# A very expensive snake.



## paratrooper

Colt Combat Python, 3" barrel, Stainless Steel NIB : Revolvers at GunBroker.com

Myself, I just don't see the value. I know it's 1 of 10, and it has a 3" barrel and of course, it's a Colt Python.

Call me crazy, but I just don't see the money.


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## hud35500

I can grasp the value of very old or very famous firearms, but this, I don't see it!


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## SouthernBoy

Sleeping Moses, that's crazy. I would much rather have a 4" Python, anyway..


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## shootbrownelk

Indeed way too much dinero for that Python. I'd rather have an Anaconda anyway.


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## jeager106

The person that buys it is crazier than the seller.


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## GCBHM

Agreed! It is a beautiful piece, but GOOD LAWD that's a lotta money!


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## EvilTwin

I watched that auction... the guy before the final bid offered 41,000 dollars, so obviously a lot of people wanted that gun, it started out at 7,500 dollars. 
The worth of anything is the amount someone is willing to pay for it and someone is willing to accept... that gun was worth 41,026.00


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## paratrooper

My concern would be that it simply can't appreciate any more in value, as it's topped out.

Obviously, it's *NOT* going to be a shooter, and spend it's life tucked away in a gun vault. Most likely, it rounded out some guy's Colt collection.


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## EvilTwin

paratrooper said:


> My concern would be that it simply can't appreciate any more in value, as it's topped out.
> 
> Obviously, it's *NOT* going to be a shooter, and spend it's life tucked away in a gun vault. Most likely, it rounded out some guy's Colt collection.


Any thing this rare " Never tops out " here is a perfect example a 1967 L88 Corvette coupe, one of 20 built, originally sold for 6100 dollars, it just sold at Barrett Jackson for 3.8 Million dollars.. IN 5 to 8 years that car will be worth 5 million. It will never top out.. when this L88 sold for 1 million dollars, the owner felt sure it was a good investment.. obviously it was.


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## EvilTwin

double post


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## jeager106

The same seller has this:Colt Navy 1911-A1, Rare 1937 Limited Production : Semi Auto Pistols at GunBroker.com

Starting bid $4,999.99
Now over $29 grand and it's a military 1911A1 made in 1937.
I have a 1911A1 made in 1943, Remington Rand, phosphate gray, 90+% condition I paid
$400.00 bucks for.
It was the sellers grandfathers. Seller needed down payment for a divorce lawyer.
I felt sorry for the kid as he had to sell grandpa's service pistol brought back from WWII.
I thought I paid too much.
I shot 7 rounds of mil type 230 hardball to be sure it worked. Cleaned it, put it away.
Wonder what it's worth? Certainly not $29 grand.


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## desertman

EvilTwin:


> Any thing this rare " Never tops out " here is a perfect example a 1967 L88 Corvette coupe, one of 20 built, originally sold for 6100 dollars, it just sold at Barrett Jackson for 3.8 Million dollars.. IN 5 to 8 years that car will be worth 5 million. It will never top out.. when this L88 sold for 1 million dollars, the owner felt sure it was a good investment.. obviously it was.


According to the president of the NCRS (National Corvette Restoration Society) No Corvette is worth that kind of money. The problem with Barrett-Jackson is that you get a bunch of wealthy people who get all tanked up and couldn't tell the difference between a screwdriver and a ratchet, bidding for a car while on national TV and wanting to brag to the world how much money they have to spend. Now everyone who owns a Corvette, Camaro, Chevelle, GTO, Mustang, Barracuda etc. or other muscle car of the early 60's to early 70's thinks they are sitting on a fortune. Muscle cars of that era are also very easy to fake. Using a Chevelle as an example, a mass produced car. A Chevelle is a Chevelle is a Chevelle. It's engine and drivetrain are what makes some unique. But to reach the price of a Duesenberg? A Duesenberg? To the average person a stock Chevelle looks no different than an SS 396 other than badging and wheels. Having restored several cars myself it is very difficult to get a good return on your investment. For me it was just the cost of parts and materials. If I were to calculate my own labor I would easily have $100,000 into a car that is maybe worth $30,000. I restored them because I liked them, wanted them and could never afford to pay someone to do all that labor. I still have them and could really care less what they are worth. It's good in one way that wealthy people are buying these cars as they have created a need for businesses and services related to it. It's bad because they have driven the cost of restoring old cars out of the hands of the average person who is willing to bust his ass restoring the car of their dreams. What drove the price of muscle cars up was that they for the most part were the cars of the "baby boomers" dreams who could never afford them then but can now. The same thing will probably happen with "rice rockets" and of that generation. These people for the most part have no interest in the muscle cars of that era and I'm predicting that price of the muscle cars will eventually decline because of that. As far as that "Colt Python" is concerned it doesn't look any different than any other "Colt Python" except for maybe the 3 inch barrel. Sure someone might be willing to pay that kind of money, more than likely they will be the only one. But I'll bet that they will end up getting stuck with it.

In my latest issue of Hemmings Motor News 10/14 an individual paid 1.2 million for a 1970 Chevelle LS6 convertible in 2006 at Barrett-Jackson. It sold this year at RM's "Icons of Speed and Style" auction for $264,000. According to the article the true value of that same car is $166,000 on the high end. Fools and their money!


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## pic

It was a carol Wilkerson limited edition colt Python


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## paratrooper

EvilTwin said:


> Any thing this rare " Never tops out " here is a perfect example a 1967 L88 Corvette coupe, one of 20 built, originally sold for 6100 dollars, it just sold at Barrett Jackson for 3.8 Million dollars.. IN 5 to 8 years that car will be worth 5 million. It will never top out.. when this L88 sold for 1 million dollars, the owner felt sure it was a good investment.. obviously it was.


Gotta disagree with you, at least on the Colt. It topped out......and then some.


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## EvilTwin

desertman said:


> EvilTwin:
> 
> According to the president of the NCRS (National Corvette Restoration Society) No Corvette is worth that kind of money. The problem with Barrett-Jackson is that you get a bunch of wealthy people who get all tanked up and couldn't tell the difference between a screwdriver and a ratchet, bidding for a car while on national TV and wanting to brag to the world how much money they have to spend. Now everyone who owns a Corvette, Camaro, Chevelle, GTO, Mustang, Barracuda etc. or other muscle car of the early 60's to early 70's thinks they are sitting on a fortune. Muscle cars of that era are also very easy to fake. Using a Chevelle as an example, a mass produced car. A Chevelle is a Chevelle is a Chevelle. It's engine and drivetrain are what makes some unique. But to reach the price of a Duesenberg? A Duesenberg? To the average person a stock Chevelle looks no different than an SS 396 other than badging and wheels. Having restored several cars myself it is very difficult to get a good return on your investment. For me it was just the cost of parts and materials. If I were to calculate my own labor I would easily have $100,000 into a car that is maybe worth $30,000. I restored them because I liked them, wanted them and could never afford to pay someone to do all that labor. I still have them and could really care less what they are worth. It's good in one way that wealthy people are buying these cars as they have created a need for businesses and services related to it. It's bad because they have driven the cost of restoring old cars out of the hands of the average person who is willing to bust his ass restoring the car of their dreams. What drove the price of muscle cars up was that they for the most part were the cars of the "baby boomers" dreams who could never afford them then but can now. The same thing will probably happen with "rice rockets" and of that generation. These people for the most part have no interest in the muscle cars of that era and I'm predicting that price of the muscle cars will eventually decline because of that. As far as that "Colt Python" is concerned it doesn't look any different than any other "Colt Python" except for maybe the 3 inch barrel. Sure someone might be willing to pay that kind of money, more than likely they will be the only one. But I'll bet that they will end up getting stuck with it.
> 
> In my latest issue of Hemmings Motor News 10/14 an individual paid 1.2 million for a 1970 Chevelle LS6 convertible in 2006 at Barrett-Jackson. It sold this year at RM's "Icons of Speed and Style" auction for $264,000. According to the article the true value of that same car is $166,000 on the high end. Fools and their money!


Maybe when you learn something about life... and not make an ASS umption on your own logic.. the people who spend millions on cars, do not go their all Tanked up, they send a professional proxy, not some idiot who is drunk, this is proof you don't know what you are talking about...
Secondly... If I have something to sell and someone gives me 3.8 million dollars for it and I accept that amount of money then that particular item is worth that particular amount of money.. its only small minded people without a clue that use their own logic or find a misplace quote or out of context statement from a person who might appear to be qualified...to offer their logic.

AS a retired Corvette design Engineer with over 30,000 professional articles in print. Over the last 61 years of existence I've seen thousand of Corvettes, double triple and quadruple their value. Barrett Jackson is just one of the auction house, Christies is one of the most respected auction houses in the world and I've seen many 3500 dollar MSRP to 6000 dollar MSRP Corvettes go for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Bottom line I suggest you talk about something you might be qualified in because its not about anything that is rare or anything auctioned.

The colt was worth 41026.00 because someone was willing to pay that for it.
The L88 Corvette was worth 3.8 million dollars for the same reason.. there were a half dozen people standing in line to grab that Corvette.. and were willing to spend 7 figures to get it. I've seen a couple dozen Corvette go for 1 million dollars


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## desertman

EvilTwin:
All right Mr."Design Engineer" how do you explain that LS6 Chevelle? This is proof that you have no idea of what you are talking about. Sure some fool paid $41026.00 for that Colt that doesn't guarantee that someone else will. If that were the case then everything we buy would automatically go up in value into perpetuity. I've been in the old car hobby for 35 years I've seen many cars plummet in value. Shelby's, Hemi Cuda's you name it, they are not bringing in the kind of prices they were just a few short years ago. It's all just speculation on the part of the wealthy. The economy also plays a large part. I wonder why Ron Pratt is auctioning off his entire collection? Could it be he wants to get out while he can? Just because someone gives you 3.8 million dollars for any particular object does not necessarily mean it's worth that. There have been many cars bought at exorbitant prices only to have their foolish owners lose their shirts when they try to auction them off again trying to make even more money. I've witnessed it. Or those that have poured a fortune into them only to find out that their cars aren't worth nearly what they have put into them. Only because they were deceived into thinking that their cars were worth a fortune by these rich fools at an auction. That LS6 is but one example. I wished that the only people that ever got involved in the old car hobby were the people who truly loved those cars and did not see them as an opportunity to get rich. To be honest with you I love seeing those responsible get screwed it serves them right. They're pricing the average person right out of the market. Oh, by the way living in Arizona, I am quite familiar with Barrett-Jackson, it's a big event out here. Bottom line, I suggest that maybe you should get a clue and get down off of your high horse and learn something about life. Somehow I get the feeling that you are one of those people who would spend that kind of money but are afraid to face the reality of losing it. Or maybe you just don't want to feel stupid for spending that kind of money on what is basically a mass produced object.


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## pic

desertman said:


> EvilTwin:
> All right Mr."Design Engineer" how do you explain that LS6 Chevelle? This is proof that you have no idea of what you are talking about. Sure some fool paid $41026.00 for that Colt that doesn't guarantee that someone else will. If that were the case then everything we buy would automatically go up in value. I've been in the old car hobby for 35 years I've seen many cars plummet in value. Shelby's, Hemi Cuda's you name it, they are not bringing in the kind of prices they were just a few short years ago. The economy also plays a large part. I wonder why Ron Pratt is auctioning off his entire collection? Could it be he wants to get out while he can? Just because someone gives you 3.8 million dollars for any particular object does not necessarily mean it's worth that. There have been many cars bought at exorbitant prices only to have their foolish owners lose their shirts when they try to auction them off again trying to make even more money. I've witnessed it. Or those that have poured a fortune into them only to find out that their cars aren't worth nearly what they have put into them, only because they were deceived into thinking that their cars were worth a fortune by these rich fools. That LS6 is but one example. I wished that the only people that ever got involved in the old car hobby were the people who truly loved those cars and did not see them as an opportunity to get rich. To be honest with you I love seeing them get screwed it serves them right. They're pricing the average person right out of the market. Oh, by the way living in Arizona, I am quite familiar with Barrett-Jackson, it's a big event out here. Bottom line, I suggest that maybe you should get a clue and get down off of your high horse and learn something about life. Somehow I get the feeling that you are one of those people who would spend that kind of money but are afraid to face the reality of losing it. Or maybe you just don't want to feel stupid for spending that kind of money on what is basically a mass produced object.


Chill out mister. Santa will put you on his naughty list
:smt114:smt114.


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## EvilTwin

Its a shame that anyone with a computer can post on a forum.


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## VAMarine

I think a lot of people are thinking the same thing...


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## paratrooper

These pretzels are making me real thirsty. 

Anyone up for a beer? I'm buying. :mrgreen:


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## desertman

You know what? I think I'll just go to the bank and ask for a $50,000 dollar loan to buy that Colt pistol after all it's a Carol Wilkerson. Since someone already paid $41026.00 for it, I'll pay $50,000 for it, since I paid $50,000 someone will always pay me $60,000 for it. Do you think I'll get the loan?


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## jeager106

EvilTwin said:


> Its a shame that anyone with a computer can post on a forum.


:smt082

Chill. It's the internet. Electrons on a screen. A means of communicating useful, information.
Taking things personally will give a person an upset tummy.
Still I wonder what my 1943 Rem. Rand is worth in great condition.
Saw a well worn one on gunbroker starting at $999.00 with a "buy now" of over 1200.00.
Not that I'd sell it. I enjoy just owning it, fondling it, touching it, tucking it into bed with me.....................???????????????????WHAT!


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## pic

paratrooper said:


> These pretzels are making me real thirsty.
> 
> Anyone up for a beer? I'm buying. :mrgreen:


Thank you
:smt168:drinkers:


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## desertman

Paratroper:
See what you've started! I'll take that beer maybe two, are you still buying?


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## pic

Does anybody , know anything , about a Carol Wilkerson colt Python?
It's obviously the key to the value of this particular piece


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## desertman

Carol and Don Wilkerson were Colt historians and collectors. It is my understanding that Carol commissioned 10 of those three inch barrel Pythons. It's value can only be determined by what someone is willing to pay for it. Although someone paid $41,026 at present does not mean that it will sell for that in the future either up or down. Just like with cars or other collectible objects. It's not like they are Patton's ivory handled SA revolvers, items that even I would consider "priceless" and are where they belong and are now on display in the Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor at Fort Knox, Ky. I doubt that very many people outside of firearms collectors even know of who the Wilkerson's are.


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## desertman

EvilTwin:


> Its a shame that anyone with a computer can post on a forum.


So, that's how it is, when someone doesn't agree with you they shouldn't be allowed to express their opinions? I sure hope that you don't view the 2nd Amendment as you do the 1st.


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## paratrooper

I have $5000.00 that I not doing anything with right now.

I wonder if I could commission COLT to make 5 of those Pythons for me? :watching:


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## pic

desertman said:


> Carol and Don Wilkerson were Colt historians and collectors. It is my understanding that Carol commissioned 10 of those three inch barrel Pythons. It's value can only be determined by what someone is willing to pay for it. Although someone paid $41,026 at present does not mean that it will sell for that in the future either up or down. Just like with cars or other collectible objects. It's not like they are Patton's ivory handled SA revolvers, items that even I would consider "priceless" and are where they belong and are now on display in the Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor at Fort Knox, Ky. I doubt that very many people outside of firearms collectors even know of who the Wilkerson's are.


Look at the ART WORLD, it's amazing the millions of dollars people will pay for a painting,lol.
Picasso has some paintings that look like a child painted it.
I personally believe the Python brought in a premium price.
If that same Python went up tomorrow for auction, I believe there's a good chance it would sell for less.


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## paratrooper

pic said:


> Look at the ART WORLD, it's amazing the millions of dollars people will pay for a painting,lol.
> Picasso has some paintings that look like a child painted it.
> I personally believe the Python brought in a premium price.
> If that same Python went up tomorrow for auction, I believe there's a good chance it would sell for less.


The true test of what something is worth, is what Rick Harrison on Pawn Stars would pay for it.


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## desertman

paratrooper:


> The true test of what something is worth, is what Rick Harrison on Pawn Stars would pay for it.


Yes!!!


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## desertman

pic:


> Look at the ART WORLD, it's amazing the millions of dollars people will pay for a painting,lol.
> Picasso has some paintings that look like a child painted it.


I can't understand that either, however Picasso is world famous. The Wilkerson's are not. I really don't think anyone can accurately predict what the value of many collectible items will be either now or in the future. I'll bet that there are a lot of people who shelled out a lot of money for items at auction only to wake up the next day thinking: What the hell did I do? I can't say that I ever bought anything, especially antique cars, or guns solely for investment purposes in the hopes of striking it rich. If you see something you like and can afford it, you buy it. Why fret over it's value, particularly if it gives you great pleasure and pride of ownership?


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## paratrooper

Obviously, most of you are one up on me.

I don't have any idea who Carol Wilkerson is, and I'm too lazy to do a search. :smt015


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## pic

H


desertman said:


> pic:
> 
> I can't understand that either, however Picasso is world famous. The Wilkerson's are not. I really don't think anyone can accurately predict what the value of many collectible items will be either now or in the future. I'll bet that there are a lot of people who shelled out a lot of money for items at auction only to wake up the next day thinking: What the hell did I do? I can't say that I ever bought anything, especially antique cars, or guns solely for investment purposes in the hopes of striking it rich. If you see something you like and can afford it, you buy it. Why fret over it's value, particularly if it gives you great pleasure and pride of ownership?


Might Depend on your net worth,,,,paying 41000 for a handgun might just be a drop in the bucket.
Then again ,, it could be a ploy to up the value of her collection as a whole. Maybe the bidders were all part of the plan. Somehow the money just circulated back. 
Sometimes things aren't what they appear. IMHO


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## pic

paratrooper said:


> Obviously, most of you are one up on me.
> 
> I don't have any idea who Carol Wilkerson is, and I'm too lazy to do a search. :smt015


Carol Wilkerson is the daughter of Mr n Mrs Wilkerson. :smt033


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## paratrooper

pic said:


> Carol Wilkerson is the daughter of Mr n Mrs Wilkerson. :smt033


Ya know, I was thinking along those lines, but I thought that it was just too obvious. :watching:


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## desertman

pic:


> Might Depend on your net worth,,,,paying 41000 for a handgun might just be a drop in the bucket.
> Then again ,, it could be a ploy to up the value of her collection as a whole. Maybe the bidders were all part of the plan. Somehow the money just circulated back.
> Sometimes things aren't what they appear. IMHO


Good points! Makes you wonder.


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## 9mmColt

Personally I think the "drop in the bucket" perspective is true.

Face it, their are folks out there who roll in cash... might also launder it in 'collectables'. !!


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## EvilTwin

pic said:


> H
> 
> Might Depend on your net worth,,,,paying 41000 for a handgun might just be a drop in the bucket.
> Then again ,, it could be a ploy to up the value of her collection as a whole. Maybe the bidders were all part of the plan. Somehow the money just circulated back.
> Sometimes things aren't what they appear. IMHO


Its fairly dangerous to have people up the price by bidding it up. because the bidding could stop with fake bidder.. and at that point the bidder has to come up with the money and the owner has to pay the fee. which is anywhere from 5% to 25 %.. Christies charges 25% for the first 50,000 dollar bid, costing the owner 12,500 dollars

There are 9 and a half million, millionaires in the US.. ( 9,500,000 millionaires )
There are 50,000 Americans with a net worth in excess of 50 million dollars.
There are 442 Billionaires in the US. 1,000,000,000 dollars


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## pic

You could be absolutely 100% correct. 
But in my humble opinion sometimes things are not what they appear to be.
I will in my personal life , not believe all of what the media speaks of.

I think gunbrokers fee for a 41000$ gun would be in the 500$ range. :smt1099


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## EvilTwin

pic said:


> You could be absolutely 100% correct.
> But in my humble opinion sometimes things are not what they appear to be.
> I will in my personal life , not believe all of what the media speaks of.
> 
> I think gunbrokers fee for a 41000$ gun would be in the 500$ range. :smt1099


Im more familiar with car auctions. but are you ready for this... '
gun broker calculator:
Total Sale: 41,026.00 
Final Value Fee: 525.95
_Corrected numbers _


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## pic

EvilTwin said:


> Im more familiar with car auctions. but are you ready for this... '
> gun broker calculator:
> Total Sale: 4126,00
> Final Value Fee: 64.70


I think you left out a zero or put the comma in the wrong place, double check that total.
Not a big deal
Pic


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## EvilTwin

pic said:


> I think you left out a zero or put the comma in the wrong place, double check that total.
> Not a big deal
> Pic


right the number is 41,026.00 the cost of the colt... the fee is 525.95 ( Corrected numbers thanks pic )


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## pic

EvilTwin said:


> right the number is 4126.00 the cost of the colt... the fee is 64.70


Not to beat this to death, but now I am concerned.
Read back into the thread ,click on the link, and refresh your memory of what the Python sold for? lol


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## EvilTwin

IM so sorry, it must be my age.. the selling price for the colt was 41,026.00 forty one thousand and twenty six dollars...
the actual fee was 525.95

I really screwed that up originally, My apologies

going to change my previous posts.


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## paratrooper

Yeah, I was thinking the selling fee on that Colt was a bit low. :watching:


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## EvilTwin

paratrooper said:


> Yeah, I was thinking the selling fee on that Colt was a bit low. :watching:


this is what you have to look forward too when you get to be my age.
IM usually fairly correct with my type, and my facts... it did seem low to me when I initially put in the wrong data.. you know what they say garbage in.... garbage out...


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## paratrooper

EvilTwin said:


> this is what you have to look forward too when you get to be my age.
> IM usually fairly correct with my type, and my facts... it did seem low to me when I initially put in the wrong data.. you know what they say garbage in.... garbage out...


I have a hunch I'm not that far behind you.

The good thing is, I only feel as old as I am. :mrgreen:


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## pic

G


EvilTwin said:


> IM so sorry, it must be my age.. the selling price for the colt was 41,026.00 forty one thousand and twenty six dollars...
> the actual fee was 525.95
> 
> I really screwed that up originally, My apologies
> 
> going to change my previous posts.


Not a big deal, no prob. We all suffer from an occasional brain fart
BTW, Are you lactose intolerant by any chance? Drinking milk Makes me fart like crazy.
But sometimes it's worth it. With a piece of cake or peanut butter n jelly sangwich.


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## EvilTwin

No I am not Lactose intolerant... Up until I was diagnosed with cancer.. I was drinking about 1 gallon of milk a week... I can not drink milk now because Milk and what left of my stomach, and my meds don't play well together.. I still love Milk and cookies ..or a piece of chocolate cake and milk.. but its now painful.. I've never really had any flatulence.


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## pic

EvilTwin said:


> No I am not Lactose intolerant... Up until I was diagnosed with cancer.. I was drinking about 1 gallon of milk a week... I can not drink milk now because Milk and what left of my stomach, and my meds don't play well together.. I still love Milk and cookies ..or a piece of chocolate cake and milk.. but its now painful.. I've never really had any flatulence.


Sorry to hear about the diagnosis, wishing you the best . 
:smt1099


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## SailDesign

pic said:


> G
> 
> Not a big deal, no prob. We all suffer from an occasional brain fart
> BTW, Are you lactose intolerant by any chance? Drinking milk Makes me fart like crazy.
> But sometimes it's worth it. With a piece of cake or peanut butter n jelly sangwich.


TMI, dood...


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## pic

SailDesign said:


> TMI, dood...


EM...SETE....thanks for...LMK...CID...PLO....CWYL


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## 9mmColt

3 inchers, 2.5 inchers etc... not my thread, FYI only

WTS: LARGE lot of RARE Colt revolvers (BOA, PYTHON, ANACONDA, KING COBRA) - Calguns.net


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## pic

9mmColt said:


> 3 inchers, 2.5 inchers etc... not my thread, FYI only
> 
> WTS: LARGE lot of RARE Colt revolvers (BOA, PYTHON, ANACONDA, KING COBRA) - Calguns.net


They don't seem to be that valuable, auction or private sale will prevail on the value 
I once had a stamp collection, book value 30k+. 
But when I went to sell the collection ,,, I was only able to get 7k.
Collectors catalogues almost always high price an item. Whether it be a gun , coin , stamp , I do not trust the collectors catalogue prices .


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## 9mmColt

Good point !! That's why its better to shoot 'em !! Enjoy.


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