Colt’s famous “snake guns” are a popular item for collectors to own. The history of Colt’s snake guns goes back over half a century ago to the 50s. The line was modeled and named after the seven deadly serpents, which are the Anaconda, Boa, Cobra, Diamondback, King Cobra, Python, and Viper. Some of the most popular guns in the series fetch pretty high resale prices. For example, a mint-condition 1950’s Python, with 6 inch barrel, is going for around $18,000. This gun originally sold back then for a retail price of only $125. So if you inherited one from your grandfather, consider yourself very lucky.
We’re pleased to report that more additions to this highly appreciated series are coming. To celebrate that, let’s take a look at what makes these firearms so adored.
Auction Houses Are On Fire With Snake Guns
In the past few years, the demand and pricing for Colt’s snake guns has gone through the roof. An auction house sold two Boas that were numbered off the line right in a row for almost $15,000. Another pair of Boas went for a cool $30,000, with one private dealer’s sale. The auction houses say that the number of people who are interested in these weapons has shot up dramatically over the past decade.
It’s not like all of these guns are super rare either. The Python, when it was made from 1955 to 1969, had around 100,000 units of the model in circulation. Most of them were considered the “Royal Blue” model with 4 or 6 inch barrels.
With different models of snake guns, Colt did make variations like changes in the barrel size, optional features, and non-standard varieties. These changes in each model are some of the things that collectors are looking for to buy for higher prices.
The Python Is Super Famous
The Python is such a well known gun that it has made quite a few appearances in Hollywood movies and television shows. It was featured in the 70s series, “Starsky and Hutch,” and in the zombie fun show, “The Walking Dead.’ You can also shoot this gun in the video game series, “Call of Duty: Black Ops.” Even though it has made its way into pop culture, this doesn’t really affect the reasons that collectors prize these guns.
The Collectors With All The Dough
It’s hard to tell why collectors often flock to a certain series of guns. The current thinking is that the baby boomers who are men are driving this buying trend, since they have the most disposable income and retirement time on their hands, to research and purchase Colt’s snake guns.
Plus, there is a certain nostalgia for this age group about the time period of the 50s and 60s — when they were growing up as young men.
The Latest Arrival
You don’t have to pony up the big bucks to buy a collector’s version of the snake gun. Colt has just reintroduced a brand new 2021 Anaconda. This slick bad boy is a 6 round, stainless steel, double-action revolver in a 44 Magnum that is shockingly awesome. The retail price of this one is only around $1,500.
