Manufactured in 1913, this is a fine example of a World War I era, United States Marine Corps shipped, Colt Model 1911 pistol. During the course of World War I, Colt shipped a total of approximately 9,950 Model 1911 pistols to the Marine Corps and at least 25 Government Models, making these pistols incredibly scarce in comparison to their Army shipped counterparts. Unlike the Navy contract Model 1911 pistols, many of which have a special slide marking, those that were shipped to the Marine Corps had the standard Army nomenclature, as is present on this example. Included with the pistol are a plethora of accessories and documents which are attributed to Corporal Andrew P. Liebler. One of the included document lists Liebler as enlisting on 26 April 1918, serving in the 801st Stevedore Battalion of the Transportation Corps, and being discharged on 10 January 1920. The stevedore battalions were very important in supporting the American Expeditionary Force during World War I. These units, many of which consisted of African American troops, were tasked with serving in ports in both the U.S. and in France, disembarking supplies and equipment, as well as refueling and resupplying the supply vessels themselves. Included with the pistol is a magnificent "hate belt" which features buttons, medals, and insignia from various nations involved in the war, both allied and enemy, even including a 1914 dated iron cross. Liebler's position in the ports where a wide variety of troops and prisoners were coming and going positioned him perfectly to acquire such a collection, possibly even this Model 1911, which had likely been issued to a Marine Corps officer. Also included is a plethora of photographs, some with handwritten notes on the back, Liebler's personal pocket diary with many pages of notations, and a variety of postcards from France with handwritten messages from Liebler. There is also a brass 10 gauge shell that was converted into a cigarette lighter. The final item included with the pistol is a leather saddle bag with a faint "US" marking on the flap. The pistol itself is listed on p. 515 of "U.S. Military Automatic Pistols 1894-1902" as having been part of a 1,250 gun shipment to the United States Marine Corps in Philadelphia on 9 July 1913. It is unclear if this pistol ended up in the hands of Liebler at some point during his service in the war, or if the accessories were later paired with it. It is a fine example of Colt's production just prior to the outbreak of war in Europe. The left side of the slide has the standard two-line, two-block patent dates and address, with the Rampant Colt behind the grip serrations. The right side of the slide has the model and U.S. Army nomenclature. The left of the frame has the U.S. property marking and "WGP" inspection mark, while the right has the serial number. The blued barrel is marked "P H" on the chamber hood and has a faint/illegible marking on the left of the lug. It is fitted with the early style blade front and rounded top notch rear sights. It has a checkered slide stop, thumb safety, and wide hammer. The mainspring housing is flat and smooth with a lanyard loop at the base. It is fitted with a pair of diamond pattern checkered walnut grips and a two-tone magazine with a lanyard loop base.

Fine, with 60% of the original blue finish with the balance a grey patina, mild holster and handling wear, and some scattered patches of light spotting. The grips are good with moderate to heavy handling wear and some scattered light marks with otherwise well-defined checkering. Mechanically excellent. The belt and its attachments show an attractively aged patina overall. The photographs and documents are good with moderate wear. The saddlebag is fair as well-worn. This is a fantastic opportunity to add both a fine and historic example of a highly desirable U.S. Marine Corps shipped, Colt Model 1911 pistol to your collection, with the added bonus of other unique World War I items!