Just one of Elmer Keith's S&Ws for sale...

[oregon45]

He's going to pass into the "who was he" category.

Along with almost every gun writer of that era. How many young shooters know who Jack O'Connor was? When he passed his obituary appeared in the New York Times; today, you rarely read his name unless a writer needs an extra 50-words for a blog-post on the .270 Winchester.

[Scal]

There’s a really significant premium for P.O. Ackley made barrels and rifles in the single shot rifle community, so I imagine that this kind of stuff is not likely to lose a ton of value over time.

I’m also not sure if that’s necessarily the best example, as I am significantly younger than most of the other enthusiasts of this type of gun, and I’m 40.

[RevolverRob]

I'm not in the market for this type of S&W, but I think the price is about 2x too high. It is worth a substantial amount of money--likely $3,000 for the gun, grips and box alone with no special provenance beyond the factory letter. The grips, if verified as to maker, could easily be worth $6-800 on their own. With the provenance, documentation, and Keith-memorobilia this particular gun would be a great candidate to sell for around $6-8000.

6-8k? No, that's too low. Think of it this way - Registered Magnums are now $6-8,000 without any kind of provenance. This is the gun that was used to determine if the N-Frame could handle high-pressure proof loads. It's the pre-Registered Magnum test-bed. That alone makes it one of a kind with respect to Smith & Wesson history.

I agree it's too high at 20-23k, but I could see this gun selling for 12-15k without an issue. If this was listed for $8,000 you'd be an absolute fool to not run out and buy it.

[358156hp]

No, no, thanks. I wanted to buy Elmers revolver, not his house...

[okie john]

I agree it's too high at 20-23k, but I could see this gun selling for 12-15k without an issue. If this was listed for $8,000 you'd be an absolute fool to not run out and buy it.

Caliber is the issue. One of Keith’s 44s would be a different story.


Okie John

[358156hp]

Caliber is the issue. One of Keith’s 44s would be a different story.


Okie John

It could be the one he developed the 358429 bullet in...

Elmer also had a reputation of buying, selling, and swapping guns. With the passing of Ted Keith, there's probably nobody left who can tell how long Elmer had any of his plainer grade guns.

[SecondsCount]

A gun like that is an investment and I'm thinking that it has peaked in value as the market seems to be getting smaller and smaller.

It is still a very cool piece of history.

[Poconnor]

I think the market for many collectibles will shrink as the boomers age. Let’s face it. We often spend too much for something we wanted years ago but couldn’t afford. But rich people will keep paying too much for cool stuff so who knows.

[Borderland]

Along with almost every gun writer of that era. How many young shooters know who Jack O'Connor was? When he passed his obituary appeared in the New York Times; today, you rarely read his name unless a writer needs an extra 50-words for a blog-post on the .270 Winchester.

I have a bunch of his books. Jack O was a pretty good writer. I believe he was a journalism professor at U of A and actually could write.

Elmer, eh, not so much. Kind of a blow hard.

I could buy a new Honda Civic for that price.

[358156hp]

I think the market for many collectibles will shrink as the boomers age. Let’s face it. We often spend too much for something we wanted years ago but couldn’t afford. But rich people will keep paying too much for cool stuff so who knows.

I dunno, Skeeter Skeltons books are still climbing in value. Holy Smoke!