Sold for $1,875.00. More hi-resolution pics at link. https://www.gunbroker.com/item/991562704

No, I didn't buy. Didn't even bid. No longer into collecting things, but still am interested as a spectator.. Just some observations on something I thought interesting here.





This is indeed a factory nickel SIG, despite having no "NICKEL" stamped on the usual factory label. Instead, you have a separate label by MGW that says "NICKEL". MGW here is Maryland Gun Works, not Midwest Gun Works. They used to work a lot with SIG and other firearm makers. They eventually relocated to their current location in GA, branched out to other industries, and is no longer in the firearm business.

When this gun was first listed, I wanted to know what the deal is, so I contacted MGW, because chasing SIG for answer would have been fruitless. The good folks at MGW promptly answered, just like they did, when they answered my question on PROTO-1. In those early days, SIG sent them a bunch of guns to be taken down, then sent to Klein for nickel plating. MGW received them back, put them back together and shipped them back to SIG.

Although the gun is factory nickel, there are a few things unrelated to the finish that are not original to the gun. The Trijicon was put on in 1991. The grips has the lanyard loop. And the spare mag is not only not nickel but is also not German. Those might or might not have contributed to the relatively more affordable hammer price. My thinking is the latter. There are still some guns that command premiums, but the firearm market has generally been soft for a while, now. The Nickel SIGs are no exception. Nickel P228s typically sold for $3500 to $5k a few years ago, and now, no one touches them unless it's sub-2k. Great market for the buyers.

Beauty

I often thought the whole P228 frenzy was crazy in a very stupid and unsustainable sort of way. But then such things are often ruled by the pack (or perhaps more appropriately, lemmings) mentality.

Out of curiosity...when these were new, how much of a premium was the nickel P228 over a regular Ifalon/anodized version? Admittedly I didn't pay much attention to SIGs back then, certainly not like my younger brother did.