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Colt 1903 U.S. Property Marked - Lend Lease

6K views 13 replies 8 participants last post by  KevinA 
#1 ·
Hi,
I just picked up a Colt 1903 U.S. Property marked .32 auto. The condition is very good, with a bit of wear visible on the right rear portion of the slide. In addition, it appears someone attempted to strike the U.S. Property marking. This is a British Lend Lease pistol with very good original blued finish. I was wondering if this model has collector interest? Is there a way to find out if this Colt was ever issued to a General Officer? Thanks in advance for your help.
Mike
 

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#4 ·
Your pistol is not listed in the SRS records I have as being a GO pistol. You likely have one of the several thousand US Property marked 32 caliber pistols shipped to Great Britain, probably in late 1944. Of these, about 2,300 are known to have had a blued finish. Most were released for commercial sale in the 1960s, and that's when they were proofed and received the British proof marks.
 
#5 ·
Tom D is right on with his info, there is no record of this pistol being issued to an individual officer (the fact that it went to England would also indicate that it wasn't issued to an individual). There is limited collector interest in this pistol because of the condition (nearly all of these guns came back to the US unissued and many can be found in NIB condition) and the US Property scratch over also hurts. However, the blued US Property guns do command a premium over the parkerized guns.
 
#6 ·
I wish to thank each of you for responding to my listing. I must say, I was pretty sure when making the purchase that this Colt had never been issued to a GO. You have confirmed my doubts. That being said, this is still a very nice example, even if the U.S. Property marking has a few lines through it. There still aren't as many of these around as compaired to the standard Model 1903.
My best to all,
Mike
 
#7 ·
Colt 1903/08 380acp

Wonder if this model could be traced.Found in an old shed,very well hidden for many years,Believed to be from UK agent sent here during ww2 to see what the Germans were upto.Any captured agents apparently never had a weapon on them when picked up,The shoulder holster is well made and a little bit different to usual.Hope the pics come out ok.
 

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#10 ·
Tom....are SRS records available for public access? I have a Colt 1903 US Property (serial # 571988) that I would like to gather as much info about as I can. Belonged to my father who passed on to me. Not sure how he acquired but would like to build a to pass on to my children. Thank you for any assistance you can provide.
 
#11 ·
Several questions in one thread, but on 561776 the British commercial proofs eliminate it from being a GO pistol. As others have stated, the defacing of the U.S. PROPERTY significantly decreases it's collector value.

A Colt historical letter on the .380 ACP might give some information on it's history. Was anything else found with it to indicate it belonged to a UK agent?

Do you have any information on the name R. Aman being connected to the Pocket Hammerless .32 571988 ? It is late enough that I would guess it is finished in Parko-Lubrite (Parkerizing).
 
#12 ·
R. Aman was my step-uncle. He passed away several years ago. From your records was this issued to R. Aman? I am assuming my dad purchased from him or traded (as they were known to do). It is Parkerized. Is there a website, book, or other way of tracing firearm history? Any additional info would be wonderful. As I said I am trying to build history on personal firearms to pass on to my kids. I am new to all this so apologize for so many questions. Thank you for your response!
 
#13 ·
The information I have only lists the name R. Aman in connection with the serial number. It could have been issued to him, or he could have purchased it from the military. What was your step-uncle's branch of service, and what was his rank? I have no idea where the notation of the name came from, but information may be available from Springfield Research Service. You will have to join to receive any information, with no guarantee of getting any information.

A letter from the Colt Historical Dept. will only show where it was originally shipped from Colt.
 
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