Page 324 - Auction84-Book1

LOT 552
Extremely Rare Presentation Harrington & Richardson M1 Garand Semi-Automatic
Rifle - Serial no. ONE OF NINE, 30-06 cal., 24 inch bbl., parkerized finish, walnut stock. Rare example of the nine special presentation Harrington & Richardson M1 Garand rifles manufactured for executives of Harrington & Richardson, International Harvester and barrel maker Line Material Corporation (LMC) to commemorate completion of post-World War II M1 Garand rifle contracts in 1955. These rifles are described in detail on pages 496-497 of “THE M1 GARAND RIFLE” by Bruce Canfield. The nine presentation M1 rifles were roll-stamped: “U.S.RIFLE/CALIBER .30 M1/H&R ARMS CO.” in three lines on the top of the receiver heel with no serial number. The rear face of the receiver heel was roll-stamped with the H&R and LMC logos along with “1955” and “ONE OF NINE”. Canfield states that the nine presentation nearly rifles were manufactured by H&R in secrecy and their existence was unknown for many years. Aside from the special receiver markings, this rifle is a standard, late production, H&R M1 rifle. The top of the bolt is stamped with the drawing number “6528287 H.R.A./U.W 407”. The right side of the receiver is stamped with the drawing number/steel lot code: “D-6528291” below the stock line. The right side of the barrel chamber is stamped: “LMR D6535448 8 55 A43” in a single line followed by “P M”. The left side of the trigger housing is stamped” IHC D6528290”. The hammer, trigger and safety are H&R components. The receiver, barrel, bolt and trigger guard have an even, charcoal gray, parkerized finish. The hand guard and forearm are nicely figured walnut; the stock is straight grain walnut. The stock and handguard have a military oil finish. The stock lacks Ordnance proof and inspection marks. This is a unique, specially made presentation M1 rifle that would be the centerpiece of an advanced collection of M1 Garand rifles. CONDITION: Excellent plus overall. This rifle appears to be unfired and retains 99% plus of the original charcoal gray parkerized finish with traces of handling and storage wear. The stock and hand guards have nearly all of the original oil finish. This is a nearly new example of an extremely rare, specially made presentation H&R M1 Garand rifle.
LOT 553
Exceptional Springfield Armory “Type 1” National Match M1 Garand Semi-Automatic Rifle with Original DCM Box and Papers - Serial no. 5925083, 30-06 cal., 24 inch bbl., parkerized finish, walnut stock. This is an exceptional example of an original and unaltered, early production, Type 1 NM M1 rifle as manufactured by Springfield, and was sold to a gentleman in California in February 1957. These rifles were the very first series of the M1 NM rifle produced and are considered very rare today, as most saw heavy use in the 1954-1960 period, and later were either altered/ enhanced with accuracy upgrades or completely rebuilt by the army into a Type 2 model. These rifles had minimal accuracy improvements at this time in comparison to the later rifle in the 1959-1965 time frame with the standard enhancements being the NM marked barrel, standard hand-fitted parts (without NM markings), and the hand fit walnut stock and hand guard set. Consequently these rifles are easy to duplicate; however, this rifle has the original DCM papers and original shipping container from Raritan Arsenal, proving its authenticity. The receiver markings are as follows: “U.S. RIFLE/CAL. 30 M1/SPRINGFIELD/ARMORY” over the serial number, “5925083”. The right side of the receiver is marked “T8/F6528291”, and the barrel is marked “SA F6535448 9 55 A223A” with the correct “P”, “M”, “T” and small DOD proof and acceptance marks. The left front portion of the exposed barrel has the correct “NM” markings. The various parts are marked as follows: trigger housing: “658290-SA”; trigger guard: stamped unmarked; hammer: “SA 5546008”; safety: “SA-11”; bolt: “6528287-SA/A15”; correct operating rod: “D6535382 SA” with no NM on top of the cocking handle; bullet guide: stamped unmarked; follower arm: unmarked; op rod catch assembly: single bevel unmarked. It has the correct hand fitted rear sight set for this rifle which is the standard unmarked rear sight base with standard windage and elevation knobs that are marked “DRC” and “WCE” respectively with no NM markings. The rear sight set is fitted with the correct early style, unhooded rear aperture with the back side of the aperture having a slight checkered pattern to dull any reflection from the sun. The gas cylinder is a late post-war version that was hand selected for tighter tolerances and then hand fitted to the barrel. It has the wide base and high hump gas cylinder lock, with the later four-slot gas plug that is marked “BS”. The stock and hand guard set are the correct hand selected straight grained walnut versions that were selected for a super tight fit with no accuracy improvements. The left side of the stock has the DOD acceptance cartouche and a single “P” proof in the pistol grip area. Includes the original shipping document/invoice from Letterkenny Army Depot and the original shipping container from Raritan Arsenal. The outside of the box is clearly marked with the NSN and packaging information with the address label to the same individual on the shipping documents. It is complete with the original VCI shipping sleeve dated Oct 1955. CONDITION: Excellent, with 99% plus of the original green parkerized finish overall with just a hint of wear starting on the right side receiver rail. The breech end of the barrel is still in the white, and the chamber area is also still in the white. The rifle appears to be unfired and has probably only been hand cycled a couple of times over the years. Mechanically excellent. The revarnished stock and hand guard set are all in very fine condition with just a couple of very minor handling marks and clear and distinct cartouches and proofs. The box is in fine condition with clear markings and address label with the one end that was opened missing the flap and some minor scuffing and tears on the edges in a couple of places. Estimate: 6,000 - 9,000
Collector’s Fact
As described by author Bruce Canfield, the special ONE OF NINE marked Garand M1 rifles were produced for executives of Harrington & Richardson, International Harvester, and Line Material Corporation to commemorate the completion of M1 Garand rifle contracts.
Estimate: 7,500 - 12,000
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