This interesting set of bookends have a set gold plated Colt Official Police revolvers fitted to them and were used in J. Edgar Hoover's private officer at the F.B.I. Hoover was arguably one of the most powerful men, if not the most, in the country for a large swath of the 20th century. Considered a hero in his own time, Hoover has since gained a mixed reputation as he is known to have used the powerful department he built to amass vast knowledge on "subversives" and politicians including private details on the sexual escapades of many of the country's most powerful men and women including, President Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, President Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., and many others. President Truman even claimed that Hoover used the F.B.I. as his own gestapo. Both Kennedy and Truman had considered firing Hoover but determined such a move too risky. An included letter with Department of Justice and F.B.I. letterhead dated April 11, 1995, complete with an original F.B.I. official business envelope written by Special Agent/Unit Chief Swanson D. Carter of the Office of Public and Congressional Affairs states that these revolver book ends were sold "recently" and that Carter enclosed with the letter the included copy of Conducting Research in F.B.I. Records along with an excerpt from the included book "The Director" by Ovid Demaris which demonstrates that J. Edgar Hoover owned a pair of "bookends made from Colt revolvers." Agent Carter also provided details on how to request documentation concerning Rufus R. Beaver. A notarized affidavit sworn by Rufus R. Beaver on March 20, 1991, is included and states that he gave these revolvers to his nephew. He also states that the bookends were made by the F.B.I. as presentation pieces for Hoover. They were gold plated by the F.B.I. crime lab. Beaver further states that "Hoover kept these guns in his private inner officer at bureau headquarters for a number of years up until the time of his death in 1972." After Hoover's death, his personal assistant and close friend Clyde Tolson (also claimed by some biographers to have been his lover), was left in charge of his estate. Page 371 of "The Director" lists a "Pair of colt Revolvers bookends" at a value of $75 in the U.S. District Court of D.C.'s "Inventory, Appraisal and Re-appraisal" of Hoover's estate. According to the affidavit, Beaver received these revolvers at Tolson's direction. Beaver "worked for a number of years as Mr. Tolson's assistant" and "retried from the bureau in 1971 with the rank of inspector." A framed photograph of Hoover and Beaver is included and is signed "To Rufus R. Beaver/Best wishes from/J. Edgar Hoover/7.12.71." A pair of Colt factory letters with the original Colt envelope are also included. The factory letter for this revolver states that it was part of a February 23, 1951, 200 gun shipment of .38 Special Colt Official Police revolvers special ordered by the Department of Justice for the F.B.I. with 4 inch barrels, blue finish, and custom tuned actions with a 3 1/2 pound trigger pulls. Gun B was part of the same shipment. The revolvers both have standard Colt markings and features and are fitted with checkered walnut grips and "Super Grip" adapters. The round blade front sights have been modified to fix the revolvers to the wooden stands. The other contact points are on the back straps which are also fixed to the stands.

Very fine as gold plated and modified by the F.B.I. crime lab. The revolver retains 85% plus of the gold finish with some spotting and minor handling marks. The barrel has a section of dark patina. The grips are very good and have crisp checkering and only some minor handling and storage type marks. The action is excellent, but, as noted above, the firing pin has been modified. The markings are crisp throughout. The bookend wood is very good with only a few minor marks and a few slight scuffs. This is an important, one-of-a-kind set of Colt revolvers from the office of one of the most powerful men in United States history. Both revolvers were likely used by F.B.I. agents for several years before they were turned into these personalized bookends for J. Edgar Hoover by the F.B.I. itself. Imagine the stories these revolvers could tell!

See gun A for primary details. The factory letter for this revolver states that it was part of the same February 23, 1951, 200 gun shipment of .38 Special Colt Official Police revolvers special ordered by the Department of Justice for the F.B.I. with 4 inch barrels, blue finish, and custom tuned actions with a 3 1/2 pound trigger pulls as gun A.

Very fine as gold plated and "deactivated" like other revolver. The revolver retains 90% of the gold finish with some spotting and minor handling marks. There are a few spots of darker patina. The grips are very fine and have crisp checkering and some minor handling and storage type marks. The action is excellent, but the firing pin was cut when the revolver was modified for the bookend. The markings are clear overall. The bookend wood is fine with only a few minor marks and a few slight scuffs.