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LOT 1483
Very Scarce Documented Pre-World War
II 1938 Production U.S. Army Colt Model 1911A1 Semi-Automatic Pistol with Factory Letter - Serial no. 712964, 45 ACP cal., 5 inch round bbl., blue finish, plastic grips. 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.
CONDITION: 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.
Estimate: 6,500 - 11,000
LOT 1484
Scarce World War II Liberator Pistol with
Extractor Rod, Ammunition, and Instruction
Sheet - NSN, 45 ACP cal., 4 inch round bbl.,
bright finish, metal grips. This is an excellent
example of a desirable WWII Liberator pistol.
One million of these were produced by the
Guide Lamp Company, a division of General
Motors in 1942. They were intended to be a
cheap and easy way to produce single shot
pistols that could be dropped behind enemy
lines to resistance, SOE and OSS forces that
would enable them to kill an enemy soldier and capture his weapon. They were made from sheet metal stampings that were spot welded together with a smooth bore barrel and used a single shot firing mechanism which is located on the rear of the pistol. It has a heavy cast alloy cocking handle which was rotated to the side to allow loading through a gate. The base of the grips was hollowed out to hold more rounds. Complete with the wooden extractor rod, instruction sheet and ten rounds of original 45 caliber ammunition. “AL 740089” has been electro penciled on the left lower grip, otherwise these pistols were totally unmarked. A scarce piece of WWII memorabilia.
CONDITION: Excellent 98% with some small areas of discoloration from age, a few scattered light scratches and a couple of small areas of minor pitting. Mechanically excellent.
Estimate: 4,500 - 7,500
LOT 1485
World War II U.S. Union Switch & Signal Model
1911A1 Semi-Automatic Pistol - Serial no. 1054150, 45 ACP cal., 5 inch round bbl.,
Dulite finish, plastic grips. In May of 1942 the U.S. government initially placed an order with Union Switch & Signal Co. for 200,000 Model 1911A1 pistols, an order which was later revised to 55,000 pistols. This pistol was manufactured in 1943. The slide is marked with the
“USS” monogram and “U.S. & S. Co./SWISSVALE, PA. U.S.A.” on the left side, with a Robert Downie “R.C.D.” on the left of the frame, and standard U.S. government nomenclature on the right. British proofs are present on the frame, slide,
and barrel. It is fitted with blade and notch sights, thin checkered hammer, short stamped trigger, long grip safety, arched checkered mainspring housing with lanyard loop, replacement reinforced
Keyes Fiber grips, full blue “L” marked magazine and a full blue barrel marked “HS” and “P” on the lug.
CONDITION: Excellent, retains 95% plus of the original Dulite finish with some light handling marks and edge wear. The
replacement grips are very fine with some scattered light blemishes in the overall crisp checkering. Mechanically excellent. Estimate: 3,250 - 4,750
Collector’s Fact
One of only 1,296 Colt Model 1911A1 pistols purchased by the U.S. Army in 1938, the second lowest production year of 1911A1 pistols.
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