Yes

 

Of course it does, but how much these days, who knows. With a person who would just have to have that particular model with that particular engraver, you could name your price. Again what the value is, I have no idea. Probably an expert here somewhere that could give you a starting point. I personally would not sell that gun unless in very dire financial circumstances. Thanks for showing; it is a beautiful example.

 

If I decide to sell, would it make more sense to put it on auction instead of guessing a price and listing it for sale? I have not sold much from my collection and NEVER tried any auctions. Not sure if I want to sell it now after finding the letter. I have a lot of master engraved guns so maybe this is one to keep.

 

Impossible to price a unique item. You can look at items of similar class, but as mentioned it will come down to how badly an individual wants it and how deep their pockets are. Gun Auctions seem considerably riskier these days than in the past when I bought quite a few items that way. Take care and good luck!

 

Thank you for your time and opinion. 😊

 

Engraved guns are very personal. Only an auction can determine value. If there are a couple of people who like the design, they may bid it up higher than if they do not. The only masters where one might guess at prices are those whose guns are really more like art - Nimschke, Helfricht, etc. There are many auction records for them. For everyone else my baseline is what it would cost to produce a similar example today. If I assumed that a donor gun cost $1,000 (doesn’t have to be perfect for engraving) and it cost $2,000 to do the work, I would put an auction estimate of $3,000. But as I explained above, the actual results may be better or worse.

 

I also have a documented Robert Valade engraved 1964 Python engraved 4-28-16. Believed to be the last Python he engraved because he unfortunately passed away a few months later. Maybe these are the two to hang on to until I can't hang on any longer.

 

All I can say about is I love it, I want it, and I can’t afford it. That engraver who I never heard of before does excellent work. And the grips? Wow. Could that be mellowed out silver finish?

 

Thank you. It is Satin Nickel

 

Rudy Marek was an engraver who lived in the Portland, Or. area in the 60's. He was a factory Colt engraver for a short time.
Here is another gun owned by a prominant Portland lawyer and former Brigadier General Lamar Tooze, that was also engraved by Marek.

Engraved Smith & Wesson Pre-Model 28 Highway Patrolman | Rock Island Auction

"Rudy Marek got his start on jewelry in the 1940s and received training from Suhl-trained independent engraver Arnold Griebel in the 1950s, and signed on with Colt as a factory engraver in the 1960s."

That 28-2 is not my gun, but I did buy its sibling, a pre-14 that wasn't fully engraved except for Tooze's name.

If you are searching for more information on Rudy Marek, you might contact Mark of Jackthedog through his website, he is in the Portland area and has encountered a number of guns engraved by Rudy Marek

 

Does anyone feel having this letter and the fact it was hand engraved by Rudy Marek, make it much more collectible and worth more if sold?

View attachment 868154

Any answer I give isn't going to help you in the slightest, simply because I can't imagine selling that gun if it belonged to me.

Please show us more and larger photos of it, plus any further details you know about it.

This gun is screaming, "Letter me! Letter me!!"

All I can say about is I love it, I want it, and I can’t afford it. That engraver who I never heard of before does excellent work. And the grips? Wow. Could that be mellowed out silver finish?

The grips look like elk antler stag to me. A point in their favor is they appear to fit really well and they have an interesting bark pattern. I'd like to see the other side.

 

Detective Specials that aren't lettered as "Factory Engraved" haven't brought much attention ($$$) in recent years. The long timeframe between WWII and the early 70's, when Colt began to once again offer in house engraving (through the "Custom Shop") created a large market for these "custom engraved" guns. Value will depend on who finds the style attractive...

 

I'm not completely clear on this.
Are you saying that it is factory engraved by Marek

or

that was engraved by Marek who is a known factory engraver coincidental to the production of the gun?

In short, does the letter clearly state that it was engraved by Marek while he was a factory employed engraver?

Both add value but with slightly different maths, I should think.

 

"found a letter dated 1966 from Master Engraver Rudy Marek documenting the engraving."

As far as I know there isn't a "Archive Letter" on the gun, only a hand written by Marek letter documenting the engraving... My guesstimate is that it would letter as a 2" blue DS without engraving.

 

Well it made it to Guns International today POR

RARE-1964/66 Colt .38 Detective Special-Master Engraver Rudy Marek in 1966 w/letter-Satin Nickel, Stag Grips, Orig. Box

RARE-1964/66 Colt .38 Detective Special-Master Engraver Rudy Marek in 1966 w/letter-Satin Nickel, Stag Grips, Orig. Box for sale online.

www.gunsinternational.com

 

Wish he had posted a picture of the letter which would answer the questions posed by Todd in his previous post.

 

Well, the box label reads "Colt Blue" and those little rectangular "nickel finish" labels fall off all the time. But that doesn't explain the remaining blue trigger and hammer mis-match with the described "Satin Nickel" finish. Don't get me wrong it's a beautiful gun, but my opinion it's been custom engraved and finished outside the factory.

 

It is my understanding that Marek was only employed as a factory engraver by Colt for a few, 2-3 years. There is very little record of his work as a factory Colt engraver out there. Everything of his I've found was of his work outside of his employment at Colt.
To be honest, I don't think I've ever come across a Colt factory lettered example of Mareks engravings.
I would think your opinion is most likely correct.

 

Here is a neat video on Mr Marek :

1.7K views · 48 reactions | Rudy Marek of Portland, Oregon had a singular talent. He could make by hand an exact working replica of any antique firearm. That sparked a personal goal for the self-taught gunsmith: To amass a collection of every firearm to play a pivotal role in early American history. http://fxn.ws/2rcaZ09 | Strange Inheritance

Rudy Marek of Portland, Oregon had a singular talent. He could make by hand an exact working replica of any antique firearm. That sparked a personal goal for the self-taught gunsmith: To amass a...

www.facebook.com

 

I own two of Rudy's pieces and I am in touch with one of Rudy's sons on a regular basis.

The first gun is a S&W Pre-27 (1950) with 3.5" barrel that was engraved by Rudy and is signed by him under the grip panel.

If Rudy engraved your gun at the Colt factory then he would NOT have signed the piece.....if he did the job as a private project he would have certainly signed the piece.

The other Marek piece I own is a custom built percussion plains rifle in .40 caliber which is an esquisite piece of craftsmanship to say the least.

 

I finally removed the grips to look for a signature or initials and even used a magnifying glass to search the entire gun. There is no signature or initials for Rudy Marek found

 

I’m dying to get in contact with you. I too have a Rudy piece. I’m having to join all these forums to try and connect with you. Hope one of these works

 

 

I have a set. 1 signed by him, 1 almost identical factory stamped, different caliber. Check these out. Most noticeable difference is the squirrel is also engraved on the one signed

 

I unfortunately sold mine. I did however eventually find his signature on mine so that was cool.