Originally manufactured in 1914, the opening year of World War One, an included factory letter from 1996 verifies that this pistol was re-acquired by Colt at a later date. The original intention was to use it as a showpiece in a Colt company museum, but the plan fell through, and the pistol was retained in the Engineering Archive to serve as an in-house reference piece, Colt's own hand-picked exemplar of the 1903 Pocket Hammer. Blade front and notch rear sights, with the two-line, two-block address and patents on the left side of the slide ahead of the serrations with the Rampant Colt behind, caliber marking on the right, and the trigger guard is marked "VP/1" on the left side. Fitted with a casehardened hammer, Colt royal blue trigger, niter blue pins and screws, checkered hard rubber grips with Colt banners and Rampant Colts, and a nickel finished magazine marked "PAT'D SEPT.9.1884" on the pinned base. Along with the Colt letter, the pistol also comes with a brass private collection tag and a series of high-gloss photographs of the pistol.

Excellent, with 99% plus bright original high polish blue finish showing a minimum of edge wear and handling marks. A few of the screws are fading or show turning marks, but the majority retain bright, fiery blue. There are strong case colors on the hammer. The grips are excellent with crisp detail in the checkering and decoration. Mechanically excellent. A Model 1903 Pocket Hammer so fine the company itself wanted it back, virtually unbeatable in condition and form.