Colorado Centennial value

jimbo1096 · Oct 7, 2016

What would be the value of a 1876/1976 Colorado Centennial 22 lr/mag with the wood box and booklet in 95% or better condition?
Got to decide whether I want to keep or trade so what I do depends on the input on value. Appreciate the replies.

jh

Rumrunner · Oct 7, 2016

A year or so ago I saw a couple that sold for $500.00 or in that ball park.

rugerguy · Oct 7, 2016

sold a mint one two weeks ago, gun ,in the wood case, NO boxes or papers and got $500 for it, have another one, complete, never had the case open, boxes for all, papers, and would be hard pressed to sell it for less than $600 as "new" as it is and complete,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,saw used ones sell for $450, NO boxes (case or box) so they can run the gamut.........

Ruger45 · Oct 8, 2016

Seems to be plenty of them to buy at the 500 mark

GRAMPS 51 · Oct 8, 2016

Hi These never seem to bring what I think they should around here they will sell for $450-$500 I have #114 and #115 I bought as an investment many years ago only opened to check serial numbers I'm surprised they are not bringing more I'm just going to give them to my two sons

Gramps

jimbo1096 · Oct 10, 2016

Thanks for the replies. I would think they would have been a bit higher also. Guess I'll just have to hold on to it for a bit longer. This one doesn't have the ship for the outside box just the wooden presentation box the paperwork and the gun

Ruger45 · Oct 10, 2016

I don't think any of them commemorative type guns ever bring as big of a return as people hope. Something about a gun being made to be collected seems to diversely affect its long term price. Could be that they all want to charge a premium up front so they take longer to catch up and pass what you paid for them.

jpickar · Oct 13, 2016

I have wanted a stainless one since they came out in 1975. I have had the chance several times but I was always short of cash. I do see lots of blued ones.
John

Cholo · Oct 14, 2016

They were only made in '76 in blue with a stainless grip frame. I used to have one.

jpickar · Oct 14, 2016

Cholo said:
They were only made in '76 in blue with a stainless grip frame. I used to have one.

In Colorado they came out in late 1975. But they were Centennial models. I saw a few Colorado Centennial also marked "Made in the 200th year of American Liberty". It was a all stainless model.
John

jimbo1096 · Oct 21, 2016

Haven't seen any of the stainless varieties, but I have heard of some going through with the 200th year markings. I would like one of those. They are a pretty gun with a nice walnut box. I think one of the nicer looking commemoratives Ruger made.

chet15 · Nov 5, 2016

Prices are goofy aren't they?
When the Colorado Centennial came out it had a suggested retail of $250 complete with the nice walnut case.
Ruger's suggested retail today of a regular blued NM Super Single-Six convertible is $629...a price that will probably go up again in a few weeks.
On gunbroker a NIB blued Super Single-Six goes for $435 to $460.
So NIB Colorado Centennials with the Walnut case are a steal at $500 I.M.O.
Chet15

chet15 · Nov 5, 2016

jpickar said:
Cholo said:

They were only made in '76 in blue with a stainless grip frame. I used to have one.

Click to expand...

In Colorado they came out in late 1975. But they were Centennial models. I once saw a Colorado Centennial also marked "Made in the 200th year of American Liberty". It was a all stainless model.
John

If it was an all stainless model, it wasn't a Colorado Centennial. Such an animal wasn't made, not even in prototype form. I know the Ruger exec who was responsible for designing the Colorado Centennial and the stainless grip frame was given to it in the model stage to give it better "aesthetics". Then the decision was made to produce the model in that form.
Chet15

chet15 · Nov 5, 2016

jimbo1096 said:
Haven't seen any of the stainless varieties, but I have heard of some going through with the 200th year markings. I would like one of those. They are a pretty gun with a nice walnut box. I think one of the nicer looking commemoratives Ruger made.

The rumor of the Liberty marked Colorado Centennial has been going since it was mentioned as a possibility by a Ruger exec in the early '80's. To date nobody has actually come up with one. If it was made, it wouldn't be a surprise if a factory employee latched on to them, but for the most part, the entire production of the Colorado Centennial was said to have been produced in 1975 although some are known to have been "shipped" in early 1976.
To have the "MADE IN THE 200th YEAR OF AMERICAN LIBERTY" rollmark, the inscriptions on the barrel would have been very "busy" because you would also have the two-line Sturm, Ruger address on top of the barrel and the Colorado Centennial rollmark on the side of the barrel. That left only two spots for the Liberty rollmark...between those two rollmarks or above the ejector housing.
Such a variation would also be 40 years old now, and not one example has shown up. All things considered, I've often wondered if the Liberty marked Colorado Centennial is more myth than truth.
Chet15

jpickar · Nov 6, 2016

chet15 said:
jimbo1096 said:

Haven't seen any of the stainless varieties, but I have heard of some going through with the 200th year markings. I would like one of those. They are a pretty gun with a nice walnut box. I think one of the nicer looking commemoratives Ruger made.

Click to expand...

The rumor of the Liberty marked Colorado Centennial has been going since it was mentioned as a possibility by a Ruger exec in the early '80's. To date nobody has actually come up with one. If it was made, it wouldn't be a surprise if a factory employee latched on to them, but for the most part, the entire production of the Colorado Centennial was said to have been produced in 1975 although some are known to have been "shipped" in early 1976.
To have the "MADE IN THE 200th YEAR OF AMERICAN LIBERTY" rollmark, the inscriptions on the barrel would have been very "busy" because you would also have the two-line Sturm, Ruger address on top of the barrel and the Colorado Centennial rollmark on the side of the barrel. That left only two spots for the Liberty rollmark...between those two rollmarks or above the ejector housing.
Such a variation would also be 40 years old now, and not one example has shown up. All things considered, I've often wondered if the Liberty marked Colorado Centennial is more myth than truth.
Chet15

Well you have a chance to learn something here. Yes I did see and handle a all stainless Colorado Centennial and I have seen 3 Colorado Centennials with the "made in the 200th year of American
Liberty". I don't care what any Ruger exc. said. I know what I saw and handled.
John

Ruger45 · Nov 6, 2016

Well you have a chance to learn something here. Yes I did see and handle a all stainless Colorado Centennial and I have seen 3 Colorado Centennials with the "made in the 200th year of American
Liberty". I don't care what any Ruger exc. said. I know what I saw and handled.
John[/quote]
If you ever get the chance John get us some photos of them guns. I would love to see them.

jpickar · Nov 6, 2016

I wish I did have some photos of them, but taking pics is forbidden at all the guns shows I go to. And two of the times was back in the 80's when I phones didn't exist, let alone taking cameras to gun shows. And I know that is grounds for saying it didn't happen, but I have no interest in arguing the facts. I know what I saw and held. Take it or leave it.
John

I also bought and shot a Remington 700 with a factory barrel stamped 257 Roberts. Remington says they were never made in the 700. They did make them in the 722, but not the 700. But I had and shot a factory 700 in 257 Roberts.

Hondo44 · Nov 6, 2016

jpickar said:
Well you have a chance to learn something here. Yes I did see and handle a all stainless Colorado Centennial and I have seen 3 Colorado Centennials with the "made in the 200th year of American
Liberty". I don't care what any Ruger exc. said. I know what I saw and handled.
John

John,

Can you tell us where on the barrel the "Made in the 200th year of American
Liberty" was stamped?

Thx,
Jim

jpickar · Nov 6, 2016

Hondo44 said:
jpickar said:

Well you have a chance to learn something here. Yes I did see and handle a all stainless Colorado Centennial and I have seen 3 Colorado Centennials with the "made in the 200th year of American
Liberty". I don't care what any Ruger exc. said. I know what I saw and handled.
John

Click to expand...

John,

Can you tell us where on the barrel the "Made in the 200th year of American
Liberty" was stamped?

Thx,
Jim

Jim,
If I remember correctly it was on the top of the barrel like all 200th guns. And the Sturm Ruger stamping was ahead of that if I remember correctly. I know the barrel had a lot of stamping on it. On two of the guns. The other one I don't think it had the Sturm Ruger stamping on it at all.
John

rugerguy · Nov 6, 2016

we had our shop at that time of the bicentennial and had the Ruger Colorado Centennial/US BiCentennials and had many more over the years since then, have a complete set right now, and have NEVER seen an "all stainless" version of this gun, yes a stainless grip frame, and NEVER seen or heard of ANY rollmarked "Made in the 200th year of American Liberty"
Even the Blue book had the info n this gun wrong fro quite a few years, as they thought the rollmarkings on the side of the barrel which is "1876 Colorado Centennial*US BiCentennial*1776 "as being a 200th year gun,,,,here is the picture.....

and the top...........

Maybe there was a special gun made up aftermarket for the Colorado Centennial ONLY???

Colorado Centennial value

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