An interesting read - Granted not all sales of such guitars go through Reverb, but it is an influential source - All info is fact based on recent sales data - Note sales achieved and not asking prices
https://reverb.com/news/the-vintage-strat-market-by-the-numbersfew interesting features -
Vintage Strat Sales on Reverb by Frequency of Production Year - look at this graph and look at the dip for sales for 67, 68 and 71 models - almost as though few made, or far less come to the market
Then the graph for lower sales revenue for a refin and how little impact it has had on refin's for the 75-79 era - Probably due to the lack of refins offered for sale of this period
Comments
Take a number of 1979 Strats for sale on Reverb
1) - Mint inc case, tags, 100% original - with trem
2) Poor condition or players grade - non trem - changed parts and in need of a refret - no case
Both will be listed on Reverb as a 1979 Strat - hence one might be £900 and the other £1800 - Such variation in price will distort the info that this Reverb report has told us
Im old enough to remember when these things were best treated as firewood. Time hasn’t made them any better.
Theres a reason why we all bought Jap in the 1980s... and then changed the pickups for something better!
I have yet to play a Fender from 1978-1983 that is better in any measurable way than a Squier CV. And most aren’t as good.
Remember you are seeing the asking price. Reverb are seeing the actual selling price. Some of the ones with a $1500 asking price might eventually sell for much nearer $1000.
Also, as @guitars4you pointed out, if there aren't huge numbers of them, one or two particularly poor or particularly good examples, or one stupid buyer who pays an inflated asking price, could skew the overall average significantly.
Actually, let me rephrase that - one buyer who is even more stupid than the type of stupid person who normally buys a 79 Strat could pay a ridiculous asking price. Anyone with a semblance of a brain will just buy a Mexican Classic Series instead - a much better guitar in every way.
I had a customer the other day telling me that Hendrix played vintage guitars - I pointed out that even one of his favourite Strats (The black Monterey 65/66 Strat), was only 1 or 2 years old when he played it - And all the large head stocked 68/69 models he played were new or a year old at best - So effectively they were new guitars - They only became 'vintage' a lot later
In fact the reason the vintage tag became popular was the further we got into the 70's, the greater the deterioration in what we expected a good Strat to be , so many players went looking for 'older' models - I clearly remember a good pre CBS Strat selling for the same price as a new 78 Strat - Both around £350/370 - Shortly after prices for such used/vintage' went north and stayed there ever since
I have a used antiqua Strat in stock at the moment - clean enough and all original - but a total dog to play, compared with many other Strats on the market today, from various factories
Plus the perception of a dog and how badly it plays is a matter of opinion - Someone back in 1979 obviously liked it - Just not for me
I dont think vintage pricing is any reflection of how good the guitars are - its simply supply and demand isnt it?
Without checking, I'm sure the last of the Fullerton USA Vintage series was built in 1984 - Maybe some in 1985 but from Corona - not sure what spec your Strat is - serial number will help with model ID + a USA Vintage series does not say 'made in the USA' on it so easy to identify - But if it is a USA Vintage series you'll find the neck date on the butt end of the neck as the serial number itself does not have a date format within it