Colt Commander LW 9mm pre series 70 value?

[Jarsenal]

Found at a gunshow a Colt Commander LW (suffix not prefix) 9mm pre series 70. Appeared to be original (not sure about the grips). Slide was original blue, dull top, polished flats, some visible wear and scratches,no serious gouges. The frame is the lightweight aluminum, was originally anodized I believe, but has been stripped and polished, also with a fair amount of scratches, not so deep that they couldn't be repolished out. The dealers book showed the serial number to be produced somewhere around mid '51. The grips appeared to be a fairly good condition ivory with gold Colt medallions. Small parts also appear stock, worn looking solid trigger with curved face, spur hammer, small straight grip safety, normal (not extended) safety and slide release.

We were able to locate it in the current value book, it showed $750 at 95%, $650 at 90%, and so on. Grading is subjective, but if I had owned it, probably would have put it at the 85-90 range. Would most of you consider these values fairly close for an actual sale? How much would the removal of the anodizing affect the value? And last, if I were to buy this gun, would the value hold better if I leave it as-is, or would it be better to upgrade it, such as refinish, update hammer, grip safety, trigger, mag and slide release, etc.?

Sorry for the length of the post. Never purchased a gun of this vintage or done an upgrade of this type. Most of my guns are current production. Thanks for you help.

Regards,
Jason

 

[Jim Watson]

Well, if the frame anodizing has been removed, that makes it about 50% ORIGINAL finish at most. Plus loss of a real wear surface protection. It was a common thing at one time, a cheap way to get the two-tone effect on a gun to be carried more than shot.

I have a Commander with spur hammer but it did not come from Colt that way and I doubt yours did.

All that knocks any "collector value" in the head. So if you can get it cheaply, you can do anything you want to without fear of destroying history.

On the other hand, a pair of real elephant tooth ivory Colt medallion grips is worth a tidy sum.

IF available at a price reasonable to YOU and IF you have a clear idea of what you want to do with it, go for it. But if the price is high for a Bubbagun and you do not have definite plans, save your money.

 

[Lurch37]

Percentages are based on a original stock gun, and as this one has been refinished, parts added and removed this number goes way down. Still the fact that its a LW and also a 9mm adds some to its value. As it has already once been refinished, doing again to your liking will not detract much from its value. As Jim said those grips could be worth some serious money, and if you don't want them, the money from selling them could go towards a refinish.

Obviously not a collectable gun, but it would no doubt make a fine shooter or carry weapon.

 

[Jarsenal]

colt

thanks for the replies. Pretty much what I thought on the finish, just wasn't sure about the slide, as it seems to be original finish.

Everybody has said if I could get a good deal, or cheaply, or reasonably. I know you can't put an actual value there, but what would be reasonable to you for yourself on a gun fitting this description? Would appreciate some numbers.

Does condition apply only to the original finish (50% with stripped?) or the overall condition of the gun?

thanks again,
Jason

 

[Jim Watson]

Without putting a dollar value on it, because I don't know how prices in general are in your area; I can say that if I could buy the gun and get it like I wanted it for the price of a new gun, I'd rather have the old timer fixed up than a current model with firing pin obstruction and other mutations to the basic design.

I admired a pristine 9mm Commander at a gun show a while back. I was reaching for my money with one hand and the nippers to get the auditorium safety tie off with the other. When I got the slide back and saw that the frame ramp had been gone over with something like a rattail file, I quickly put my money up and the gun down. I offered the guy half his asking price to cover the cost of an EGW ramp insert and the loss of value to the otherwise new looking gun, but he declined. Probably found a sucker later that day.

 

[Lurch37]

The condition factor is sometimes hard to discern...as in you might have a gun straight from a restorer that looks to be 99-100 percent. The trouble lies in the fact that it has been restored to its present condition. Most people will buy a 70-80 percent gun in "original" condition than one that has been restored, customized, reblued, etc.. Granted I speak mainly from a collector standpoint, and if I were to be buying for a shooter only, and not worried about collector value then anything goes.

It sounds as if your not too worried as to the collector value and simply admire the older gun and want to make it a shooter. In that case, and without the aid of pics and going off your description, I would have to price the thing out around 300-400...and thats a big maybe, cause its so hard to say with out holding the thing.

For my latest example, I bought a stock Colt LW 38 super about 2-3 years ago at a Gun Show...it was in what I judged to be 95-96 percent and all correct, I paid $675.00.