I have a 1873 or 1878 (?) Colt 45, single action, 7 and a half…

Thank you for your interest in our Firearms Appraisal service. The information you provided was used to properly identify the information below. Here is the information you requested about your firearm taken from www.bluebookofgunvalues.com.

Manufacturer/Trademark - Colt

Model/Configuration - SAA

Serial Number – 45273; mfg. in 1878

additional info - SINGLE ACTION ARMY (SAA); STANDARD MFG. - Over 30 cals., six shot single action revolver, three standard barrel lengths. The 4 ¾ in. barrel had a two line address, while the 5 ½ in. and 7 ½ in. had a one line address. Blue with color casehardened frame or full nickel finish were both available. Of the many (36) calibers offered, .45 Colt was by far the most popular, accounting for 42% of total production, followed by .44/.40 (18%), .38-40 (11%), .32-20 (8%) and .41 (4.5%). One piece, varnished walnut grips were standard for the first ten years, then gradually replaced with two piece hard rubber. When grips are "not listed" on Colt historical letters, you should assume that they were the standard for their time period, either wood or rubber; not the pearl or ivory that someone added at a later date.

Intermediate Black Powder SAA (Mfg. 1876-1890, ser. no. range 22,000-130,000) - the italic style of lettering in the barrel address is changed to a block letter style in the 22,000 range, the first two piece gutta percha grips with eagle motif appear in 1882 and became the standard by 1888, the .44-40 (.44WCF) caliber is introduced in 1878, the round head ejector is changed to oval shape in the 52,000 serial range, 4 ¾ in. to 5 ½ in. barrels are becoming more popular, and Colt gradually abandons the practice of placing serial numbers on the cylinders and barrels of civilian revolvers. Nickel plated single actions seldom have numbered barrels and cylinders after the 60,000 serial range. Blue guns normally have numbers on both up to the 110,000 range, and occasionally thereafter up to 125,000. Two line, two date patent markings change to three line, three dates by 1878.

Estimated Value Range - Ser. Nos. 22,000 - 54,000 (Mfg. 1876 - 1880)-

98%: $52,000

95%: $45,000

90%: $37,000

80%: $30,000

70%: $26,000

60%: $20,000

50%: $15,000

Subtract 50% for nickel finish.

Add 30% for original box.

Here is some info that will might help you in grading your pistol -

PHOTO PERCENTAGE GRADING SYSTEM CONVERSION GUIDELINES:
New/Perfect - 100% condition with or without box. 100% on currently manufactured firearms
assumes NIB (New In Box) condition and not sold previously at retail.
Mint – typically 98%-99% condition, depending on the age of the firearm. Probably sold previously at
retail, and may have been shot occasionally.
Excellent - 95%+ - 98% condition (typically).
Very Good - 80% - 95% condition (all parts/finish should be original).
Good - 60% - 80% condition (all parts/finish should be original).
Fair - 20% - 60% condition (all parts/finish may or may not be original, but must function properly
and shoot).
Poor - under 20% condition (shooting not a factor).

NRA ANTIQUE CONDITION DESCRIPTIONS:
Factory New - all original parts; 100% original finish; in perfect condition in every respect, inside
and out.
Excellent - all original parts; over 80% original finish; sharp lettering, numerals and design on
metal and wood; unmarred wood; fine bore.
Fine - all original parts; over 30% original finish; sharp lettering, numerals and design on metal
and wood; minor marks in wood; good bore.
Very Good - all original parts; none to 30% original finish; original metal surfaces smooth with all
edges sharp; clear lettering, numerals and design on metal; wood slightly scratched or bruised;
bore disregarded for collectors firearms.
Good - less than 20% original finish, some minor replacement parts; metal smoothly rusted or
lightly pitted in places, cleaned or reblued; principal lettering, numerals and design on metal
legible; wood refinished, scratched, bruised or minor cracks repaired; in good working order.
Fair - less than 10% original finish, some major parts replaced; minor replacement parts may be
required; metal rusted, may be lightly pitted all over, vigorously cleaned or reblued; rounded
edges of metal and wood; principal lettering, numerals and design on metal partly obliterated;
wood scratched, bruised, cracked or repaired where broken; in fair working order or can be easily
repaired and placed in working order.
Poor - little or no original finish remaining, major and minor parts replaced; major replacement
parts required and extensive restoration needed; metal deeply pitted; principal lettering, numerals
and design obliterated, wood badly scratched, bruised, cracked or broken; mechanically inoperative, generally undesirable as a collector's firearm.

I trust that this info will be of interest. If you have further questions, or require assistance in the future, please feel free to contact me via pearl.com’s question service. For other firearms related info, please visit www.bluebookofgunvalues.com.

This Firearm appraisal is a value estimate on the appraised firearm for the date of appraisal. the value quoted is a real world market value (also known as a private party value) and is the amount you should expect to pay for the firearm. This is not an appraisal fir retail or wholesale purposes.

The info and values in this appraisal are compiled from a variety of sources including the current editions of the Blue Book of Gun Values, my internal reference library, my network of Firearms experts across the U.S., firearms auctions, and through various online sites. The values in this appraisal are based on recent sales of comparable and similar firearms taking into the account the rarity, desirability, and overall original condition of the firearm. In the case that a comparable sale is not readily available, the value is based on a projected amount that the firearm would be expected to sell for.

All info compiled in this firearm evaluation using the Blue Book of Gun Values online database and Photo Percentage Grading System is copyrighted 2012 by Blue Book Publications, Inc. and may not be used for any other purpose without written permission from the publisher. Any unauthorized usage of the Photo Percentage Grading System for the evaluation of firearms values and color photo percentage breakdown is also expressly forbidden by the publisher.