Question about 1911 made in 1916

[loki.fish]

Somewhat local shop is selling:
Colt 1911 .45acp Gov US Property been Parkerized ***MADE 1916*** 999.00
Will the parkerization (this word even exist?) kill the value of it or for that matter the looks? I haven't seen it, just found the ad for it. I really want a 1911 made pre 1920 for history/collector purposes.

 

[Jim Watson]

A Parkerized 1916 gun will be of substantially less value than one in even well worn blue. I think $999 is definitely a retail price. If it was Parkerized as part of a US arsenal rework, then it is still an authentic service pistol. But those reworks were done after 1920. Does that matter to your history? Now if Bubba did it with a home chemistry kit...

 

[hacksaw]

Dude...

Go to http://www.1911forum.com/
They have a USGI section where a bunch of brainiacs hang out telling lies and such, these guys can tell you anything you would ever want to know about an old 1911 Colt. You would get better feedback if you had some of the serial number available too...

Good Luck

 

[Onmilo]

Simply put, since the pistol has been parkarized, the frame may date from 1916 and I am betting the rest of the parts including the slide and barrel date from about thirty to forty years later.

With current pricing, a grand isn't out of the realm of spot on for a pistol of this type.
This is a picture of my X number frame 1911.
It too was produced in 1916 based on the inspector stamp on the other side and it was rebuilt sometime in the mid 1940s.
It sold for $950 about three years ago.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

My two cents (and worth every penny)

I think it would cost a lot more to start with if it still had any degree of its original finish.

 

[Onmilo]

I agree.
All of the original finish, untampered with, 1911 pistols I have seen offered in the last couple of years started at $1400.00 and went up from there.

 

[buttrap]

If its all GI and marked as a GI refinish its still a collectable worth some real money. On the upper end you find ones that have the colt frame and colt slide and original 1911 parts and sights with just a High Standard replacement barrel and the plastic grip. The lower end lots of A-1 parts on a non matching slide and frame. Most where done at Agusta and should have A.A. stamped on the side of the frame.

 

[bannockburn]

There were several re-build arsenals that were used to work on the 1911. There was: Springfield, MA; Rock Island, IL; Minneapolis, MN; Raritan, NJ; Augusta, GA; and Tokyo, Japan.