What's the deal with this?

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Chaz

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My neighbor recently inherited a Colt Lawman MK III .357 4" barrel with some odd inscriptions on it. The pistol was made in 1976 and has the following inscribed on it:

Officer David Dukes
Powatan Correction Center
State Farm VA
1977
230-84-6419

Manhunt 6-15-19-1977

Would this be like a commerative or retirement gun? What say ye gun guru's?
 

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Must be commemorating some action on that manhunt. Otherwise, I should think a retirement gift would have a date-span to it.

Also interesting that Powhatan is mis-spelled.

Not sure I get the SSN though - if that's what that is.

Todd.
 
What Todd said.
Except I found a reference - Wiki, for what it's worth - saying "Pohatan" is an alternative spelling. I did find a listing for Powhatan Correctional Center. Being from somewhere else, I have no information of my own.
 
I'm not real familiar with colts but the serial number looks more like a social security than a serial number.

I would reach out to the prison
 
Thanks for the responses. My neighbor recieved it from his wife's aunt who "just wanted it out of the house" after her husband passed. As far as he knows, there is no connection to any of the family. Based on the advice here I'll let him know to contact the prison about it to see if he can find our more about it.

We did fire a few rounds and that is one sweet shooting pistol!
 
Thanks for the responses. My neighbor recieved it from his wife's aunt who "just wanted it out of the house" after her husband passed. As far as he knows, there is no connection to any of the family. Based on the advice here I'll let him know to contact the prison about it to see if he can find our more about it.

We did fire a few rounds and that is one sweet shooting pistol!
I think that facility is closed. Seeking out a fraternal organization of corrections workers might help if that is in fact the case.

Todd.
 
In this case, no.

I wonder if it was the engraver who screwed the pooch on that and the guys realized that they would have to live with it. :)
True, while the area/community may have alternated the Correctional Facility most likely never did.

Todd.
 
My neighbor recently inherited a Colt Lawman MK III .357 4" barrel with some odd inscriptions on it. The pistol was made in 1976 and has the following inscribed on it:

Officer David Dukes
Powatan Correction Center
State Farm VA
1977
230-84-6419

Manhunt 6-15-19-1977

Would this be like a commerative or retirement gun? What say ye gun guru's?
The facility is one of many Virginia Department of Corrections Prisons.

It's located about 25 miles west of Richmond Virginia on the south ban of the James River.
 
My neighbor recently inherited a Colt Lawman MK III .357 4" barrel with some odd inscriptions on it. The pistol was made in 1976 and has the following inscribed on it:

Officer David Dukes
Powatan Correction Center
State Farm VA
1977
230-84-6419

Manhunt 6-15-19-1977

Would this be like a commerative or retirement gun? What say ye gun guru's?
  • On 10 June 1977, the convicted murderer of Martin Luther King, Jr., James Earl Ray, escaped from Brushy Mountain State Prison in Tennessee, along with six others. Ray was recaptured after two days. He had been running and hiding in the mountainous forest surrounding the prison.
It's very possible that it's tied to this incident. At least one of the escapee's was captured here in the Commonwealth
 
Thanks but what I really meant was even putting it on there.

Seems with a full name, why bother with the SSN.

Todd.

I agree, the redundancy is odd. Some context, putting an SSN on anything you owned was a thing up to the early 80s when ID theft began to be an issue. I used to collect old stereo gear and many times I'd get a piece that had both the owner's SSN as well as full or partial name scratched on the faceplate. Ruins the item but it wouldn't get much traction at a pawn if stolen. That's the only thing I can think of here and even that is weak.
 
I did the SSN engraving on stuff for years, but stopped that back in the early 1990's. Now I use my drivers license number, it is called the "Owner Applied Number" (As used in the NCIC database) and is engraved on every one of the tools I own.

I've returned many a stolen item to the original owners when they put their driver license number on their stuff, and it made filing and prosecution of the thieves a slam dunk. I even solved a brutal beating/gang-rape/home invasion robbery not too long after it happened. I saw engraving inside the band of of a high school graduation ring the mopes took and had with them when I stopped the car for something completely unrelated. Using that info dispatch was able to locate a name, then found a phone number, and when they called it the other agency had just arrived at the house and an officer answered the phone. :thumbup:

Sadly, I sent boxes and boxes full of stolen property went off to auction when people didn't mark it and didn't know the serial numbers when they reported the theft. :(

With such a famous incident centered around that place on those dates, I will bet money that the former owner took part in that manhunt and this was a going away commemorative gift recognizing his participation in the event. A neat little piece of nearly-forgotten history, I was unaware Ray escaped prison and was caught until this thread. ;)

Stay safe.
 
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