Value guide
What is my Colt worth?
Colt is the name where the gap between what people expect and what a gun is actually worth runs in both directions. Some Colts are worth several times what a family assumes; some are worth a lot less than the internet suggested. Almost all of that turns on when it was made and whether it has been touched.
No page can price your gun, and any page that offers to is guessing. What this one does is show you the things that decide the number, so you can look at what you have and know whether you’re holding something ordinary or something worth a proper look.
When it was made, and whether the finish is the one it left with
Colt's revolvers are divided sharply by period, and the divisions are well established: pre-war and post-war on the older guns, and the various generations of the Single Action Army. On the double-action revolvers, original factory finish is close to everything. A refinished Colt — even a beautifully refinished one — is worth a fraction of the same gun with honest original bluing, and this catches people out constantly, because the refinished gun looks better.
The models that turn up, and what they mean
| Model | Made | What it means for value |
|---|---|---|
| Python | 1955–2005, revived 2020 | The one everybody has heard of. Original-condition older production is a serious gun; condition and finish drive the number hard. |
| Single Action Army | 1873–present, in generations | Which generation it’s changes everything. First-generation guns are a different market from later ones. |
| Government Model / 1911 | 1911–present | Military and commercial production, across a century. Markings and period are what matter, and both are easy to misread. |
| Detective Special / Cobra | 1927–1990s | Small-frame revolvers, very common in estates, and much better in original finish than most people assume. |
| Officer's Model / Officers Model Match | 1904–1970s | Target revolvers that turn up looking plain and are often worth far more than they appear. |
| Woodsman | 1915–1977 | A .22 pistol in three series. Often written off as 'just a .22' and often should not be. |
What to check before anybody makes you an offer
- Whether the finish is original. Sharp edges, crisp markings and even wear suggest it is; a uniform glossy blue with softened lettering suggests it isn’t.
- The serial number and any letter prefix or suffix, which places the gun in a period.
- Whether the grips are the ones it left the factory with, and whether the box and papers survived.
- On revolvers, whether the cylinder locks up tightly and whether the action has been worked on.
And the two rules that apply to every gun on this page:don’t clean it, and keep the box and papers. Removing original finish is permanent, and on the right gun the packaging is a real fraction of the total.
"I had it re-blued so it would be worth more"
This is the single most expensive mistake made with Colts, and it’s made with the best of intentions. Refinishing removes original factory finish, and original factory finish is a large part of what a collector is paying for. If a Colt in your family has honest wear, that wear is worth more than a new finish. Do nothing to it.
Is a Colt with box and papers really worth more?
On a collectible Colt, materially — the box, the papers, the hang tag and any factory letter can be a substantial part of the total. On an ordinary working revolver it makes much less difference. Either way, never throw them out before someone has looked.
Model by model
- What is my Colt Python worth? (1955–2005, revived 2020)
- What is my Colt Single Action Army worth? (1873–present)
- What is my Colt 1911 and Government Model worth? (1911–present)
Getting an actual number
Condition, originality and configuration decide it, and none of the three can be judged from a description. Send photos and we’ll make you an offer, wherever you are in the country. It comes itemized, showing what we’ll pay for each firearm, so you can see how the number is built instead of being handed one figure for the pile.
Related: what determines value on any gun ·how to sell a collection ·you inherited firearms
Worth reading alongside this
Police trade-in guns — department markings and what they do to the value. Engraved guns — factory grade or added later, and why the difference is most of the money. What determines value on any firearm.
Other makers
Winchester, Remington, Smith & Wesson, Marlin, Browning, Ruger, military surplus rifles, Glock, Beretta, Intratec, Savage, Mossberg, Ithaca, Walther and SIG Sauer.