Factory Colt .40 S&W 1911s of any kind are hard to find; they're out there but it would take a month of Sundays before you bump into one. The Gold Cup version is even more rare; I have one NIB and I know there is at least one other member on this board that has one too. The limited production Elite series is the only instance where a Gold Cup in .40S&W Colt produced appeared, AFAIK. That, I think, is its cachet; I'm not so sure I buy the "only Colt to have 'Smith and Wesson' imprinted on it" line; maybe, I don't know /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
So, taking all that into account, you certainly have a valuable gun, well done! Now, whether it's worth "thousands"? Hmmmm, I've seen these listed in the online gun auctions in NIB condition with starting bids/reserves in the $1500 - $2000 range. Whether they are sold for these prices, I don't recall. It's worth what someone is willing to pay for it. If you're happy with it for what you paid for it, that's all that counts.
My 2¢