Thanks for the replies everyone- I think he sold it for around 11 or 12 hundred.

 

I keep hearing of more and more Colt "limited editions" built in the 1990s. The are some of more interest such as the Gold Cup Commanders Colt did, but a lot of others???? The best place to sell it would be on a place like gunbroker.com. For insurance value I think $1 -to-1.4K would be O.K.

 

It would be of interest to collectors of Colts, and to RR collectors. But most commemoratives do not seem to increase in value at any greater rate than a regular production Colt. At least that has been my experience. That said it is not really a commemorative but a special run for the RR people which means it was not offered to the public and it may be worth more because of that.

 

Hi Uncle Ethan . I am a retired BNSF Special Agent and also have a 1911 Santa Fe commemerative . I was employed by Santa Fe RR. ,same title in 1994 when my department commissioned Colt to make the 250 , Santa Fe 1911s . This was the end of the Santa Fe RR. Police Dept. before the merger with the Burlington Northern in 1995. and becoming the Burlington Northern Santa Fe RR. Police Dept. The commemorative has a 22 carrot gold inlaid of a train on one side and the Santa Fe Special Agent on the other. The original purchase price for the pistols was $800.00 in 1995 when they were delivered to the department. I also have no idea of what they are valued at now. I do know that Colt was required to destroy the roller engraving die after they were produced and that there are only 250 in existence in the world. Sure would be interested in what one would be valued at now. Guess that would be what a collector would be willing to pay for one.

 

Thanks for the reply, Jim. My buddy showed it to me- it's still uncocked, 1 of 250, with the box and papers. I can't even find out if it was commissioned by the railroad, or what. I thought there would be some sort of record, but the collector book I have I bought in 1982 and this commemorative was done after that. I bought a "Battle of the 2nd Marne" commemorative that had been shot and didn't have the box or paperwork for $500.00 A perfectly good Colt pre-series 70 shooter. I hope for my buddies sake his is worth more.

 

Gee, Uncle Ethan, you are the only internet poster on Colt Santa Fe Special Agent that Google can find.

If it is a Colt commemorative, it is worth a bit, if...

If it is a Santa Fe commemorative made for them (the railroad?), it is worth a bit, if...

If it is one of those things you see the full page ads for in the gunzines, I think resale value is low. There are going to be a lot of disappointed heirs who get those things in their bequests.

The "ifs"; a commemorative must be new, unfired, preferably uncocked, ideally untouched, in the box with papers to be of value as such. Nice if it is still in the outer sleeve and shipping carton. If it has been used or even handled much, it is just a second hand gun. A friend bought a Colt 125th SAA factory commemorative unshot but handled for about $200 less than the price of a standard blue/CH gun at the time.

 

I guess information on commemoratives are hard come by. I found commemoratives for sale on another forum, and they generally ran the range from $1,200 to $2,000. At the rate prices are going up for Colt 1911's, it could be bought at a bargain and turned into a shooter in about a year.:biglaugh: