Posted: 1/16/2008 2:32:42 PM EDT
| I am thinking of buying a 38 special diamondback that's in mint condition and I was wondering where or how I could date it. The guy that owns it said he bought it in the late 70's.I looked on Colts web site but didn't see anywhere that I could type in the serial # and get a date of manufacture. How can I find out and how much do you think it is worth. He's wanting 500 dollars for it. |
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Here's a site with serial numbers up to 1978. proofhouse.com/colt/ We also have numbers up to 1985, and if you post the number with the last two digits as "X"s we can date it. (AA123XX) Be sure to include any letter prefixes that are WITH the serial number. There will be stamps AROUND the serial number but the letters will be on the same line as the numbers. |
Thanks a lot that was very helpful. serial # D593xx it looks like 73 to 74. Is it possible to narrow it down to month and year? |
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D593xx was made in 1973. The numbers that year ran from D55401 to D59800. The only way to narrow it down is to buy a Colt Historical Letter. Cost is over $75.00 and will include what Colt knows about your specific gun. That would include: Barrel length. Finish. Type of grips. Caliber. WHEN it was shipped. WHO it was shipped to. On Colt Historical Letters, you get the most value on antique Colt's like single actions. Unless the gun looks like a non-standard, possibly Custom Shop model, about all you'll learn is when it was made and who it was shipped to, usually a big distributor. |
Okay, I bought a 6" blued 38spl Diamondback on 11/23/87. I have a photocopy of the receipt in front of me right now. The serial# is S743xx. I paid exactly $450, "out the door" $476.95, back then there was no DROS fees. Even back then this was one of the most expensive revolvers that I bought. In hindsight, it was worth every penny. Back then many dealers were asking the straight MSRP for the gun. To put things in perpective, a S&W 66(SS) was going for something like ~$275, and the S&W Model 19(blued) was ~$250. At this point, the S&W 586/686s were not on the market. BTW: I have a 22LR Diamondback, $395. Serial R499xx. To put things in perspective, today's S&W 686s are ~600, I would guess the Diamondbacks be gong for about ~$1,000. A bit of a surprise, my 22LR Diamondback is worth way more today than the 38spl version. |