dan wesson w-12 .357 mag value

[glocktoys]

i have a dan wesson w-12 .357 mag from my mother-in-law (after my father-in-law died) she wants me to sell. it has several speed loaders and a 6" barrel and 2". i also have another 2" and a 4" but both have rust on them from being in a box for years. she has the original box and 2 sets of tools/gage and barrel nuts too. it has adjustable sites and 4 grips (3 wood and one rubber). any idea on the value of this? it is in good condition but used so some wear on cylinder but blueing is nice and dark. thanks for any help

 

[Claddagh]

All I can tell you for sure is that this revolver was manufactured in either 1970 or 1971. It should have a sort of funky-looking barrel retaining/locking nut at the muzzle end. With the adoption of the recessed nut, the model numbers changed from "M11 (fixed sights)-M12 (adjustable)" to "M14 - M15".

IIRC, there was no "Pistol Pac" option at that time, so all of those additional barrels and grips most likely would've been acquired separately. Don't have total production numbers for these but, given the very short time span involved, my best guess would be that they are relatively rare items these days.

As with any other firearm and especially those where there is "collector's" interest, condition is a huge factor in determining a potential value. FWIW, the most recent (and these things change rapidly) reference book info I have at-hand states that each extra barrel on this particular model should add approx. 25% to the revolver's value.

My best advice in this situation would be to:

A. Take the best photographs you can of ALL of these items. Pictures will be essential in order to obtain reliable estimates.

B. Do some serious Googling for Dan Wesson Revolvers specialty web sites. Before you register and post any of your pics and questions, do a "search" on each for threads on your specific model FIRST. You'll be able to glean some potentially very usefull insights as to "serious" collector interest, etc. there.

C: Do model-specific searches, including any archived data, on at least two or three auction sites. This can give you a more well-defined picture of what an actual current market value might be and how it's been trending over at least the last couple of years. What you need to pay the most attention to is the price they actually brought, not what's been asked. If you can see the amount of time the item was being offered before it sold can tell you a lot about potential demand/interest, too.

D: Other's opinions vary, but mine is that quite often the evaluation figures given in reference books such as the "Blue Book", "Standard Catalog of Firearms", etc., shouldn't be taken as the definitive " Last Word" on what something will bring. Some of the more honest ones will tell you exactly what criteria are taken into account, the scope of their sampling resources accessed in updating their figures, as well as the time period in/over which they were tracked. These may, or may not, be an accurate reflection of the current market for what you're offering or for where you're looking for buyers. IMHO, examining the places where "real time" changes are being generated has been a consistently more accurate reflection of what a particular item's potentially "worth" at any given time.

E: With a relatively rare item having a fairly "narrow" collector niche, it's sometimes well worth the time, effort and expense of obtaining a professional, expert appraisal. Preferably of a "disinterested-third-party" type, rather than one from somebody whose main business objective might lie in a resale or adding to a personal collection.

Hope this is of some value to you. Good luck with the project.

 

[glocktoys]

thanks for the info and checking now for more info to list it with