January 2, 20179 yr I'm doing homework for a friend of mine. I'm not a 1911 aficionado, so forming my opinion needs some help. He has a Colt 1911 passed down through his family. A serial number lookup on the Colt database says it was manufactured in 1917. I'm pretty sure it saw action in WWI. The slide and frame engravings are: Colts PT F.A. Mfg. Co. Hartford CT U.S.A. Pat. April 20,1897 September 9, 1902 December 19, 1905 February 14, 1911 August 19, 1913 Model of 1911 U.S. Army Serial #: Under 200000 The pistol has seen some obvious use and hasn't been cleaned and oiled in some time. But there's no rust or corrosion and for a 100 year old pistol it's condition seems pretty good. The thumb safety was broken at some point and will have to be replaced. Nothing in the pistol's word-of-mouth history suggests it participated in anything special. (Like being in Black Jack Pershing's holster at some point.) I'd be interested in opinions. Is this a run-of-the-mill gun that's interesting to have but not of any significant value, or is it something that bears further investigation?
January 2, 20179 yr Best try 1911forum under USGI section There's a current 1917 thread that can give you an idea of what info you can get based on the pics/info you provide.
January 2, 20179 yr Author Best try 1911forum under USGI section There's a current 1917 thread that can give you an idea of what info you can get based on the pics/info you provide. An excellent idea. I will. Thanks!
January 2, 20179 yr Nope it's crap. Sell it to me and I'll dispose of it this signature exceeds the 15 character capacity count
January 2, 20179 yr Author Nope it's crap. Sell it to me and I'll dispose of it Too late. I've already been on the forum. Nice try though.
January 2, 20179 yr Author Could be worth 1K-2500. Post pics on 1911 forum is best bet! That seems to be the range discussed, depending on particulars. Now I need to meet up with my PA friend and go over the pistol. Apparently there may be markings on the slide and/or barrel that are relevant. Also I need to clean the pistol thoroughly and lube it. It's been a long time since it had attention. Then I could take some pictures to post up. I believe other than the broken thumb safety the entire pistol is original. And with serial 197xxx it's really early on.
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