Found: RDA-86 Low Back. Rare?

[Terry T]

Found: RDA-86 LOW BACK, ANIB (no cyl. turn ring!). No box.
Ser. No. 150-38321.

What is the consensus on rarity?
Value?

(Only other ones I've seen have been posted by the serious double action collectors on this forum and then only 2 others.) :shock:
Terry T

 

[weaselmeatgravy]

Pretty scarce, about 500 made. Last one that came up for auction was advertised as having its original white box, so I bought it for what I considered to be quite a large premium. When I got it, it turned out to be in an RDA-36 box numbered to another gun, so I sent it back for a refund. It is going to be re-sold with a very slight change to the description.

The one you mention (and the one I sent back) are in the normal cluster of known SN's.

I've shown this one before, the oddball outlier waaaaay up high at the end of the 150 prefix. This shipper has the stamp on it that I expected to see on the end of the white box that I sent back:

 

[RugerHound]

Pretty scarce item! From what I can tell, this SN is pretty close to the low SN...

 

[mcknight77]

I have one, but it's the more common 4". I've never run across a 6".

 

[T.A. WORKMAN]

Great Snag!!! Mine is # 150-85691 on the high side like WMG's.
The only other one I've seen (pics) is WMG's.

mcKnight77,
Is your 4" gun a RDA-84? :shock:

Terry

 

[weaselmeatgravy]

This is the one I sent back:

Box was described as "original":

 

[SteelShooter]

WMG,

Makes it even better that the box has "Save Rody's" on it, the well known gun shop down the street from the plant.

Pretty cool!

 

[Terry T]

Thanks for the validation folks.
I finally found the reference to 'only 500 made' in Chad's book. Any idea where he got that number?
So....we've found 4 of the (reported) 500.
So many guns, so little time (and money). :shock:

Any thoughts on value (without the box)?
Terry T

 

[weaselmeatgravy]

Any thoughts on value (without the box)?

Well, value to one of the handful of us who collects -Six DA's is different from value to the masses who just see it as a less-capable gun than a RDA-36. But here's how I see it:

After buyer's premium, I was into the white boxed gun above for $862.50 ($750 hammer price + 15% vig) and was assuming the white box was original and stamped RDA-86 as the item description indicated. When I received it and saw the problem, I told the auction house that my feelings were that an actual RDA-86 marked box numbered to the gun would represent about $300 of the value. But that even the RDA-36 box numbered to a different gun was still worth about $75. So I reckoned I paid about $225 too much. To be a good sport, I offered to keep the gun if they sent me a partial refund of $175. They refused that offer and told me to just send them the gun back.

So my math says the gun w/o box should be about $562.50 but I was willing to keep it plus the mis-matched box for $687.50 (or $612.50 without the $75 box value). So those two price points average to $587.50 for the gun by itself (and would need to be adjusted down to account for buyer's premium).

To pass up my $175 refund offer, the auction house's math says they are willing to gamble that they can resell the gun & incorrect box for at least $600 ($690 with buyer's premium). And that was the midpoint of their $500-700 estimate before learning the box was not original.

So to make a long story short - about $600

BTW, I value my Rody's marked (thanks SteelShooter for the interpretation, my gestalt was off and I always thought it said KODN'S, which was meaningless!) package valued at $700, but it might be time to elevate that to $750.

 

[RugerHound]

Any thoughts on value (without the box)?

To pass up my $175 refund offer, the auction house's math says they are willing to gamble that they can resell the gun & incorrect box for at least $600 ($690 with buyer's premium). And that was the midpoint of their $500-700 estimate before learning the box was not original.

Interesting strategy... Did they cover return shipping?

 

[Terry T]

"Weaselmeatgravy",
Thanks for the confession.
I guess I'm "one of the handful of us who collects - six DAs".
This was (only) $400 plus "tax & lic." for a total of $452, out the door. It was sitting in a shop as just a nice clean ol' Ruger, don't cha' know.
So...it was priced "to the masses who just see it as a less-capable gun than a RDA-36". (I was thinking it was more of a $350 gun but was willing to go the extra 'cuse I hadn't seen another and knew it to be 'rare'. )
Guess even a blind pig finds a truffel once in a while. Makes up for some of those others that I paid a huge 'gotta have that one' premium for.

Is this a fun forum or what?
Terry T

 

[T.A. WORKMAN]

Terry T,
Chad got alot of his info from Sonny Johnson,,he and Steve Vogel were the "Original Ruger D/A Collectors"! :wink: This I think will refresh your memory,, from an older post.

"This was in regards to the original 12 models that Ruger advertised when they introduced the Security-Six in 1970. Keep in mind that even though six of these models were fixed sights, they were still advertised as the Security-Six, and were marked as such. This designation was later changed to Service-Six (about the time the low back grip frame was changed to the high-back).
So, to start off with, the 12 models were as follows: RDA-32, RDA-34, RDA-36, RDA-82, RDA-84, RDA-86, SDA-32, SDA-34, SDA-36, SDA-82, SDA-84 and SDA-86.
The RDA-32,34 and 36 are all known, with the RDA-34 being the most common by far.
The RDA-82, RDA-84 and RDA-86 are extremely rare with only the RDA-86 showing up in very small quantity in the U.S.
The SDA-32, SDA-34, SDA-82 and SDA-84 are all known in varying quantities, but the two other toughies are the SDA-36 and SDA-86, which aren't known to me yet in this country. This leaves the models RDA-82, RDA-84, SDA-36 and SDA-86 as unknown in this country. While visiting the DA King, Sonny Johnson in 1994, he said he had confirmed through factory records that all 12 of these initial models were made, but that some of them may have been produced in quantities as small as 10 or 12 guns!! And it was also confirmed, the four rare ones were mainly for export.
To my knowledge, there were never any 6" Speed-Sixes produced, and I think the idea of a 6" compact gun (round butt) would have been missing the point. These were never advertised either".
Chet15

WMG, Wow!! :shock: with all that cyphering I had to get "Jug" to splain everything to me,,, I have mine at $550.00 but would think that $750.00 for a mint package such as yours and rugerrats would be a good value, Rats white boxed gun is the only one I've seen (pics).
Terry

 

[weaselmeatgravy]

This was (only) $400 plus "tax & lic." for a total of $452, out the door.

Exceptional deal considering it was already behind enemy lines :lol:

BTW, if it was in a shop, how could they retail it in CA? I thought once a CA dealer got hold of a non-CL-blessed firearm, it had to be foisted off to one of the less enlightened 49.

:?

 

[Terry T]

Private party sales are exempt. Some shops have put suff out 'on consignment'. :shock:
Terry T

 

[NH Rugerman]

Any thoughts on value (without the box)?

Well, value to one of the handful of us who collects -Six DA's is different from value to the masses who just see it as a less-capable gun than a RDA-36. But here's how I see it:

After buyer's premium, I was into the white boxed gun above for $862.50 ($750 hammer price + 15% vig) and was assuming the white box was original and stamped RDA-86 as the item description indicated. When I received it and saw the problem, I told the auction house that my feelings were that an actual RDA-86 marked box numbered to the gun would represent about $300 of the value. But that even the RDA-36 box numbered to a different gun was still worth about $75. So I reckoned I paid about $225 too much. To be a good sport, I offered to keep the gun if they sent me a partial refund of $175. They refused that offer and told me to just send them the gun back.

So my math says the gun w/o box should be about $562.50 but I was willing to keep it plus the mis-matched box for $687.50 (or $612.50 without the $75 box value). So those two price points average to $587.50 for the gun by itself (and would need to be adjusted down to account for buyer's premium).

To pass up my $175 refund offer, the auction house's math says they are willing to gamble that they can resell the gun & incorrect box for at least $600 ($690 with buyer's premium). And that was the midpoint of their $500-700 estimate before learning the box was not original.

So to make a long story short - about $600

BTW, I value my Rody's marked (thanks SteelShooter for the interpretation, my gestalt was off and I always thought it said KODN'S, which was meaningless!) package valued at $700, but it might be time to elevate that to $750.

I bought the gun today at the auction and paid exactly what you guessed the value should be, it was also what I had decided to be the max I would spend on the gun....the "package" includes the return note that WMG included when he shipped it back to the auction house....I would think a genuine, original WMG refund note has got to add as much value as the Rody's note above..... :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[weaselmeatgravy]

No, the note on the white paper was not mine - it was in there from the guy the auction company bought the gun from at the Tulsa show last fall. The note I sent back with it was on a yellow piece of joesalter.com scratch paper showing them they owed me about $904.70 with return shipping (they sent back $892.50).

Anyway, I was the internet bidder driving the price up on you today. I stopped bidding at $550 (my limit was $575 but the $50 increments precluded that).

 

[NH Rugerman]

I have the WMG joesalter.com paper as part of my collection now! You did drive the price up for sure, but so did I. My limit was slightly higher. But I thought that you would be present and hoped that you had to leave a little room to re-sell!!

 

[Terry T]

At least it stayed in the Ruger forum family!
(And validated my purchase price!)
Terry T

 

[weaselmeatgravy]

hoped that you had to leave a little room to re-sell!!

Nope, I was after it for my collection. It is in the "typical" SN range for these guns and the one I have is unusually high. But I wasn't willing to pay so much as to let the auction company come out ahead by refusing my $175 partial refund offer

 

[NH Rugerman]

hoped that you had to leave a little room to re-sell!!

Nope, I was after it for my collection. It is in the "typical" SN range for these guns and the one I have is unusually high. But I wasn't willing to pay so much as to let the auction company come out ahead by refusing my $175 partial refund offer

I don't blame you, your offer was very reasonable and made a lot of sense, probably why they declined....I hope to meet you in person at the next Auction in May...

Regards.....