Colt Revolvers & Holster
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GUEST:
My great-grandpa was a sheriff in Montrose County, Colorado, end of last century, and this was one of his handguns, and then, that one is his wife's, my great-grandma's weapon.
APPRAISER:
Oh, really? And this is a picture of them here in the book?
GUEST:
Yeah, this tall drink of water here with the moustache is my great-grandpa.
APPRAISER:
And he was an actual sheriff.
GUEST:
He was the sheriff for a few years until his wife made him quit because it was dangerous.
APPRAISER:
Okay. (laughs) I noticed the holster is marked "Montrose, Colorado." Did you ever have them appraised, the guns?
GUEST:
We had a guy look at them several years ago, and he said they were in the $1,000 to $2,000 range for the weapons.
APPRAISER:
The Colt single action there in front of you, it's .38, .40 caliber, a 4.75-inch barrel, and the retail price on it is about $3,500. Then we'll go to this, which is a Colt Model 1877 double-action revolver, and .41-caliber. And they refer to the .41-caliber as the "Thunder" and the .38-caliber as the "Lightning." The interesting thing about this is it's factory engraved, at Colt by Helfricht. He was a master engraver and it's not just engraved, like a lot of them, it's what they call "C" engraving, which is the best engraving coverage-wise. It goes clear out the end of the barrel, there's lots of fancy designs, it's got pearl grips, and it's got the matching Western gunbelt and holster with it. The single-action was made in the teens, 1900. This double-action revolver was made in 1889. Because of the special engraving and the coverage and the condition of the nickel finish-- it probably has 97% of the finish remaining-- the retail price on it would be $15,000.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
And the holster is worth about $3,000.
GUEST:
Really?
APPRAISER:
And together, because of the history and the set, it's $20,000.
GUEST:
That's pretty amazing.
Appraisal Details
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.
Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.
Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.
Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.
Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.
