Unique Colt .45, I need a little help.

[bdvela]

Hello,
I have a Nickel and Gold plated Colt .45. It was a gift from my Dad. It was a previously owned by a Municipal Judge in the great state of Texas. The serial number is 306388 and it says US ARMY on the side.

Could this pistol have been made in 1917 or 1918? Is there any significance to the nickel and gold plating? All of the US Army issue 1911's I have seen are blue.

I was approached by the historical society from the town the Judge presided in. They asked if I would donate the pistol to the city. I said I could give them a picture. They didn't say why they wanted the pistol.

I was really wondering if the pistol had any value other than the intrinsic value. Would re-finishing the pistol diminish the value? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
BV

PS I have pictures but I count figure out how to upload them.

[bgiven]

Serial number puts it in 1918 production range. I would leave it just the way it is.... refinishing at this point washes away the current historical value, without increasing the overall value of the 1911. 'It is what it is'....and currently it has some local history that probably should be preserved for what it is....

Of course.....pics would be interesting to see.

[Johnny Peppers]

The pistol was originally shipped in the May 1918 time period to Springfield Armory. In the 1950's time period it was fashionable to plate pistols with a mix of nickel and gold, and most seemed to come out of Texas. Many old Colt Single Action Army pistols also suffered this fate. The pistol would have no great value if restored, so just keep it as a fashion statement of a 1950's Texas firearm.

[TriumphGT6]

I was approached by the historical society from the town the Judge presided in. They asked if I would donate the pistol to the city. I said I could give them a picture. They didn't say why they wanted the pistol.
If you do decide to donate it, make sure to get it appraised for its replacement value, and claim that on your tax return.


PS I have pictures but I count figure out how to upload them.
Upload your pics to some place like photobucket.com, then edit your post here to add the pics' URL ( should look like 'http:/blah blah' )

[John]

Read the FAQ section, near the top of every page here, to learn how to post pictures. Since this is not a Commercial model, but a USGI one, I am moving this thread to the USGI forum.

[191145]

"All of the US Army issue 1911's I have seen are blue"
And yours was, too, before it got into civilian hands and got nickeled.
It's a 'bobbycue' gun now (a fancy gun you wear to a social function in Texas).
I wouldn't donate it to anybody since it is a family gun, but I like your idea of giving them a picture. Just do it right and take it to a professional photographer and give them some nice 8x10s. If the gun is really in excellent condition plating-wise, I probably would get a fancy holster and belt made for it too. On the other hand, if you're really not interested in guns, I guess the donation and tax write-off would be okay. It sure would make the Historical Society's day. Another strategy is widely used - you lend it to them with a contract for a certain time period and guarantees of proper storage and maintenance. This way everybody looking at it will see your name as the generous owner, and the agreement could be extended if you wished.