Price Check on 1911 & Spanish Auto.

[Fudgie Ghost]

A friend recently came into possession of this 1911 and a Spanish auto. Neither he nor I shoot or collect 1911's, so our knowledge of the value of this gun is limited, and we are seeking an unbiased opinion of it's worth, as well as the little Spanish pocket pistol.

Any opinions of information of either gun would be appreciated. BTW, I blotted out the last two numbers of the 1911, and the Spanish auto's serial number on my photo software---it's not a blemish. . .

 

[Jim K]

It is hard to tell on the 1911, but that may be a photography/lighting problem. At points, it looks like the blue is very nice, but most of the slide looks like it is a brown patina. Since the value of any collector gun depends on its condition, that is the amount of original finish, that is obviously important in trying to assign a value.

The Spanish gun is a "Bufalo", made by Gabilondo & Cia. (company), Elgoibar, Spain, for Beristain & Cia., hence the "BC" on the grips. Beristain also held the patent on the grip safety. The gun was made between 1920 and 1925. Value is low, although Gabilondo was one of the better makers. A reasonable retail price would be $100-150 if in good condition and functional. The price is based on usability; there is little collector interest.

Jim

 

[Fudgie Ghost]

Jim: thanks for the info on the "Bufalo", that is interesting and helpful.

I am attaching some additional photo's of the 1911. In one I played around with the brightness, contrast and color to try to make it more clear as to what the finish is like. You are correct that most of the bluing appears to have been lost. I photograped it rather hurriedly, I'm afraid. I may be able to take some better shots shortly, but in the meantime, see if these are any more enlightening. .

 

[Jim K]

Lost bluing is one thing, but a coating of "patina" (a nice name for rust) is something else. Your new pics seem to show a loss of blue, but no real red rust, as the first pics seemed to show.

I would put the value at around $600-800 if most of the parts are original. We will see what others say.

Jim

 

[1911Tuner]

1911

Serial number 909XX resolves to mid-1914 production. The trigger, mag catch, and slidestop are era-correct, but not so sure about the thumb safety. Hard to tell from the lighting, but it appears to be a Springfield safety. (The real Springfield...not the one in Geneseo.) Looks like a nice example of the era, but should be examined by someone who knows and understands the 1911 design before firing it...and it should be fired little.

Obvious things to look for is evidence of slap-seated or deformed lugs in the slide and on the barrel. The damage will appear as a stair-stepped lug or lugs. Front faces of the barrel lugs/rear faces of the slide lugs. If it's there, it will be in varying degrees. Sometimes it's obvious, and sometimes it takes a close look under a strong light. Clean the slide's lugs and recesses and thoroughly degrease. If this damage is noted...and especially if it's highly noticeable...the headspace is gone.

Patina...Rust. Yes. Since bluing is essentially a rusting process, as it starts to fade and wear, the steps in that process reveal themselves. I find it attractive in much the same way as I see beauty in the wrinkled old faces and toothless grins that are becoming more scarce by the day. I try never to miss an opportunity to handle an old gun or converse with a lady or gent of advanced years. They are all irreplaceable.

Congratulations on aquiring your little piece of history.

 

[Old Fuff]

Part of the problem here is that the flash is bouncing off the background as well as the gun, and so the color tone of the background and gun are averaged, and that may give the pistol a brown cast that really isn’t there. The solution is to take a picture outdoors, preferably on an overcast day or in a shaded area to cut out harsh shadows. I’ll look into the history of the gun a bit more when I get the chance, but it would help if the owner would send me, by personal message or e-mail, the full serial number. Do not post this on the Internet. Give me some time and I’ll be back on this one.

 

[Old Fuff]

I copied and then color corrected one of the 1911 pistol photographs, and I'll try to post it later. Anyway, I think that at some time it might have been left in a wet holster, the sides of the slide rusted and lightly pitted, and then it was cleaned - leaving a mottled finish that is common when this happens. When the background is corrected to more-or-less true white there isn't any brown cast or evidence that brown rust remains.