So I'm checking out the big GB hoping to luck in to something (Yeah, right). When searching for Walther P99s, I stumble onto to this auction. With a day to go on this auction, the bidding is is over $2500. It's an OD green 9mm model made in Germany. I kinda freaked out because I have one somewhere in my safe. I purchased mine in 2002 and it's a early model - No AS or QA marking. Now I have to dig it out to see if it is marked 'made in Germany'. I have a few extra mags and have less than 400 rounds through it. The worse part is that I told my wife about it and now she expects me to sell mine. Just when I was thinking about breaking it out for some range time and CCW.

So is this model really rare, or is this just part of the current COVID shortage madness?

https://www.gunbroker.com/All/search?Keywords=p99

Might be rare, or there are 66 bidders dumber than a box of rocks.

Well she’s right, you should hock it to some idiot who wants to over pay, but you’re also right in that you shouldn’t have said anything to her about it. Sell it, use the money to buy something badass and use the left over to get into reloading if you don’t already do it

It's not "ultra-rare". It's not even regular rare. It may be scarce, but I think even that's not true. The P99 with an OD frame was commonly seen at gunshows when the pistol was first introduced. There are also early P99s with FDE frames. Dieter Marschall mentions these variations of the P99 on page 228 of Walther Pistols Models 1 to PPX, Factory Variations and Copies.

On page 235, under the section Walther P99 Special Models, Marschall lists the P99 "Green Gun" which is a "shooting practice pistol with laser technology." Now, that would qualify as scarce and perhaps even rare, especially in the United States, but what we see on Gunbroker is merely a P99 with an OD frame, and it's worth little more than a standard P99 of the same vintage and in comparable condition.

The late Orv Reichert said that long ago, an old collector told him "If you're going to buy the guns, buy the books first" and that's damn good advice. I have an extensive research library.

I have a stainless / silver top end one. Do I hear 1500???

I remember this green frames being fairly common.

As an aside they are FANTASTIC pistols. I actually wish the DA/SA striker system had had more legs under it.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
The late Orv Reichert said that long ago, an old collector told him "If you're going to buy the guns, buy the books first" and that's damn good advice. I have an extensive research library.

Still extremely good advice today. I have a large milsurp collection, but an even larger milsurp research library.

Dang, not only is mine black, it’s in 40. I probably can’t trade it for a foot long Subway sandwich.

I'll trade you a 6 inch sub and a day-old cookie, but only if you pay shipping.

quote:

Originally posted by pedropcola:
Dang, not only is mine black, it’s in 40. I probably can’t trade it for a foot long Subway sandwich.

pedropcola - I also have the early black model in 40. It has the shortest trigger reset I have ever felt.

Para - thank you for the info. This is why I belong to this forum!

Being a big P-99 fan even back in 97 when they first came out it is a rare model but only to a hardcore collector and even then I still wouldn't pay that much especially a green one at the time which were rarer.

Earls Repair was the first company to import the handful of P-99's and this model has the import marks on the barrel hood which indicates it's one of the first in the country and not the front of the slide on the right side which Earl started to later on.

Also it's has a blued slide and barrel and not the later tennifer treatment that the later models that were imported by Smith and Wesson and engraved markings and not the later laser etched markings.

I have a early model imported but not made by Smith and Wesson bought it new back in 98-99 and like many hated that it has S&W import marks on it but didn't want to pay a huge premium for one from Earl. Paid a little over 500 bucks for mine I think Earl was charging about 900-1000 or more before Smith and Wesson took over in large scale. By then you could find a OD model without even trying in fact it was the color no one really wanted by then.

Now the really rare P-99 that would command such a price if not more is the MI-6 Bond inspired models that Earl imported that were limited editions and low numbered produced. Even back then they were going for 1200-1500 dollars. Saw one many years ago sale for almost 2500 bucks was tempted to buy it but at 5 times the price just couldn't do it.

That's the exact model P99 I own. I think I bought it some 20 years ago brand new.

When Walther first came out with the P99 I remember seeing them at gun shows and a few gun shops here. I don't remember seeing many of the OD frame models.

The gun I bought was sitting in the display case for a few weeks. By the time I bought it I was more interested in the black model but I wasn't seeing them around and decided to buy the OD frame model.

I was surprised at the accuracy of the gun, the trigger is superb.

While my P99 won't go up for sale seeing one on auction for $2,600 is one of those things that make you go hmmm.

quote:

Originally posted by dfens:
I have a early model imported but not made by Smith and Wesson bought it new back in 98-99 and like many hated that it has S&W import marks on it but didn't want to pay a huge premium for one from Earl.

My P99AS has the S&W markings on the right side of the slide, but has all of the other German markings and proofmarks on the slide and frame. And like you, I never considered paying hundreds extra to Earls Repair for P99s without the S&W markings. I think some who went the Earls way thought the ones like mine were SW99s (Walther frames, S&W slides and barrels). Even though I haven't shot my P99AS in a few years, I love it, the trigger is unique.

Same with ours. 100% German made/proof marked/serialized etc. but with Smith import mark on right front of slide.

Hmm. Mine is #254, a much lower serial number. My .40 OD P99 is #003. I like them but never considered them ultra rare. Never shot the .40, but the 9mm is a dream. Was my first striker gun. First gun with an ergo grip which back then was really something. Proprietary rail since it was created before standardization. The de-cock and Anti stress trigger setting are cool too. Anti stress works like a set trigger. pull back to the click and it will stay in that position. From there it is a 1 lb trigger. These are way under valued pistols. I prefer the early ones before Smith and Wesson became involved.

I own a P99, serial number 003609, proofed 1997. Serial production of the P99 began at 001001 in November, 1996. Mine is the 2608th 9mm to be produced, The idea that the firearm in that auction is anything special is laughable.

The pistol in the auction was imported by Earl's. Forgive me, but big damn deal. Ask a Walther collector in another country how much value he places on that import marking, especially a marking so conspicuously placed. What would impress me is an early P99 with no import markings. That would be worth pehaps a 10% premium over the asking price of a comparable P99 with an import mark.

By the way, take a look at some of the other auctions for that dealer. He's enamored of the term "ultra-rare". Well, a Colt Double Eagle is scarce, but it's not ultra-rare. An H&K P7 K3 is scarce, but it's not ultra-rare. He's hooking fish with improperly applied buzz words.

What qualifies as ultra-rare is a pre-war Walther P38 single action in .30 Luger and with the factory thumbrest wood grips. What qualifies as ultra-rare is a cased Colt Paterson with all the original accessories. Most firearms described as rare are not rare, and when you get into terms such as 'ultra-rare', people are usually trying to impress you or sell you something. The term 'ultra-rare' means a firearm so seldom encountered that a collector might go his entire life without seeing one in person. People need to wake up.

So this pistol went for $2835. I bet someone is happy!

That's a bargain- only two grand more than it's worth. A fool and his money...

Jumping Jesus on a pogo stick. I’d be thrilled to sell mine for 800 bucks and a bottle of bourbon.

Actually it’s been far too good of a gun all ya’ll can’t have it.

So I guess this one should be:Ulta, ultra rare?

Interesting that this is also from Earl's.

No, that's actually rare. It's a pre-production P99. The V-prefix serial number, along with certain characteristics of the pistol (such as the reversed slide serrations), indicates it as pre-production.

I don't know if it's 6300 dollars worth of rare, but it's most assuredly rare.

An interesting bit of trivia is that the P99 which appeared on the cover of one of the Interarms catalogs was a pre-production model.