COLT'S MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LLC FACTORY COMMEMORATIVES & SPECIAL/LIMITED EDITIONS

During the course of a year, we receive many phone calls and letters on Colt non-factory special editions and limited editions that do not appear in this section. It should be noted that Colt factory commemoratives and special/limited editions are guns that has been manufactured, marketed, and sold through the auspices of the specific trademark (in this case Colt). There have literally been hundreds of non-factory special and limited editions which, although mostly made by Colt (some were subcontracted), were not marketed or retailed by Colt. These guns are NOT factory Colt commemoratives or special/limited editions and for the most part, do not have the desirability factor that the factory commemoratives and special/limited editions have. Your best alternative to find out more information about the multitude of these special/limited editions is to write: COLT ARCHIVE PROPERTIES, LLC, 1295 Blue Hills Avenue, Bloomfield, CT 06002. If anyone could have any information, it will be the factory. Their research fee is $100 per gun, with a premium charge for factory engraving. If they cannot obtain additional information on the variation you request, they will refund $50. Unfortunately, in some cases, a special/limited edition may not be researchable. In situations like this, do not confuse rarity with desirability.
Typically, non-factory special and limited editions are made for distributors. These sub-contracts seem to be mostly made to signify/commemorate an organization, state, special event or occasion, personality, etc. These are typically marketed and sold through a distributor to dealers, or a company/individual to those people who want to purchase them. These non-factory special/limited editions may or may not have a retail price and often times, since demand is regional, values may decrease rapidly in other areas of the country. In some cases, if the distributor/wholesaler who ordered the initial non-factory special/limited edition is known (and still in business), you may be able to find more information by contacting them directly (i.e. Lew Horton (disc. 2019), Davidson's, etc.). Overall desirability is the key to determining values on these non-factory special/limited editions.
The word commemorative as it applies to firearms is almost an obsolete term - kind of like calling a flight attendant a stewardess these days. The last factory gun Colt designated a "Colt Commemorative" was manufactured back in the mid-1980s. One of the biggest reasons Colt dropped its commemorative program was because during this time period, it became more advantageous for Colt to sell large domestic distributors special order guns with the features these distributors wanted. This way Colt did not have to inventory, market, and sell these guns through the company. In today's marketplace, Colt is now producing factory special/limited editions which are marketed and sold through the auspices of Colt, so a line in the sand has now been drawn between factory Colt commemoratives and special/limited editions versus non-factory special/limited editions. The word commemorative has never applied to non-factory guns. In this text, recent Colt factory special/limited editions will appear as listings in those sections where their standard models are listed. Older factory special/limited editions will appear in this section.
Because the commemorative consumer is now more in charge (consumers now own most of the guns since distributor/dealer inventories are depleted) than during the 1980s, commemorative firearms are possibly as strong as they have ever been. When the supply side of commemorative economics has to be purchased from knowledgeable collectors or savvy dealers and demand stays the same or increases slightly, prices have no choice but to go up. If and when the manufacturers crank up the commemorative production runs again (and it won't be like the good old days), the old marketplace characteristics may reappear. Until then, however, the commemorative marketplace remains steady, with values having become more predictable.
As a reminder on commemoratives, I would like to repeat a few facts, especially for the beginning collector, but applicable to all manufacturers of commemoratives. Commemoratives are current production guns designed as a reproduction of an historically famous gun model, or as a tie-in with historically famous persons or events. They are generally of very excellent quality and often embellished with select woods and finishes such as silver, nickel, or gold plating. Obviously, they are manufactured to be instant collectibles and to be pleasing to the eye. As with firearms in general, not all commemorative models have achieved collector status, although most enjoy an active market. Consecutive-numbered pairs as well as collections based on the same serial number may bring a premium. Remember that handguns usually are in some type of wood presentation case, and that rifles may be cased or in packaging with graphics styled to the particular theme of the collectible. The original factory packaging and papers should always accompany the firearm, as they are necessary to realize full value at the time of sale, and get more important every year.
NIB commemorative firearms should be absolutely new, unfired, and as issued, since any obvious use or wear removes it from collector status and lowers its value significantly. Many owners have allowed their commemoratives to sit in their boxes while encased in plastic wrappers for years without inspecting them for corrosion or oxidation damage. This is risky, especially if stored inside a plastic wrapper for long periods of time, since any accumulated moisture cannot escape. Periodic inspection should be implemented to ensure no damage occurs - this is important, since even light "freckling" created from touching the metal surfaces can reduce values significantly. A mint or unfired gun without its original packaging can lose as much as 50% of its normal value - many used commemoratives get sold as "fancy shooters" with little, if any, premiums being asked.
A final note on commemoratives: One of the characteristics of commemoratives/special editions is that over the years of ownership, most of them stay in the same NIB condition. Thus, if supply always is constant and in one condition, demand has to increase before price appreciation can occur. After 47 years of commemorative/special edition production, many model's performance records can be accurately analyzed and the appreciation (or depreciation) can be compared against other purchases of equal vintage. You be the judge.