[Baer1911]

Check out the price of this Colt M1911 at auction arms. Made in 1917. Rust in places.
$1800 when I saw it last.

Are these realy worth that kind of money???
http://www.auctionarms.com/search/displayitem.cfm?ItemNum=1397680

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Bullseye Rules!

 

[dsk]

Yes, they are. That gun is actually in fantastic shape for its age. You have to remember the old oven bluing had very little wear or rust resistance, and besides that most of these old 1911s have been through several wars. Ones still with all their original parts and any substantial amount of original finish left are quite rare now. The reason why you're more used to seeing $600-$800 for these is because they've either been refinished or look like paperweights.

$1,800 is about the ceiling right now, but even then you can quite easily find a desperate soul willing to shell out even more.

 

[SamColtFan]

dsk....
The $1800 price brings back a recent memory of the one that got away. I ran across a 1924 Colt 1911A1 Commercial that was PERFECT as in NEW condition. The only problem was the previous owner's initials were engraved into the right side of the slide. The price was $1800. I hesitated to do some research. Came back and it was sold. Turns out the .45 was an award prepared by Colt for the winner at Camp Perry in 1924 according to the Colt historian. I could have cried!
SamColtFan

 

[dsk]

Hey, it gets better. Went to the WAC show today, and all I saw were junk guns.

What do you think of these gems:

1944 Remington Rand, BADLY corroded so the worst pits were filed off, then the thing was sandblasted and reparkerized. Wrong barrel in it. $550

1943 Ithaca, badly pitted frame, also refinished. $850

Early Rem-Rand slide on a Fed Ord cast frame. $475

Early Colt 1911 commercial, blueing intact but badly pitted in several places. WW2 contract barrel. $1350

That AA gun isn't sounding so bad now, is it?

 

[M1991A1]

dsk, Does that Fed. Ord. frame have no US Property marking? Also, I guess it was the SN, start with an F? If so, I saw one just like it myself yesterday. Rem. Rand slide also. The barrel was not original and I swear it had the same F prefix number as the frame. The guy wanted $600 for it.

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"They all fall to hardball!"

 

[dsk]

Federal Ordinance was (is?) a company that sold cheap cast 1911 frames and slides during the 1980's and early 90's. Like most such units they were poorly made, and had everything from visible mould lines to misaligned pin holes and frame rails.

So to answer your question, no it certainly was NOT marked US Property. A lot of folks bought frames from Fed Ord, Essex, and Gun Parts Corp during the 80's to take advatnage of the .45 parts kits that showed up on the market once the military started demilling .45's.

 

[RMLamey]

try a G.I. SINGER at $25,000

 

[SamColtFan]

RMLamey....
Try a Singer for under $500. It seems that a fellow decided to take advantgage of an older lady in Arizona that recently lost her husband. The fellow that bought the 1911A1 knew what he had found and didn't bother to tell the lady what she had. No doubt she was probably living on Soc. Sec. and on a very tight budget. He went into a place called Guns Plus and gloated about his find. Needless to say, he didn't make many friends with his purchase at the expense of an elderly woman who had recently lost her husband.

dsk....

The good old 45's are getting few and far between. Most of them that I'm seeing are starting to look like the paperweights you were talking about. The show that you went to was in Puyallup? I always have heard that that was an especially good show. Spokane has really become kind of a dud as far as finding really nice Colt machinery. But the only way to know is to go. I went to the Crossroads of the West at the Arizona Fairgrounds in Phoenix in March. Lot's of Colts, but few were willing to deal with me beacause I was from out of state, even with a valid FFL from a store that I do business with. What a show. Three buildings and two large tent areas. That Phoenix show was a blast!
SamColtFan

 

[Redzone]

I would be assisting that poor widow for life with a $500 down payment. For a Singer in any condition. Yet only $500 would be bragging rights too. Yet I would advertise its being in my possession carefully. As it is worth much much more. I would also assume athenticity check was moot at $500?

 

[Baer1911]

Originally posted by RMLamey:
try a G.I. SINGER at $25,000

Must have been only a handfull produced?

If so, how many?

 

[dsk]

Quote from my Website:

"Late in 1939 the Ordinance Department had fielded a study on the practicality of having civilian firms tool up to make weapons for the military during wartime. No doubt the logistical problems that occurred during WW1 were still fresh on their minds. An "Educational Order" was awarded in the spring of 1940 to the Singer Sewing Machine Co. to tool up from scratch and build 500 M1911A1s for the military. Towards the end of 1941 the order had been completed, and the 500 pistols were accepted by Ordinance and distributed (primarily to the Army Air Corps). Surviving, authentic examples are quite rare today..."

About 50 or 60 maybe still exist today, and when found in original condition are worth $20K or more. To say the least a lot of the ones out there are actually fakes.

 

[SamColtFan]

Baer1911......
Singers: 500 produced in 1942 as per Larry Hacker. Serial #s S800001 - S800500
VERY VERY RARE!!!!!

 

[dsk]

I figure I had better move this over to the USGI forum. It's no longer about Colts.