Commercial 1911 Colt value

lister

lister

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A relative of mine has a low serial number (C103**) commercial Colt 1911.
He wants an approximate value as he wants to sell it. This is a low round gun from the look and tight feel of it.
Here's some pics.

colt3-1.jpg


colt6.jpg


colt5.jpg


colt7.jpg


colt1.jpg


colt2.jpg



I saw the same gun as this, except in much worse shape sell for 1900$ this past weekend, but looking for the pros opinions. I'll answer any questions I can. Thanks in advance.:cool:


Also, thanks to Wally for the pic. hosting tutorial.
 
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Better pics would certainly help.

It's really hard to assess over all condition, authenticity of small parts, % of finish & if finish is orignal etc unless there are clear pics.

I'd suggest one of each side flat, then closeup ones showing the small parts.... ie slide stop, hammer, trigger, mag release button, mainspring housing, magazine, barrel [you want to show the top of the barrel hood]. Also, clear shots of the slide markings, both sides.

Yes, if it is an original Colt Government [commercial] "C" prefix, 10,### serial number [mfg 1914 - likely one of the Cdn contract pistols] in excellent original unrefinished condition it shoud likely command a premium sum in a sale.

My .02

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NAA.
 
Damn, I knew more pics would be demanded!:) I'll see what I can do. Might take a few days. I can vouch for the originality of parts and finish, but I realize my word won't cut it when we're talking about a gun this valuable.

Any other info would be good.:cool:
 
Appears refinished which can be a kiss of death for collector value, but hard to tell from these pics .. Still a valuable gun, I'd say...

Gunnar
 
lister said:
Why would you say it's refinished?
Click to expand...

Gunnar said it "looks" refinished. Which it does.

The reason he'd say this is that, over time, the bluing on a gun such as this typically wears off due to normal wear and tear (leaving the edges and high wear regions looking like bare metal) or, in cases where the gun is stored and doesn't see much use or handling, the blue gradually turns to a brown patina.

For the age of this gun, one would expect one or both of those conditions to be visible on the finish. Re-bluing the gun would refresh the bluing and result in a bright, rich blue color.

Also, it looks like there are scratches in the metal that are under the finish. All guns have scratches in the metal under the finish. Quality manufacturers (Colt included) polish out all the tool marks prior to applying the finish. Scratches found under the original finish should only be the very fine "polishing" scratches and none of the tool marks or scratches that come from end user usage.
 
Barrel markings are very important, if its not an original barrel the pistol is worth less than you want it to be. Also if the pistol is reblued that devalues a pistol also. I bought a 1914 Canadian Contract 1911 last year for $950.00 and the only thing not original was the barrel. On the other hand for a completely original 1914 WITH ACCESSORIES as shown below I paid $2,100.00 named to an officer at Ypres in 1915

dscf7630a.jpg

By lawrence9 at 2011-10-23

dscf7625a.jpg

By lawrence9 at 2011-10-23

Above you see 1x1913, 3x 1914, 3 have unfortunately replacement barrels the 3rd one down doesn't. Be very careful of pricing I seen one 1914 Colt up for sale by a dealer out trying to scam $2,500.00 out of people and the gun had replacement parts. He told me that a pistol like the one I paid $950.00 for had appreciated to $2,500.00 in 9 months. Nothing wrong with making a profit but lying to do it......................
 
lister said:
Why would you say it's refinished?
Click to expand...

+1.... he said it "looked" refinished.

To encounter an original, correct Colt 1911 or Colt Government [commercial] model from that era in pristine or near condition is a rareity.

They do exist but they are a rare commodity. It also follows that such a piece likely saw little or no "action" in the era & likely spend most of it's time during any hostilities in a foot locker.

Here's my C prefix, 4 digit serial number Colt Government model, also mfg 1914 that shows typical condition likely encountered of a pistol of that vintage....

Note the early patent date slide [last patent date Feb 14, 1911] of this particular piece:

DSCN1044-1.jpg


DSCN1045a.jpg


:canadaFlag:
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NAA.
 
Thanks for the info Guys. I'm waiting on further pics that will hopefully clear up any questions.
Some nice guns as well, I'm jealous!:)

So if it's not refinished, it would be in wicked, grade A mint shape, right?:cool:
Seriously though, if it's original and rare, any further price estimates?
 
lister said:
Thanks for the info Guys. I'm waiting on further pics that will hopefully clear up any questions.
Some nice guns as well, I'm jealous!:)

So if it's not refinished, it would be in wicked, grade A mint shape, right?:cool:
Seriously though, if it's original and rare, any further price estimates?
Click to expand...

If it's original, correct & pristine condition then you can pretty much write your own ticket on it. They are generally made of 'unobtainium'.... ;)

:canadaFlag:
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NAA.
 
lol:D Good to know. I'm still waiting on pics. I did get some more, but they're no better than the others. At this point it looks like it'll be early next week.

Garand-I passed your barrel info along. Hopefully the next set of pics will clarify things.
 
A few more pics. I don't know what the holdup is on the internal pcs, but they should be along shortly.

1911-4.jpg


1911-3.jpg


1911-2.jpg


1911-1.jpg


1911-5.jpg



Any opinions welcome. Apologies for the laziness of my relations, but detail pics soon......
 
NAA said:
Hate to rain on our parade but the lighting in the above pics makes that Colt Government model look refinished. Clearer pics with better lighting might make the difference.

:canadaFlag:
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NAA.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I know. I'm dealing with people that are used to film cameras. Digital is a new concept. (That's right, I'm talking about you, old people!!:p)
Hopefully soon I'll have some better pics....
 
lister said:
Yeah, I know. I'm dealing with people that are used to film cameras. Digital is a new concept. (That's right, I'm talking about you, old people!!:p)
Hopefully soon I'll have some better pics....
Click to expand...

I guess it's the new digital concept that makes your magazine look like it's been shot with a .45!:):D
 
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