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colt revolver question

Robin
A co-worker brought in his wife's revolver this morning and asked about its value. It is in its original box, albeit worn, complete with the JC Penney price tax of $79.50. The revolver is a Colt Detective Special, 38 Special with a 2" barrel. It has the silver raging stallion emblems on checked wooden stocks and a light strike of a raging stallion near the cylinder release. It is obvious that this revolver spent its life in the box. There are flecks of rust here and there on the frame and on the barrel near the sight. Only a minor amount on the cylinder. There is no evident turn line. Sorry, I am not able to post a picture The serial number is 96442x. Can someone provide a range of value for the revolver and the DOM? Thanks for your help
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Comments

4 comments

Date Votes
  • Robin
    What was the model number of a Colt that would fire Long Colt, rimmed .45 and ACP. I have read that the rimmed .45 can be fired in the Long Colt revolvers will the length of the cylinder cause the accuracy of the weapon to be poor.


    Emmett
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  • rufe-snow
    1968 would be the DOM. As I see it the rust spots are the most important thing affecting value. If it's just surface rust it can be removed easily with just "freckling" to the blue at most. If the rust on the other hand is deep and has pitted the metal to any extant under it? The cosmetics of the Colt would be very negatively affective, putting it in the "shooter" category, i.e. little or no collector value.
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  • mrs102
    Just to add a bit to rufe's comments. That is a 2nd issue model (there were three issued models). The raging stallion is correctly known as the "Rampant Colt", a registered Colt trademark.

    If you go into the smart search on the auction side of this website you can do a search for "completed auctions", Detecive Special and determine what prices have been realized on Detective Specials. You'd have to check the descriptions and photos to try to find one of similar condition and 2nd issue. The other option is to find a price guide and get a general idea of the value.
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  • JudgeColt
    Every time I see a reference to an "issue" of the Colt Detective Special, it elevates my blood pressure. That term is not used in the Colt collector community so it did not originate there. The "issue" issue appears to be the fault of the always unreliable "Blue Book."

    Here is the reason why "issue" as used by the "Blue Book" is so misleading and should not be used. The Detective Special was introduced in 1927 as a variation of the Police Positive Special. These early guns had a square butt. For the sake of illustration only, I would call these guns "First Issue." In 1933, the butt was changed to what Colt calls "round butt," which would be "Second Issue." After World War II, the front sight was changed from round to ramped, which I would call "Third Issue." These early Post-War guns had plastic stocks, which were changed to wood in the mid-1950s. I do not consider the stock material as another "Issue," but some might. In 1966, the butt frame was shortened, which is "Fourth Issue." In 1972, the shrouded barrel was introduced, which I count as "Fifth Issue." In 1984, Colt introduced a "discount" version of the Detective Special with matte finish called the Commando. Some might consider that another "issue" of the Detective Special. I do not because the Detective Special remained in production during that time. The Detective Special and Commando were discontinued for 1987. Colt redesigned the lockwork in 1995 and introduced the SF-IV, which could be called the "Sixth Issue." It was replaced by the DS-II in 1997, which could be called the "Seventh Issue." The DS-II was discontinued after 1998. The Magnum Carry was introduced in 1999 and could be called the "Eighth Issue." The Magnum Carry was discontinued in 1999, along with all other Colt double-action revolvers except the Python, which has now been discontinued as well.

    It seems to me the best way to identify a Colt Detective Special is either by year or period of manufacture and/or by features (such as Pre-War Square Butt, Post-1965 -- Pre-1972, abbreviated butt and unshrouded ejector rod, etc.). As I have tried to illustrate, there are a lot more "issues" than the "Blue Book" recognizes. I think it is therefore best to avoid the "issue" issue!
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