This is an excellent example of an extremely rare Singer Manufacturing Company, U.S. M1911A1 semi-automatic pistol marked "PROTOTYPE 3". This unique pistol is a prototype example of the eventual 500-pistol Educational Order No. W-ORD-396 issued to the Singer Manufacturing Company on April 17, 1940. This is just an exceptionally rare and exceptionally high condition M1911A1 Singer pistol, of which there are only a handful that are actually known to date. We had the pleasure of selling pistol "Prototype 2" in a past auction and this one is marked exactly as that one was and undoubtedly came from the same group of pistols. This pistol has the distinctive Singer high polish Du-Lite blue finish and is fitted with the original checkered brown plastic Keyes Fiber stocks. The feed ramp is bright. The grip plates are the correct early version for this type of pistol as they lack the reinforcing rings around the grip screw holes and also are lacking the interior reinforcing ribs on the back side of each grip. The pistol is complete with a Singer style magazine, that is unmarked, that has the correct pinned floor plate and the same full Du-Lite, blue finish as the pistol. The pistol has the Singer fine checkered main spring housing, milled trigger with checkered face, the wide spur, short checkered, milled hammer, with a checkered slide stop and thumb safety. The barrel has the same Du-Lite finish as the other components and is not marked. The left side of the slide is marked: "S. MFG. CO./ ELIZABETH, N.J. U.S.A." in two lines on the left. The right side of the frame is marked: "PROTOTYPE 3" in front of the trigger guard. The marking is approximately 1 5/32-inches long and 5/32-inch high and was experimentally applied by the factory after the pistol was finished. The protype pistol has no other visible markings.