Value of a Series 70 Gold Cup

[Great Dane]

First off, let me apologize if this is the wrong forum for this question.

I own a Series 70 Gold Cup. I purchased it I believe in 79 or 1980. At that time I was doing some shooting but not much. Put maybe 300 rounds through it back then and ended up putting it away and not firing again until late last year.

At that time, I decided to go for my CCW license and have since acquired it. I need a carry pistol, but I don't wish to use the Gold Cup for that purpose. Consequently, I am thinking about trading or selling it. Problem is, I don't have any real idea of its realistic market value and would like to have some basis prior to doing anything with it.

The pistol is as stated, a Series 70 Gold Cup National Match in electroless nickel finish. The grips that are on it are the Pachmyer black rubber with the Colt medallion. The factory checkered grips were taken off the day I bought it and have never been on the pistol since. I have them, the original box, manual and all that came with the pistol at that time. The box is labeled as having come from the Colt Custom Shop.

Since I began to shoot again last year, the pistol has an additional 300 rounds through it. I consider it to be in very good condition although an expert's opinion would be certainly more valid than mine. I have photos but frankly don't really know how to post them.

Nothing (other than cleaning and oiling) has been done to the pistol since purchased other than a recoil spring change last November.

I'd appreciate any guidance anybody could offer here.

[lksstbls]

Suggest you check gunbroker.com for similar examples selling in the past few months. You're not going to find too many nice GCNMs in e-nickle finish, however. Assuming that its in nice condition as you describe, and without an awful idiot scratch, my guesstimate would be approximately $1200, with that possibly being a little low. Would love to have it myself, but the stable is a little full. Blued examples with box and paperwork seem to go for $1000-$1200, but the uniqueness of your piece might command a premium. Good luck.

[Great Dane]

I appreciate the quick response. I'll take your advice and see if I can find some comparative examples on gunbroker.com. I have mixed feelings about parting with it, but I'm not a collector and feel the pistol would perhaps be better appreciated by one who is.

[Great Dane]

Photo...

http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss15/greatdane041199/Series70GoldCup2.jpg

[bigshunner]

Wow, that is very nice. Wish I had one!

[lksstbls]

Photo...

http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss15/greatdane041199/Series70GoldCup2.jpg


Very nice and no idiot scratch! I took a quick look on gunbroker and couldn't find anything comparable going back quite a while. Really must be a unique piece and worth a premium to the right buyer--that's the challenge--find him.

[Great Dane]

Thanks, it is a beautiful pistol. I remember at the time I purchased it that the dealer remarked that Colt produced only 900 or something like that. Whether or not that's true, who knows, it's been a while.

Spent a bit of time myself searching for a like model on the web, couldn't find one. My first thought was to trade it out to a dealer, but no doubt they are much like car dealers on trades and wouldn't do myself any favors there.

[Great Dane]

By the way, I noticed when photographing it that the front sight is a bit wiggly, any suggestions as to what I might be able to do about that?

[lksstbls]

Wiggliness on staked front sights is not uncommon. It can be "restaked" or taken out and a new one put in and staked. I would strongly suggest that you take it to a 1911 smith and have him fix it correctly (meaning restoring it to as-new condition). You could do it yourself, but you could also reduce the value of the piece considerably by not doing it correctly and getting it in crooked or whatever. You could mail off the slide to a good 1911 smith for fixing without the hassle of going through the ffl process. You could also enclose some pictures of the whole piece, and maybe get a lead on a buyer.

A dealer, in my experience, would give you about half of the retail value even on a trade. They have to eat too. You could try listing it on one of the on-line auctions and see if there's any interest. I think that's pretty safe for a seller 'cause you can wait till you have the cash in-hand before shipping. I've had good experience as a buyer but others haven't been so lucky.

You can contact Colt and for $100 (I think) they will give you a letter of authenticity which will tell you (and prospective buyers) the history of the piece, how many were made, etc. That might be worthwhile if you're going for a premium price. Good luck.

[Jim Watson]

Leave the wiggly front sight alone.
You are talking about selling the gun on rarity value and it should not be messed with. Let the next guy decide whether to tighten or replace it.