caliber that’s not made any more. They don’t even produce the ammunition in the United States now, and if you want to fire one of the old .41s, you have to build the ammo yourself. I know of some guys who load the .41 for cowboy action shooting, but it’s still an obsolete caliber. I just kind of like it and want to try to collect one of every model Colt produced in that caliber. Some of them are quite rare, too, and then you had the .41 rimfire and the .41 Long, but Colt didn’t offer a .41 Long after about 1923. So the history goes back quite a long way for me. And no, they never made a semi-auto in .41 caliber.
RS: You make collecting firearms sound like a pretty fascinating hobby.
Ed: Well, that is what it is for me, because it connects me to a fascination with the cowboy era. Along with that is the Single Action Army revolver and whatever, Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane and Buffalo Bill Cody, but everyone goes their own way for whatever personal reason.
I’ve collected many things over the years just because I was interested in them, and then got rid of them. But the .41s … I just kind of stayed with them.
So I would say that if you are going to collect anything, you first ought to go out and buy some books on the subject and read them. Now there aren’t going to be books on every possible Colt gun that you can collect, but there are some that will kind of help you along. One of them is the book Colt: An American Legend by R.L. Wilson that covers just about every gun Colt made up until the mid 1980s, and it’s a good book. But then again, if you were going to specialize in collecting the ’49 Pocket or the ‘51 Navy, you’d want to try to find a book specifically on them.
You know, just the accoutrements of black powder, they have a book on that and some people just collect that sort of thing. So it just depends on where your interest lies and finding the book on that. Of course they’re always writing new books and one of them may be in an interest you like. And if there isn’t a book in the particular area you want, you need to belong to the Colt Collector’s Association and get to know the people who have been doing this for a really long time and they will kind of help you out and help you get started with some ideas about what you should do and what you should look out for.
I think collecting should always be … you should always buy the best your money can afford. Buy low end if that is all you can afford, but buy authentic. The older guns are only going to increase in value if you take care of them. Eventually you’ll move out of the low end, maybe after buying two or three, and be able to trade up to a more valuable gun.
RS: Is there a certification process for gun appraisers? Even a voluntary system through the CCA, for instance?
Ed: No, there’s no certification. I know there are a lot of good people out there who can give you a rough idea on almost any gun, but there really are a few people in any particular field who are specialists and can give you a evaluation of what a particular gun is worth.
You take John Kopec [phone 532-222-4440; “U.S. Cavalry and Artillery Authentication Service”] who does letters on Single Action Army military guns – well, people like his letters because he wrote the book and he is constantly studying this gun. People like to be able to say, “Kopec said there was nothing wrong with this gun or to watch for such and such ….” Because most of the military guns have gone up in value quite drastically, you want to make sure that what you bought, or are just thinking about buying, is authentic and not something put together. Kopec wrote the book on the Single Action Army military guns2 and there isn’t anyone out there who is a lot more knowledgeable about the subject than him.
Now, there are many other guys out there who are specialists in particular types of guns like the percussion Dragoons. You can find these fellows. You just have to hunt for them on line and through the Colt Collector’s Association. The CCA is a good source if you are even considering buying an old gun, unless you are buying from an auction house and the auction house would supply its own certificate of authenticity and then stand behind it. Most auction houses will and do. I won’t say that all of them do (stand behind or guarantee the authenticity of the product they sell), but generally, if an auction house says that something is genuine or real, they mean it that way. And nowadays, a lot of people are going to auctions to buy.
RS: Is there one best way to buy a collectible gun, a way that is better than others?
Ed: No, but if you are an up and coming collector, you need to find somebody that you can trust and then buy through him for a while and let him help you work your way up the ladder. That way, when you are ready to get out there on your own, you won’t get stuck. There are bad guns out there, fakes, guns that have been put together from parts or with new parts or whatnot. So you do have to be careful.
RS: It sounds a lot like stamp collecting, just involving a little more money.
Ed: Yes, I’d say so. Sometimes you reach out there and think you’re getting a real good deal and then discover that it wasn’t a good deal at all. And you need to be careful of that. I guess that one sour experience can make you cautious, but most of the time the collectors in this field are pretty honest guys who got into it because they love it and making money on it comes round about the fun they have.
RS: Ed, thank you very much for sharing all this with us and I look forward to meeting you at a Colt Collector’s Association gathering one of these years.
INTERVIEW NOTES
1. The Colt-Burgess Lever Action Rifle was brought to Colt by gun designer Andrew Burgess and was produced from 1883 to 1885. It was Colt’s only attempt to compete with Winchester for the lever action rifle market. It is said that when Winchester started to produce revolving handguns for prospective marketing, Colt dropped the Burgess from its line. The rifle is chambered for .44-40 and has a 25.5 inch barrel with a 15-shot tubular magazine. The Carbine version has a 20.5 inch barrel and a 12 shot magazine. The finish is blued, with a case colored hammer and lever while the stock is walnut with an oil finish. The Colt Hartford address is on the barrel, and “Burgess Patents” is stamped on the bottom of the lever. A total of 3,775 rifles were manufactured: 1,219 with round barrels and 2,556 with octagonal barrels. There were also 2,593 carbines. In “Good” condition with an octagonal or a round barrel, one would expect to pay at least $3,500.
2. With Ron Graham and Kenneth Moore, John Kopec authored “A Study of the Colt Single Action Army Revolver” and printed it privately in 1976. Although it is no longer in print, copies still come available from time to time from Colt enthusiasts and this handbook has itself become collectible.
GUN RATING SYSTEMS
Accurately describing a gun’s condition is critical when one evaluates a firearm, because from that evaluation, one will estimate the gun’s value. Differences in condition can easily cut the value of a collectible gun in half, or double it. Terms used to evaluate firearms condition have specific meanings.
In the opinion of the editor, all grading systems are subjective. It is my task to offer the collector and dealer a measurement that most closely reflects a general consensus on condition. The system used here seems to come closest to describing a firearm in universal terms. I strongly recommend that the reader acquaint himself with this grading system before attempting to determine the correct price for a particular firearm’s condition. Remember, in most cases condition determines price.
NIB —NEW IN BOX
This category can sometimes be misleading. It means that the firearm is in its original factory carton with all of the appropriate papers. It also means the firearm is new; that it has not been fired and has no wear. This classification brings a substantial premium for both the collector and shooter.
EXCELLENT
Collector quality firearms in this condition are highly desirable. The firearm must be in at least 98 percent condition with respect to blue wear, stock or grip finish, and bore. The firearm must also be in 100 percent original factory condition without refinishing,