect coins and understand how that works but collection guns are a little scary as I'm afraid of buying fakes or paying too much not knowing what I'm doing.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
I collect coins and understand how that works but collection guns are a little scary as I'm afraid of buying fakes or paying too much not knowing what I'm doing.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
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Best investment is books, you will be amazed at how few original guns are out there. Go to gun shows and look at what you are going to buy. I have purchased many guns in the beginning that were not what I thought they were until I purchased a book and studied them. It is the same with coins, you will see the different variations when you study them. 0 -
Unless your related to Bill Gates you might consider something other then antique Colts. They have been a hotbed of collecting since the 40's, when our guys came back from the war. The very top quality collectors items are either in museums, or private collections that get put on the market once in a blue moon. Unless you have a bottomless checking account it would be very difficult to compete for these guns. 0 -
If you find a "one of a kind" check on places like this first, many of them may not be what they are being sold as and these guys are good at looking them over. 0 -
I agree with Floyd58523. Knowledge is power in gun collecting. Some very good reference books will be expensive but they will save you some very expensive lessons. I suggest you narrow your collecting to one model or type of pistol. Pre-1900 Colts covers a lot of models. There are many misrepresented guns as to originality and finish. Many owners are honestly mistaken about what they have. As in all things, there are shysters out there. Go to gun shows and museums and learn to recognize original finish. Also you should learn how to recognize evidence of refinishing. In general I suggest you buy fewer but better examples. 0 -
Good advice. I collect Stevens Single Shot Rifles and have accumulated a large reference library. Books, magazine articles, anything to help know what I am doing. Get to know other collectors. Most will gladly help edecuate you. Be careful. Lots of faked Colts out there. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Herschel
I agree with Floyd58523. Knowledge is power in gun collecting. Some very good reference books will be expensive but they will save you some very expensive lessons. I suggest you narrow your collecting to one model or type of pistol. Pre-1900 Colts covers a lot of models. There are many misrepresented guns as to originality and finish. Many owners are honestly mistaken about what they have. As in all things, there are shysters out there. Go to gun shows and museums and learn to recognize original finish. Also you should learn how to recognize evidence of refinishing. In general I suggest you buy fewer but better examples.
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I started collecting in what I thought would be a fairly narrow area (only pre-war S&W M&P's that were also only police or militarily-used and marked guns), and I nearly went blind with just the Canadian ones.
Make a real acquaintance with the factory finishes. Different techniques were used by even the same factories at different times. A refinish should jump out at you, and it is true that a lot of sellers don't know what a particular gun should look like.
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Toned1,
The best things you can do...
1.) Acquire a lot of reference books, written by a well known source. Don't rely on the blue book.
2.) Use this forum frequently. There is an extremely stout knowledge base, here, that covers EVERYTHING guns. That includes specialty area's like collectable Colt's and Winchester's(If there is anything better than collecting Colt's, or Winchester's, it is collecting both. They both beat the crap out of the stock markets).
3.) Ask lots of questions before you buy. Not only to the seller, but to this forum. Get lots of pictures of the item involved, and post on here. If the seller is shy about that, then shy away from it, as it is most likely not what they claim it is, and they are nervous about it's faults being recognized on here.
4.) Don't buy restorations. They look very pretty, but in collecting of guns, originality, and high graded condition are what makes them collectable.
5.) Make sure your refference material has lots of information, and PICTURES to teach you how to condition grade. Once again, ask lots of questions.
You are headed in the right direction, and if I were you, I would also look up a Colt forum or three.
Best
EDIT 1
quote:In my opinion collectors get picky as they get older
Hey, Hey now...who are you calling older??????? hehehehe[:D]0 -
When you first start for every dollar spent on a Firearm spend TWO on good Reference Books on that same type of firearm . Look at what was a classic gun 25 years ago. The most money spent by collectors are on items their fathers wanted or had as they were growing up . In my opinion collectors get picky as they get older and for the most part slow down or stop buying when they turn 70 thus fewer and fewer collectors of OLDER Items.
EDIT Hey Hey I am not getting older I.R. OLDER 70 [:I][^][:)] but pushing grass down still beats pushing it up [xx(][:0]. I only set up at gunshows twice a year . It has to be a really NICE item for me to sell to someone over 65. I feel the age group with both the most expendable income and spending money that buy Collector grade firearms are between 50 and 60 years old.0 -
The best $40 you can spend (less if you find a used copy) is on "Flayderman's Guide to Antique American Firearms and Their values, 9th Edition"
The chapter on Colt's is 50+ pages, but don't just look at the pictures and prices! READ and ABSORB his introductory chapters and sub-chapters, such as "Values and Condition", Restoration and Fakes", "Factors Determining Value", "Aging and Patina", "Reproductions", "Refinishing", and on and on.
It also has an excellent bibliography chapter on collecting in general, as well as a bibliography specific to Colt's.
Flayderman's Guide will make you a collector instead of a gatherer [:)]
Johnny
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Toned1....thanks for your question and thanks for coming to GBF for your questions. First, you have come to the right place for your gun questions/answers/ Second, you have chosen a wonderful field for collecting but as Rufe points out, a very expensive field. Third, study, study and more study. Books are great, the internet is your friend, and best of all, seek out some folks who have some real knowledge of Colts and pick their collective minds. Go to some gunshops and see what knowledge resides there. But as Rufe says, most of the good Colts are locked up somewhere althought more and more collections are coming to market as guys kick the bucket and families want to part with the collections. So, study auction houses like Rock Island and others who have nice catalogs and perhaps even go to some of the auctions to get feel for prices, quality and such. But, again, like coins, study is the best policy and you cannot do enough of it. But remember that the field that you have chosen requires a rather deep pocketbook....but Colts like good Winchesters do nothing but go up in value. Good luck[:)] 0 -
Don't even trust catalog descriptions of the big auction houses, they make mistakes too. See the gun in person before bidding. The less valuable items often only get a cursory examination, as compared to the big ticket items, by their experts. That said, one can learn a lot by attending the previews, compairng guns to their descriptions, and talking with other potential buyers. 0
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