Super Single Six

[R77PA]

Would a serial number 5003xx be considered a 3 digit super single six? If so how much would be a fair price with box?

 

[street]

Yes it would as they started at 500000 or 500001. I'm not sure which number was the first made, but any way your gun would be considered a 3 digit gun. RENE list your gun in 95 to 98% at $640 and the box at $75.

 

[Ale-8(1)]

One would think so. According to Dougan's book, the Super Single-Six series began at 500000, so the one you mention would be a "three-digit" gun in that series . . . IMHO.

RENE has these at $640 in "pristine" condition, with proper SC5/SC6 boxes at $75.

Interestingly enough, the very first Supers were marked 400000 thru 400005, but these were shipped to Australia and are the only ones in the 400000 block. I'd classify these as worthy of "super special" consideration, apart from the 500000 run.



And apparently Street and I are on the same page.

 

[rugerguy]

Being they (the Super Single Six) model started out in 1964 at BOTH the 400000 and the 500000 serial number range, the "purist" will say that is indeed a "3 digit" serial, for ME , personally that is WAY TOO MANY digits...just MY .02 cents, and unless it is about as "new in the box" a "complete package" including the shipper, then there would be a "premium" other wise it just another "old model" 22 rimfire...do the math, the serious $$$ is on single as well as "double ' (two digits) so that makes for 9-single digit guns, and 89-two digit ones ....voila , "premium".
So 'poor' Flatgate with is #100 is in the same boat with our #999 8) :roll: :wink:

gotta find a "numbers" kind of guy, consecutive, birthday, anniversary, etc.....condition IS everything.... :wink:

 

[Ale-8(1)]

Dan, would you then not classify, say, 45-00XXX as a three-digit gun??

 

[street]

One would think so. According to Dougan's book, the Super Single-Six series began at 500000, so the one you mention would be a "three-digit" gun in that series . . . IMHO.

RENE has these at $640 in "pristine" condition, with proper SC5/SC6 boxes at $75.

Interestingly enough, the very first Supers were marked 400000 thru 400005, but these were shipped to Australia and are the only ones in the 400000 block. I'd classify these as worthy of "super special" consideration, apart from the 500000 run.



And apparently Street and I are on the same page.

I consider it a privilage to be on the same page as you Ale-8(1)

 

[street]

Being they (the Super Single Six) model started out in 1964 at BOTH the 400000 and the 500000 serial number range, the "purist" will say that is indeed a "3 digit" serial, for ME , personally that is WAY TOO MANY digits...just MY .02 cents, and unless it is about as "new in the box" a "complete package" including the shipper, then there would be a "premium" other wise it just another "old model" 22 rimfire...do the math, the serious $$$ is on single as well as "double ' (two digits) so that makes for 9-single digit guns, and 89-two digit ones ....voila , "premium".
So 'poor' Flatgate with is #100 is in the same boat with our #999 8) :roll: :wink:

gotta find a "numbers" kind of guy, consecutive, birthday, anniversary, etc.....condition IS everything.... :wink:

Using your thoughts on this then Red Eagle serial number 0040 would be a 4 digit gun!!! Right!!! :wink:

 

[Ale-8(1)]

I consider it a privilage to be on the same page as you Ale-8(1)

Aw, shucks . . .

:wink:

Same, back at'cha.

 

[radicalrod]

Well then my #500004 SUPER SINGLE SIX is a 6 digit gun :lol: :lol: :lol: same as my 500051, 500052, and 500053 :!: :!: :!:

Heck I might as well take them to to the local show and trade them away for NEW MODEL :wink: :wink: :wink:

Dan I have to seriously disagree with you on this one....500xxx is a 3 digit gun....sure they don't seem to be as highly sought after as one would think but it took me quite a while to find mine.....YMMV...RR.

 

[Ale-8(1)]

Hey, Rod . . . I'll give ya a hunnerd bucks cash money fer each of those ol' six-digits . . .

 

[rugerguy]

No, we have gone around and around on this for all the years since she started collecting Rugers, and Laura is of the same feeling and thinking, and the MAIN reason she ONLY collects the old model red eagles, bearcats and the Single Sixes, no, she even gave up collecting Super Single Sixes almost 20 years ago, for this very reason,,,,,,and yes of course the LWs and their "starting" number series and I KNOW that various models started at a Higher ( six digit numbering) so good for them, I really don't care unless its a LOW number as I noted, ONE or two digits, has the "condition" and the "packaging" then it ,to ME is a "premium" or more "special" and sought after, call it what you want to, I KNOW as I been selling them for all these years (going on almost 50 years, starting at the Chagrin Falls Armory in 1965) and NEVER can I get ANYWHERE near posted 'RENE' prices unless it fits in my 'criteria'.....so 3 digits is 3 digits and it better be NICE, as I said do the math, there are LOTS of them out there ,and except for a "FEW" people who have to try and get them ALL, nothing special. 8) :roll: :wink:

So to answer 'streets' comment the Red eagle and or the Bearcats, are what they are....and to carry that further, Laura has a couple of 2 digit Bearcats and her "feeling" is once the Super Bearcat ,coming out with a 91 prefix, it is NOT to her, the same...yes she has it, and will keep it, BUT the Bearcat is a "true" 2 digits, and the anniversary version of the same gun ,even though it has the "SBC" in it, has the "000xx"........people collect what THEY want, and has meaning to them, so that is it in a nutshell................... :wink:

 

[Ale-8(1)]

As far as I'm concerned, the only way the 500XXX guns are NOT "three-digit" examples is if one considers the Supers to be merely a "picayune variation" (thanks, Bob) of the Single-Six. They come in boxes marked "Super Single-Six" not just "Single-Six". All of them are in the 500000 series right up until the 60-prefix numbers took over, including a bunch of "D" guns.

Now . . . are 60-00XXX guns "three-digits? I wouldn't touch that one with someone else's ten-foot pole.

All JMHO, YMMV, Close Cover Before Striking, Objects in Mirror are Closer Than They Appear, and I ain't no expert.



PS Yes, CONDITION IS EVERYTHING!

 

[radicalrod]

Hey what about the 61-00xxx guns 8) 8) 8) RR

 

[Ale-8(1)]

I just knew someone would ask.

Same answer as for the 60-prefix ones.

 

[street]

I would think the the 60-00XXX and the 61-00XXX would not be considered 3 digit guns as Ruger was required by the GCA of 68 not to have any 2 guns manufactured by a company to have the same serial number. So Ruger assigned different pre-fixes to different models so no two guns would have the same number such as a .41 Mag., and a Super Single-Six. So in effect it's just a change in how they serial numbered the guns. Now when we get to 62-000XXX that's a different story. The reason being is, that is the start of the "New Model Super Single-Sixes. And that would make it a 3 digit New Model Gun. :roll:

 

[Ale-8(1)]

I'll buy that.

I will say that I can see how a "number collector" would be interested in the 60-00XXX and 61-00XXX guns just because they are "sort of interesting" . . . same for any of the digit-prefix guns. They all have a somewhat unique common distinguishing feature in their numbers. A complete collection of one, two, and/or three-digit prefix guns would be just as hard to put together as their non-prefix kin. Value? Who knows?

 

[ndruger]

How about 20-0001 could be the first prefix gun made. Please don't have me look for it!! (Thoughts please) :

 

[Ale-8(1)]

Good question. It's actually 20-00001, but the point remains.

One assumes that all the guns in production at the time went to the digit-prefix system essentially simultaneously in 1969, but that's very likely a shakey assumption, as are most.

How about it, number guys?

 

[contender]

All we have to do is ask Radical Rod. He likely has all of those early guns & in sets of 2, 3 or 4!

I can see where "numbers guys" like RR would truly enjoy getting low numbered guns with or without prefixes. Especially when the change in numbers was done when there was a change in the model.
Me? I love the numbers, but haven't had much success in getting pairs or low ones,,, yet,,,!

 

[rugerguy]

yes, and I agree with the above, and one thing we "missed" is the FACT , that at one time, the so called "low number" ( subscription) guns were held in a higher??? esteem?? and depending on "WHO or WHOM" this added to the "pucker factor" ands way back, there was LITTLE or NO chance for the "average" collector to get any of these, and YES, back to MY first opinion, these are the "low" serious collectible numbers, and they only "basically" )( except for a very FEW higher numbers) run into the lower 3 digit range.....as aptly noted above as to the GCA68 all the numbering after that , and into the "new" models' is just not in any thought process of MINE, I still see far too many guys that at the "turn" of any number sequence, the following starts again, at "-00000" and goes up, so go for , buy every one you can, and stay "happy", but to ME , a "logistical & cost prohibitive" waste of time......... 8) :roll: :wink:

this brings me back to my comment as to Carls #100 or our #999, to ME, Carls #100 is MORE "meaningful"

 

[Ale-8(1)]

Yep, it's the first three-digit in the series.

 

[street]

A little more thoughts on 3 digit guns. There is a lot of argument to say that Red Eagle 0600 is not a 3 digit Red Eagle as one can clearly see 4 digits. The fact is that Ruger never made a Red Eagle with a serial number 600, and serial number 0600 is the 600th Red Eagle serial numbered, there is a lot to say that 0600 is a 3 digit number. :roll: :roll: :roll: Same with the Red Eagle Mark-I, serial numbers started with 15000 so serial number 15600 would be the 601 Mk-I serial numbered. As it is the 601 serial numbered, does that make it a 3 digit gun? To be 100% correct neither gun has a 3 digit serial number, to be correct both guns frames were the 600 and 601 serial numbered.

Being that their frames were serial numbered in the first 601 guns Most collectors consider these guns 3 digit guns. And most collectors will pay a premium for these guns. Now if you are one of the few that don't consider these guns 3 digit guns, you are well within your rights to believe that. After all you set up the criteria on what you want to collect and it's your money that you are spending and you have every right to decide what you want to collect, and what you consider a 3 digit gun.

 

[Ale-8(1)]

As far as I'm concerned, leading zeroes and prefixes are not truly "significant" when it comes to the actual "first of a kind" gun.

When a series runs so far that additional prefixes are used, then we get into the "61-" question. Since there was a 60- prefix, the 61-prefix is sorta "secondary" in importance and is really only a slight numerical distinction to those inclined to "do numbers".

"After all you set up the criteria on what you want to collect and it's your money that you are spending and you have every right to decide what you want to collect, and what you consider a 3 digit gun." -- Street

We may not all agree on that, but so what? It's just part of the hobby. If somebody has 61-00001 and adveryises it for sale at a zillion bucks, and somebdy else agrees and coughs up the money, they're both happy.

All JMHO here.

 

[chet15]

To me, the 500xxx range guns would be three digit guns, just like everybody considers a 2000xx range Lightweight Single-Six a two-digit gun and I don't think anybody would doubt that, not even Dan. Really, its all in the sense of how "collectible" somebody thinks a model is for them to really look at it for what it is...and a 500xxx range Super Single six is a highly desireable 3- digit Super Single-Six I.M.O., there's no way around it.
Secondly, the majority of "subscribers" to Ruger's low serial number program never got their one, two or three digit Super Single-Six, so apparently Ruger was thinking the same as Dan there (not that significant to let even their employees and writer friends even have their # in that model!). Fred Davis, Jr. must have had a connection at the factory as he got his #500051 Super Single-Six, but Ruger's own comptroller/long time employee Walter Berger never got his #500004!!!
The fact remains however that a one, two or three digit Super Single-Six is pretty rare and I'm pretty sure that a one or two digit Super Single-Six is a lot rarer than a one or two digit Lightweight Single-Six, just on the number of guns reported.
Us collectors are funny that way sometimes and I'll never figure them out.
Chet15

 

[R77PA]

Did not realize what I was going to start. But it was sure fun sitting back and enjoying the discussions.