This is a very scarce example of one of 1,296 Colt Model 1911A1 pistols manufactured in 1938 under contract for the U.S. Army; per the included letter, it was part of a 350 piece shipment to Springfield Armory on 27 June 1938. The second lowest production year for the 1911/1911A1, 1938 marked the shift from the "Transitional 1911" (1911A1 features but still with 1911 nomenclature) to the full 1911A1, and could be considered the birth year for the pistol that would see America from World War II through the lion's share of the Cold War. Blade front and flat top notch rear sights, with the two-line, two-block address and patent dates on the left side of the matching number slide divided by the Rampant Colt, a "P/H" (Hauff) inspected frame with "P/VP" and "60" on the trigger guard. The barrel is marked "COLT 45 AUTO", "G" on the bottom, and "P" on the lug. Fitted with a short milled trigger, long grip safety, checkered wide hammer, slide catch, thumb safety and arched mainspring housing, replacement grips (left hollow, right ribbed), unmarked two-tone magazine.

Very good, retains 30% of the original blue finish with the balance having thinned mostly to a smooth grey patina, more prominent on the slide and grip straps, and a few scattered small patches of light surface pitting. The replacement grips are fine with a few light blemishes in the overall crisp checkering and four notches cut into the left panel. Mechanically excellent.