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Old Colt Woodsman - What's it Worth?

caldwellj1
Hey guys,

I inherited an old Colt Woodsman from my dad's friend as a graduation gift from The Citadel. Some history about the gun:

The man who gave it to me is the nephew of William Oscar Brice. He says the gun belonged to ol' "Whiskey Bill." He remembers shooting it with him as a kid, and he (the nephew) is in his 70's now. Whiskey Bill is to-date the highest-ranking officer to have served as President of The Citadel, having been a 4-star in the Marine Corps.

It is in PERFECT shape, and the serial number is 180480. ANy ideas on what it's worth? Wanna get it insured soon. Any help is greatly appreciated!

-Justin C.
Charleston, SC
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Comments

10 comments

Date Votes
  • RCrosby
    Justin,
    Congratulations on your graduation, and welcome to the forum.
    Some quality close-up photo's will be needed to really help with value. If original box and papers, or documention of the history are available, those also will help. The latter may, or may not, add significantly to the actual value.
    Sounds like a wonderful gun, and a great piece of Citadel history!
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  • He Dog
    Unless the connection to 'Whiskey Bill' is written, it is meaningless. If it can be documented, then it might add to the value for some collectors interested in or who have at least heard of ol' Bill. There are far more guns verbally attributed to various famous people than most of those people ever saw in their lives. I have seen more old shotguns branded 'Wells Fargo' than Wells Fargo ever owned. Fakes and BS are so common, that without documentation the stories add nothing but color.
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  • 22hipower
    I assume there is a - S after the 180480 serial number. That makes it a third model made in 1957. The third series are generally the least sought after as collector pieces but they, as are all the Woodsmans, are great little pistols. Aside from the "Whiskey Bill" ownership issue, some other factors affecting value are barrel length (4.5 or 6) and whether Match Target or the standard models. If the box and papers are with it that will affect value positively too. Pictures would help determine the value based on condition (likely in the $400 to $700 range) without the provenance factor. As stated in the earlier posts, provenance has to be documented to provide any value. Regardless of the provenance value, it is a great little 22; keep it and enjoy it.
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  • caldwellj1
    First of all,

    Thanks He Dog for the advice - I'll pursue Tom about some documentation. I can assure, however, that he only tells the truth: Uncle Bill inspired him to become a Marine Corps officer himself AND I was there when Tom (the nephew) presented "Uncle Bill's" 1921 Class ring to the Citadel museum.

    Second,

    RCrosby, there is no "S" after the serial number. In fact, there is nothing. Any better idea as when this gun was made, given this info? Pics attached in reply emails...

    -Justin
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  • rufe-snow
    quote:Originally posted by caldwellj1
    First of all,


    RCrosby, there is no "S" after the serial number. In fact, there is nothing. Any better idea as when this gun was made, given this info? Pics attached in reply emails...

    -Justin


    There is a disconnect regarding the SN on your Colt? Best thing would be to provide quality photos of the Colt, specially all the markings.
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  • caldwellj1
    OK so how in the heck do I post photos on here? Tried some emails but they all came back because they just went to the domain of gunbroker.com.
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  • RCrosby
    directions in the sticky near the top of the topic list
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  • perry shooter
    Hello I believe your pistol was made in 1937 and is a Second model It could be a 4 inch barrel or a 6 inch barrel but it may also be a Match target with a 6 inch heavy barrel then the barrel would have a bunch of concentric circles on the left side of a flat area of the barrel that looks like a Bulls-Eye target. Check your email Perry Shooter.
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  • 22hipower
    I took another look at the serial numbers and found the info below. Yours may be one of these First Series guns made up after WWII.

    "Shortly after World War II, from Oct, 1946 to June, 1947 a number of prewar type guns were assembled and shipped. Some were numbered in the 157038 to 159024 range. The rest were assigned a new block of serial numbers beginning at 180000, and continuing to 187423 (with some numbers skipped)."

    Pictures will confirm it. Check this one on the auction site. Does yours look like this? http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=154671945
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  • caldwellj1
    22hipower,

    It looks JUST like that but with a shorter barrel. Thanks so much for all the info guys! BTW put about 250 rounds through it today. Only 1 jam... Probably the cheap Winchester ammo I fed it. Will keep you all posted on what I find out. Thanks again. ALso, anyone insterested in a short video of me putting the rounds through it I will be glad to respond to personal emails. Thanks again,

    Justin
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