What's the value of a 1955 Chief's Special?

[Nic_58]

I have a friend who inherited a 1955 Chief's Special revolver and he says it looks like new and is in the original box, no rust, dings or sratches.  He says if it has been shot, it has been very little.  He knows nothing about handguns and I know very little.  He wants to know what the value of this gun is if he were to sell it because he has no use for it and is not interested in guns.  Thanks for any help! 

[Davemuzz]

I would check the gun auction sites like Gunbroker.com and Auctionarms.com to see if any are selling on those sites. Remember.....check the "sold" listings and not just the "for sale" listings. You can ask a million dollars for a gun.....it doesn't mean your going to get a buyer for that much.

Dave

[pastorp]

NIC_58, I would say in the $500-600 range, in the condition you describe. The economy is slow and guns are not selling very fast but desirable pieces will still sell if you are patient. Regards, Byron

[torpedoman]

Be a bud and offer him a 100 bucks for it.

[federali]

I'm not sure that a 1955 vintage Chief's Special would have significant collector value compared to one manufactured more recently. If anything, older Chief Special probably must be limited to standard velocity ammo while newer ones can digest +P ammo but not on a regular basis.

[pastorp]

federali, pre-58 S&Ws have no model number stamped on them and are very desirable in mint condition, or close to that, to collectors.

For a carry gun I would agree with you. Just depends if you are a user or collector. Regards, Byron

[jro45]

Tell him to get a gun Value book and look it up. My GVB says it Nib $295, EX $230, GD$ 155 These are Blued Values.

[pastorp]

I buy a new blue book of gun values every year, and they are a great guide, but gun prices varry regionally and certain models will bring more or less than the blue book says. On S&Ws especially the older models blue book prices are not always what the market will bring. If you watch the auctions and see what prices guns are bringing in the real world and keep tabs on the 2 S&W forums classifieds you will get a better idea what diferent models will bring. Regards, Byron

[jro45]

I think the Gun Value Book just gives something around the guns value. It could be more
or it could be less.

[rio grande]

Tell him to get a gun Value book and look it up. My GVB says it Nib $295, EX $230, GD$ 155 These are Blued Values.

This is a good example of why those books are useless.
$155 in good condition, a 1955 flat-latch m36???
More like a minimum of $275 - and you'd be lucky to get one for that at any gun shop or gun show.
New in Box $295?  LOL, that's a $500 revolver.

[torpedoman]

it is worth whatever the market will bear at the moment and that will vary wildy as you can see from the replies. Too a collector who needs that pistol for his collection maybe 700- 750 to someone looking for a carry piece 175- 250.

[rio grande]

it is worth whatever the market will bear at the moment and that will vary wildy as you can see from the replies. Too a collector who needs that pistol for his collection maybe 700- 750 to someone looking for a carry piece 175- 250.

Good point, the prices can be quite variable.  Even the same person can estimate the value differently in a just a few seconds - a dealer will look at it and tell you it's worth $150, then after he pays you for it, it magically transforms into a $600 piece!

[madcratebuilder]

Tell him to get a gun Value book and look it up. My GVB says it Nib $295, EX $230, GD$ 155 These are Blued Values.

This is a good example of why those books are useless.
$155 in good condition, a 1955 flat-latch m36???
More like a minimum of $275 - and you'd be lucky to get one for that at any gun shop or gun show.
New in Box $295?  LOL, that's a $500 revolver.

+1
That M36 around here would have asking price of 5-600 bucks, easy.  Even M10's at 90% are bringing $400.  Prices have gone nuts.

[Brett]

One way to get some idea of value is to check the various auction sites to see what guns like yours have sold for recently.