Sold: Grandpa's WWII BHP Bring Back

[DFW1911]

This is beyond belief and I'm very upset: my uncle sold my grandfather's (deceased) WWII Browning Hi-Power bring back to a collector. I cherished that gun. It was the first pistol I ever held and probably started my love affair with firearms.

My brother and I are trying to find out A) why and B) who bought it so we can go after it.

Oh, he also sold 3 SS daggers. I remember my grandfather telling me how he got those. Yes, we're also trying to find them but we're months late.

This is unreal to me. This man risked his life and made it back. He was a Yale grad and served as a Field Surgeon under Patton.

I'm disgusted. Has anyone else had a relative pull such a bone-headed stunt to serve their own selfish needs?

My next family reunion should be interesting.

Thanks for letting me vent.

Take care,
DFW1911

 

[Austerity]

Wow, sounds like the WW1 era Colt 1911 officers model that my grandfather had in the Navy that my mother sold when my parents split their ways.

 

[Oyeboten]

How did the uncle obtain ownership of the Pistol, in order to sell it?

 

[jimmyraythomason]

How did the uncle obtain ownership of the Pistol, in order to sell it?

The answer to this question will make a LOT of difference.

 

[Jim Watson]

Treatment of estate items is one of the most contentious human activities I know of. You would think Grandpa's pistol or Auntie's faux Ming vase was the crown of the realm.

A lesson to us all, get it down on paper in proper legal form.

 

[Lonestar49]

How did the uncle obtain ownership of the Pistol, in order to sell it?

...

Greed, being at the right place at the right time, taking advantage of an old "hero", and, my guess, money problems due to this or that, and took them, unknown to any, and did what an uncouth does..

The way I'm reading/seeing this is no matter the "rightful ownership" issue, even with a costly law suit, and win, the cost would far outweigh trying to collect from someone that is close to, if not, worthless..

Sorry about your situation - but your GD still lives thru your found, proud, memories of him and what he did with his life for you and many other people alive today or lived longer (during and after the war) from his efforts..


Ls

 

[buck460XVR]

How did the uncle obtain ownership of the Pistol, in order to sell it?

The answer to this question will make a LOT of difference.

yep...if the uncle had legal ownership, altho he may be an [redacted], and it was a stupid thing to do, it was his right. If he didn't have legal ownership, you need to call the cops.

 

[Greg528iT]

That sucks,

I have a couple stories along those lines.

The best of luck in tracking down the "collector" and have him be understanding.

 

[oneounceload]

yep...if the uncle had legal ownership, altho he may be an azz, and it was a stupid thing to do, it was his right. If he didn't have legal ownership, you need to call the cops.

Exactly................

 

[hopper]

Hi DFW, I'm located in your area and would be willing to lend a hand with any of the "leg work" necessary. Let me know if you need another body behind a phone or at a keyboard.

Your story is really upsetting, I can't imagine how I'd react if this happened to me. There's at least one in every family though, and I hope his actions didn't cause your family to lose your grandpa's legacy for good

 

[Sapper771]

That's awful, I am sorry to hear about that. Some people have no clue about the significance of those items.

I am still sick over my cousin taking his original Colt 1914 WWI issue 1911 and having it nickle plated.

 

[SSN Vet]

Do you know the whole story?

Has your uncle fallen on hard times?

I'm assuming that your uncle is your late grandfather's son... and if this is the case, I'd suggest that his relationship with gramps was a tad closer than yours. And if he legally inherited these items, what he does with them is his business, and his alone.

If you desire to own them, track down the dealer and pay full market value for them.

Don't start a family feud over something that is, when it comes right down to it, none of your business.

If I left my most prized possession to my kid, and one day they fell on hard times and needed $ to keep from losing the roof over their heads or to feed their kids, I'd smile in my grave to know that I raised them to value people over stuff.

When my parents sold the family homestead and moved into a condo. in AZ, they had a big auction to clear out the house. There were some items of furniture that I wanted, so I asked a friend to attend the auction (I was active duty stationed far away) and gave him a limit to bid on those items. Thus I was assured that my parents got fair market value for the things. You know, the things they bought with their money.

Dad sold an 1860s vintage trap door carbine that he had hanging over the mantle for years, as well as his fathers old Savage pump 12 ga. I couldn't afford the carbine and didn't really want the 12 ga. I was happy for my dad to learn that he got a pretty penny for the carbine, because I knew that this sale was really important to them.

My parents have given me a wonderful legacy, that includes values and an education. And though I suspect there might be some sort of modest estate left for us kids to divide up, I've never really not interested in getting my hands on their stuff.

 

[VegasAR15]

Reading that just made my stomach churn. If he had to sell the stuff, he should have at least offered it up to purchase for family members first. My wife had some tweeker uncles, pawned numerous family heirlooms, including an original Confederate flag from the Civil War.

 

[RONSERESURPLUS]

Hello all, While I do agree that ownership matters, if that person fell on hard times, prehaps, but my Experience is with many family members selling the family legacy, it's Pure Greed, no Hardship existed, just another <deleted -- Sam> getting over on something he made some $ on! He will have to Live wit the shame of it, too bad many don't care and it will not Boter thim? Yes, you have your Memories and how you have not discraced yourself in doing what was done!

RON

 

[Oyeboten]

I had kind of a similar thing happen.

My first experiences with Shooting, 8, 9 years old, were with my dad's M1917 S & W Revolver in .45 ACP.

This was in the late 1950s, early 1960s...anyway, I took to it like-a-Duck-to-Water.


Years later, early 1980s, he gave the Revolver to me, and, me realizing it was his only Revolver, and me by then living across the Country, I said "Dad, I appreciate this...but for now, how 'bout you just hang onto it for me, and we both know it is mine, and you keep the use of it for the time being...ya never know, might come in handy..."


Well, couple years later, mid 1980s, my dad passed away.

Day of the Funeral, one of his Brothers remembered the Revolver from the mid 1930s when my dad had bought it used, and, the brother, my Uncle, put a squeeze on my mom to sell it to him for $15.00, since according to him, it was "old, unsafe, and he did not want it falling into the wrong hands."

I did not find out till a few days later.


I felt truely insulted by this, so much so, I just let it go and did not contact/confront him about it. Everything was so heavy with my mom's grief, my grief, funeral, shock, all that...anyway...

'Wrong Hands'???

What the heck was that supposed to mean?


My mom was just not thinking straight to have allowed him to pressure her like that, let alone the insulting price of $15.00, and, my mom did not like 'guns' anyway, but regardless, I was an only child, the only son, it was my Gun anyway, and no one bothered asking me.


Couple years later, I hear the uncle had died.

Couple more years go by, I call and talk with my cousins, and, as an aside at some point, I ask if they know anything about the Revolver he had got from my mom.

They said "Oh yeah...it's just sitting in the basement in a drawer, wrapped in a rag...no one has any interest in it..."

So, I asked if I might but it from them for whatever they felt was a fair price, and, they said, "Oh heck, we would be happy just to send it to you, it was your Dad's afterall! - and they kindly sent it to my local FFL, for me to regain posession of it.


So, I have cool Cousins, even if I had a 'bad' Uncle.


Gotta watch those 'Uncles' I guess..!


Ouch..!

 

[Matt Smith]

Wow. DFW, that is a hearbreaking story. My sympathies are with you. I know I would be devastated if something like this happened in my family.

 

[NoAlibi]

SSN Vet:

"I'm assuming that your uncle is your late grandfather's son... and if this is the case, I'd suggest that his relationship with gramps was a tad closer than yours. And if he legally inherited these items, what he does with them is his business, and his alone."

"Don't start a family feud over something that is, when it comes right down to it, none of your business."

Wise advice if SSN Vet is correct in his assumption. Love and ill will increases exponentually toward family members.

Even if the uncle knew of DFW1911's fondness for the BHP, I can understand him not wanting to deal with him. I had a similar situation where a cousin wanted something valuable (not of sentimental value) that belonged to my mom after her death. She expected to get it for nothing or next to nothing because I didn't have to pay for it. I don't think for a minute that if the situation was reversed she would be so generous.

 

[rygould]

I am sorry, that is heartbreaking to lose not only a piece of history, but something that was so personal to you and your father.

I get nauseated just watching Pawn Stars seeing what heirlooms are hawked by the owners children for some cash. Yes they are the legitimate owners of the item, and it is their business to do with it what they will, but in my mind it doesn't make it right.

I wish you the absolute best of luck tracking it down and seeing if you can get it back into the family.

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

If the BHP is sentimental to you, find out who he sold it to, and just buy it back into the family. Every item has a price, and possibly finding a replacement of equal value and condition would please the current owner of the BHP, and fascilitate a "swap".

 

[jeepguy]

hi im verry sorry to hear this. your uncle should have at least seen if anybody in the family wanted to buy it. its sad your granfather kept those all these years and his son goes sells them. i wish you all the best in tracking them down & reacquiring them.

 

[Carter]

That is a tragedy.

Sadly, the only thing my grandfather brought back from the war was a wicked knife that went to my older brother. He never did say how he got it, but it had a hispanic name engraved on it that we thought was a manufactorer's name. Well, my brother's hispanic wife said that it was a popular name from Mexico. She didn't like that knife nor the likely possibilities of how my grandfather came in to possession of it.

 

[NOLAEMT]

that's awful. I hope you are able to find it, and hopefully the person who bought it will be reasonable with selling it back to you.

 

[westtx28]

My wife is a jeweler and she has people come in all the time wanting to sell heirloom jewelry from a deceased relative before the body is even in the ground. She has seen grown sisters fighting over who gets what and wanting to know how much their mothers rings and other precious metal belongings are worth.

Pathetic.

Not saying this is the case here at all the story just reminds me of that.

 

[Tim the student]

my condolences.

I hope you can resolve the situation to everyone's satisfaction, and maintain the family peace.

 

[FatPants]

My Grandpa had a couple Lugers that his brother brought back from WWII. When Grandpa passed away, Grandma gave them away to a stranger less than a week later.