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Excellent Early 1912 Production U.S. Navy Marked Colt Model 1911 Semi-Automatic Pistol
Collector’s Fact
Of the 578,473 Model 1911 pistols purchased for the U.S. Navy, only 15,037 were manufactured with a U.S. Navy slide legend.
LOT 1474
Exceptional U.S. Navy Contract Colt Model 1911 Semi-Automatic Pistol - Serial no. 11198, 45 ACP cal., 5 inch round bbl., blue finish, walnut grips. US Property marked. A total of 15,037 of these pistols were manufactured by Colt with the desirable U.S. Navy slide marking, all of which were delivered prior
to April of 1915. After that, all Model 1911 pistols delivered to the navy would bear the standard U.S. Army nomenclature, of which there were approximately 578,473 manufactured, making this variation comparatively very scarce. This
is an example of a 1912 production, U.S. Navy contract, Colt Model 1911
pistol that was shipped on 5 November 1912 to the Brooklyn Navy Yard
(“The Government Models: The Development of the Colt Model of 1911” by Goddard). It is finished in the military brushed blue finish that was adopted in April of 1912. The left side of the slide is marked with the standard two-line, two-block Colt address and patent dates with the circled Rampant Colt behind the serrations, while the right bears the desirable “MODEL OF 1911 U.S. NAVY” marking. The replacement brushed blue barrel is marked “COLT 45 AUTO”, “G”, and “P” internally. The left side of the frame has the U.S. property marking and “WGP” circled monogram above the magazine release, while the serial number is on the right. It is fitted with blade front and rounded top notch rear sights,
checkered slide catch,
thumb safety, magazine
catch, and wide hammer,
long smooth trigger,
smooth flat mainspring
housing with lanyard loop,
a pair of diamond pattern
checkered walnut grips,
and a unmarked two-tone
“keyhole” magazine with
lanyard loop base.
CONDITION: Very fine,
retains 80% plus of the original blue finish with the balance mostly a smooth grey patina, primarily visible on the forward portion of the slide and the grip straps. The grips are also excellent with a small chip near the lower right screw and a few scattered very light blemishes in the overall crisp checkering. Mechanically excellent.
Provenance: The Dr. Robert Azar Collection.
Estimate: 14,000 - 22,500
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