UPDATE/PICS! Value of Colt 1911, 1914 prod.

O

Oden

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Hey,
I would appreciate some help if anyone has access to a copy of a "Blue book", or personal guess'a'ment, with the value of the following:
Colt 1911 serial # C9###.
From what I found is that "c" stands for commercial model, the serial number indicates it was made in 1914.
Lanyard loop on bottom, stamped "goverment model" on the reciever along with patten dates.
And also I would say it was 65 to 75 % in finish, good rifling in barrel.
Thanks!
 
Last edited:
Oden said:
Hey,
I would appreciate some help if anyone has access to a copy of a "Blue book", or personal guess'a'ment, with the value of the following:
Colt 1911 serial # C9###.
From what I found is that "c" stands for commercial model, the serial number indicates it was made in 1914.
Lanyard loop on bottom, stamped "goverment model" on the reciever along with patten dates.
And also I would say it was 65 to 75 % in finish, good rifling in barrel.
Thanks!
Click to expand...

Without seeing it.... in Canada right now... $550 - $750 tops, if it's all original [including the barrel] & none of the parts have been changed & original finish [no refinish or reblue].... It would be better to see detailed pics to better evaluate it.
 
Thought I should mention that if it is 1914 commercial production, and located in Canada, there is a strong possibility that it is one of 5000 1914-production .45ACP M1911 pistols purchased late that year by Canada while arming the first contingent of the WWI Canadian Expeditionary Force. The majority of such pistols have no C-broadarrow or other Government markings, by the way - for various reasons, not the least of which was that a great many were re-sold to officers (who had to purchase their own kit, including sidearms, at personal expense.)

I am the very fortunate owner of one such officer-purchase 1911 in at least 95% condition, which belonged to a Major in the Canadian Army Service Corps:

colt02d.jpg
 
Thanks for the information lads.
I don't have any pictures to post. A widow asked me yesterday if I was interested in buying it.
Special thanks to Grant for chiming in. She did state that she believed that it was in the war. But after researching the prefix on the serial number I started to wonder about that fact. But now I guess it is possible as such.
I will keep you posted if a purchase goes ahead.
Cheers
 
Oden said:
Thanks for the information lads.
I don't have any pictures to post. A widow asked me yesterday if I was interested in buying it.
Special thanks to Grant for chiming in. She did state that she believed that it was in the war. But after researching the prefix on the serial number I started to wonder about that fact. But now I guess it is possible as such.
I will keep you posted if a purchase goes ahead.
Cheers
Click to expand...

It would be good if she is able to give you some details [that you can further research & document] about the possible war history/use of that particular pistol. Personally, I think a well used 1911 with proven war time use has more character that a pristine 1911 with the same providence. To me it means the former was probably used for it's intended purpose while the later spent a lot of time in the owner's foot locker.
 
Yes, the entire lot of 5000 pistols purchased by the Canadian Government were commercial production, with C-prefix serial numbers. Matter of fact, non-commercial production was allocated totally to filling the US Government contracts - a process which hadn't really gotten under way until 1912.

As a result - as you can hopefully tell from my photo - the Canadian pistols had the top quality high polish, beautiful fire blue and finely checkered walnut grips of the standard commercial model pistols.

If you know the identity of the original owner - and hopefully can confirm his military service during WWI - it should be possible to locate his Canadian Expeditionary Force (C.E.F.) "Attestation Papers" at the web site of Library & Archives Canada (i.e. former National Archives of Canada) - where scans of hundreds of thousands of such documents are readily available online! What's more - from there you can use the archival information given for each such individual to order a copy of his entire C.E.F. personnel record, if you are so inclined!

The specific URL to go to start your quest is:
http://www.collectionscanada.ca/archivianet/020106_e.html
Once there, after reading the introduction, you'll need to click on "Search the database" and enter the man's name (try his first initials as well as given names). Another bit of information the form calls for you to enter is "Regimental number" - you can search without it and, if the man was an officer, he wouldn't have had one, anyway.

Virtually every person who served in the C.E.F. is listed (though the attestation papers of some are not yet available online) - with archival reference numbers from which the service record can be ordered.

I have done this already for a Webley revolver I own, which is engraved with a WWI Lieutenant's name - i.e. obtained his entire CEF file. I haven't yet ordered the whole file for the Major who owned my Colt 1911, but here are his Attestation papers:

http://data2.archives.ca/cef/gpc011/501967a.gif

http://data2.archives.ca/cef/gpc011/501967b.gif
 
You can even go further in an unfortunate even the owner was killed in action overseas while serving with the C.E.F. You can locate the cemetery he was buriied at and possibly a photograph.
 
Thanks for the links Grant.

I punched in my great grandfathers name and got his service number as well as DOB 24/3/1894. 102 years ago today! quite the coincidence!

He died in 1974 and served in WW I and II.
 
Well the dirty deed was done and here is some pics of the newest investment. (forgive my less then perfect camera work)
I'm 99% sure that it was one of the 5000 purchased by the Canadian goverment for the great war, as mentioned by GrantR. The widow let me go through the old paper work and I got the name of the "relative/orginal owner".
She had very little information to give other then it was her late husbands grandfather.
A search on the website gave 68 matches for that name that had signed up at the start of the war in serve in the C.E.F. Several matches showed on the attestation papers that they had been commissioned officers. A matter of deduction from there.
Its a good feeling to have perhaps saved a fragment of Canadian military history such as this. With luck someday I would like to confirm the exact individual that took this pistol to war.
For now I await the CFC/CFO to do their thing.

Picture024.jpg

Picture025.jpg
 
Now that one looks like it was actually used for it's intended purpose. Hopefully, your search of the original "war owner" will confirm the action he was involved in...
 
wow, thats a great link to war veterans in world war 2. I looked up my great grandpa, grandpa and step grandpa. They are all dead now and served in world war 2, great gramdpa served in both. Makes me proud. I wish I could get a clearer picture of the paperwork.
 
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