market value of 200th year ruger service six

[labradigger1]

Looking for current market value of a ruger "made in the 200th year of american liberty" police service six in 95% condition. Revolver is chambered in 357 magnum and finish is blued, 4" barrell. Reason i am asking is my friend is going to sell it due to needing money and i would like to sell it for him. I sold him this gun some time back. Thx, Lab

[osteodoc08]

The price will be no different than any other service six in that condition. AFAIK all of the ruger revolvers in 1976 were stamped this way. I had a BH with that roll mark but had to let it go when times were lean.

Look at completed auction sites to get a round about market price.

Edit: if y'all are truly friends and you want an underrated revolver, I'd offer him fair market value or slightly more (to help him out) with right to first refusal if you decide to let it go or set it up as a short term loan.

I've got a 12 gauge shotgun downstairs I don't care for but gave $250 to my brother for it. It'll sit there until he decides he wants it back or after a year, I'm gonna sell it with right to first refusal.

[labradigger1]

The price will be no different than any other service six in that condition. AFAIK all of the ruger revolvers in 1976 were stamped this way. I had a BH with that roll mark but had to let it go when times were lean.

Look at completed auction sites to get a round about market price.

Edit: if y'all are truly friends and you want an underrated revolver, I'd offer him fair market value or slightly more (to help him out) with right to first refusal if you decide to let it go or set it up as a short term loan.

I've got a 12 gauge shotgun downstairs I don't care for but gave $250 to my brother for it. It'll sit there until he decides he wants it back or after a year, I'm gonna sell it with right to first refusal.

No, i am not looking to purchase this gun, only to sell it to make him some money

[contender1]

As a long time Ruger collector, I'll try & offer a bit of advice.
First, in 1976 all Rugers were marked with the "Liberty" rollmark. As such, many models were produced in such quantities that unless they are LNIB, or NIB, they will not command a premium. And then, for the common ones, only $50-$75 more than a non-Liberty.
Now, there are many variations of many models with the Liberty rollmark that are in very low production. Those will command a bit higher prices, but again, condition is paramount. If you have the exact model info, such as; SDA-34 (That's the info for a standard one,) it will help collectors. If there is a "U" or an "S" associated with the serial number, it drives up the value.
Basically, as they say; "The devil is in the details."

[MtGun44]

Just curious - what does the "U" or "S" denote that would increase value?

Bill

[contender1]

The "U" stands for "used" and the "S" stands for "factory second." There are other markings that show up on Rugers, (A "*", or a "D" in the serial number are two examples. The "*" has been used for a couple of different reasons, and the "D" is for duplicate serial numbers. (Two guns, same serial number rollmarked on them, so a "D" has been added to tell the difference in the records.)
The fun is trying to find a "D" gun AND it's twin.

[MtGun44]

So what possible circumstances would have Ruger adding a "U" stamp to a used pistol?
I mean it is used, why would Ruger even have possession of it except to repair for
the owner. And then, why would they mark it if they were selling a used gun?

Same question for why in the world would they release a "factory second?"

Strange. The "D" makes sense.

Bill

[contender1]

The "U" guns are ones that often are sent to gun writers for testing & then returned. That's just one case where the "U" gets used. Basically it's any gun that has seen use by shooting, but can't be sold as a NIB gun.
The "S" guns come from where a gun has been returned and the person or shop wants a replacement. Waste not, want want not. Bill Ruger hated waste. So, if a gun could be returned to service, yet had something like a re-blue or whatever, often they would mark it with an "S".
Think of the many guns Ruger uses for display guns at trade shows. Since they are handled thousands of times, often dryfired, etc, thay can not be sold as NIB. They can get a "U" or an "S".
Think of it like this; John Q Customer buys a supposedly NIB gun. Only to find out it had been used by Hairy B Typewriter the not so famous gun rag writer. (Serial numbers in pics for instance.) Without marking the gun as a used gun, Ruger has violated the anti-trust laws by mis-representing the item sold.
These are just a few examples of why the markings. Basically it's because they won't scrap a good gun just because it has been used somehow. They just have to mark it accordingly.