Manufactured in 1910. In the accompanying handwritten letter of provenance Art Croci states that this revolver was used by his father, Pete Croci, to deter a robbery at his property on July 7, 1956. Pete was 75 years old at the time. The incident is confirmed in three included period newspaper clippings. The trouble began at 11:20 pm when two men came into a Missoula, Montana, bar and one of these men pointed an Italian .22 pistol at the bartender, Pete Croci. "This is a stick-up," said the man. Croci didn't comply and instead reached for his revolver, this exact Police Positive .38 Special, and began firing at the robbers. A shootout ensued. One of the robbers grabbed Croci's gun and used it to beat a customer who had joined in the battle. The customer suffered head wounds. One of the robbers was hit in the ankle, leg and hand. The police arrived and the two robbers were taken into custody. "While on the way to the hospital the jolting of the patrol car caused a .38 caliber bullet to snap out of the wound in the man's ankle," read the dramatic account printed in the local paper. Comes with a Billings Gun Show receipt for this revolver (serial number is incorrectly listed as "37844") to noted collector John Fox.

Fine, retaining 60% original blue finish with the balance a smooth gray patina. The grips are good with a couple chips at the bottom, minor handing marks and some wear to the checkering. Mechanically excellent. This Police Positive .38 Special used to deter a stick up at a Montana bar will bring added dimension to any Colt collection.