Since
the advent of the remanufacture of Black Powder Revolvers in the
late 1950’s, the interest in these guns as collectable has
increased greatly. The reintroduction of the Colt Black Powder
Revolvers further increased this interest, especially among
already established Colt collectors. There were many manufacturers
of these "replica" revolvers, which opens a new area of
collecting. Originally replica black powder revolvers were
manufactured for the shooting public because of the increasing
value of original guns even in poor condition. It became
prohibitive to continue shooting old original guns from the
standpoint of both value and safety. Thus, the resumption of the
modern production replica black powder revolver came into being.
As with any collectable item the situation which makes it
collectable is an interest in the item and limited availability.
Value escalates as a result of an increasing number of collectors,
which represents a demand, and a limited supply. Long time
firearms collectors can remember the weapons of World War II and
their dramatic appreciation. At the end of WWII the German Luger
could be purchased for $10 and up. With the publishing of Jones'
book, "Luger Variations", the interest escalated very
rapidly. The results of this interest can be seen in the value of
Lugers today. The same was true of the Colt 1911-1911A1 and it’s
variations, and the German P-38 pistol.
There are
several reasons why the replica black powder revolver is gaining
popularity as a collectable item. First, there were several
manufacturers, which made various models of these pistols. Second,
there were several importers who marked their guns as their
product (Navy Arms, Dixie Gun Works, EMF, etc.). These guns, for
the most part, are no longer marked as such which creates a
variation. Third, the numbers of these guns are dwindling
because of attrition from shooting, destruction, etc. The supply
is shrinking as the demand increases. Fourth, at this time
it is financially feasible to collect these guns because their
price is low. A person could build a sizeable collection with a
modest investment. Fifth, at present there are no
restrictions on the sale of black powder revolvers and this will
probably remain so.
As with any new
collectable it starts with a few who do the research as to what is
available and organize these items into a collection. With the
replica black powder revolver there is very little information. A
lot of the manufacturers are gone, along with their records. The
same is true of the importers who marked their guns. When enough
information is acquired as to what the variations are, and a
logical way to organize a collection, then the interest in these
guns will increase dramatically, along with their value.
This Web Site
has been organized to collect and disseminate information about
these pistols. At this point, there is so little information in
print that all comments and suggestions are welcome.
|