Colt Letter

[jondar]

Strange question but has anyone ever heard of a Colt letter being sold by itself?

A few years ago I bought a martially marked Colt SAA. The seller told me that they had received a Colt letter based on the serial number submitted which "proved" the gun was counterfeit in that barrell length was different as was finish. Also the gun in the letter had been delivered to a hardware store somewhere in the Midwest.

In checking the numbers on the revolver and the one on the Colt letter there was a one digit difference. I re-applied to Colt for a letter with the correct number and they gave the revolver a clean bill of health.

So that left me with the incorrect Colt letter. The chances of someone still having that other revolver and wanting a letter are the same as winning the PowerBall lottery. However someone may want one just for a curio. Should I put this on auction or just frame it and put it by the gun rack?

 

[Geno]

You got the old letter for free?

Did you pay for the old letter or was it free? if it was free, be a good sportsman and get it to the rightful owner "if ever possible" for free.

There are times that you can do the right thing for nothing, and in turn, you reap a million dollars of gratitude. JMHO.

Doc2005

 

[jondar]

I am the rightful owner. I bought it when I bought the revolver. Tell me how I can get it to a hardware company that existed in 1882 and I will be glad to get it to them.

 

[Jim K]

I think DOC2005 meant to try to get the letter to the owner of the pistol whose serial number is on it. I doubt that would be possible and would be a lot of trouble and expense. I wouldn't even try. If the owner of that pistol, whoever it is, wants a Colt letter, he will have to ask for one from Colt.

Just a note on Colt letters. They don't really "authenticate" a pistol. For some time there has been a little racket in Colt SAA's, where a Colt letter shows that revolver, say, #12345 was shipped to, say, Wyatt Earp. And the seller will include the letter when the buyer shells out multibucks for SAA number 12345. If the buyer is in doubt, he can write Colt himself, and will receive the same information, proving that the gun is authentic!

Well, no. The letter is authentic and SAA number 12345 really was sold to Wyatt. But the gun being sold was serial number 54268 a month ago. The letter is authentic, the gun is fake. And the seller has a half dozen more Colt SAA's, serial number 12345, ready to go with more copies of the Colt letter.

Jim

 

[Geno]

Correct

Jim is correct. Furthermore, no where in the original post did the date 1882 appear.

For me, the challenge of locating who owns the pistol identified in the errant letter would be fun.

Do as you choose.

Doc2005

 

[dfariswheel]

These days with the prices of just about ANY Colt skyrocketing, and rare guns just going absolutely crazy, there's another thing to watch out for.

That's counterfeit Colt letters and counterfeit box end labels,
With laser printers common, fake Colt factory letters have been seen, along with faked-up end labels.

The first case of phony Colt letters I ever saw was years ago on the West coast.
There was some man who was all the talk of the Colt collectors network.
He was paying way over market prices for pre-war Colt Detective Special revolvers, but they had to be within a certain serial number range.

It seems that at the same time, he was very quietly selling "genuine" Colt-Fitzgerald "Fitz" model Detective Specials, complete with a Colt factory letter confirming that the gun bought was a genuine Fitz gun.

The scheme blew up when one buyer damaged his letter and contacted Colt to get a replacement.
When he got the new letter showing the gun as an ordinary Detective Special, he called Colt to have a little talk.
Result was, the guy buying Detective Specials and selling rare factory lettered Fitz guns did a stretch in the slammer for mail fraud.
These fake factory lettered Colt-Fitz guns are still out there.

These days, you not only have to check for altered serial numbers on the gun, a smart buyer gets his OWN letter from Colt to verify authenticity.

 

[jondar]

Thanks for the comebacks. However according to the Colt letter, the gun was shipped to a hardware store (company)? in 1882. So the hardware company is the original owner? Or the first buyer of the gun from the hardware company? Now that would be a challenge to find him. (Her>) My only question was whether to offer it for sale or frame it for a curio. I have since sold the US marked revolver along with the letter I got from Colt authenticating it. Thanks again for your responses.

 

[Jim K]

Hi, Jondar,

Legally, a letter belongs to the person to whom it was sent unless or until he/she relinquishes it by sale, discarding, whatever. Since the letter came with the gun, as part of the sale to you, it now belongs to you. You can do anything you want with it. I can't imagine that a Colt letter by itself, referencing an unknown gun, has any real value, but you can sell it if you can find a buyer.

Jim

 

[jondar]

Jim, this is what I was thinking too about selling it. I've never heard of it before or seen any for sale. Probably wouldn't bring much so I probably won't bother. I bet that was a shock to the former owner of that Colt cavalry model US marked gun when they got the letter saying it left the Colt factory as a .44-40, nickel plated, 5 1/2' barrell and delivered to a hardware store!

 

[Jim K]

Could there be something wrong with my Colt letter saying my AA2000 was shipped to U.S. Grant? Maybe I have been took.

Jim