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Thread: If you want to find the history of your Colt

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  1. #11
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    True Sir, to have this fine pre war Colt engraved now would ruin it`s value as it did the Borchardt you mention..but what if it was given to a master engraver in 1933/34 when it was new ?? How would it be valued then ?? Hard question..
    I would gladly paid Colt a set $100.00 fee for a letter..just that I find their pricing schedule unfair..

  2. #12
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    Colt Letter

    I gambled the $100 on the letter for the pre-WWII National Match as they were made in the Great Depression, and some of them went to interesting places as they cost almost double the price of a standard Government Model. Turns out that my pistol was shipped to a peace officer, with the letter giving the state, county, town, and peace officer that the pistol was ordered for, and I was able to track down information on the peace officer. If the pistol had been engraved after it left the factory with anything other than the peace officer's name, I don't see it being worth what it is in it's beautiful original condition.

  3. #13
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    Here is a very highly modified example, none of the work was done by Colt..40 years from now will it be worth less than a box stock pistol showing equal use ?? I guess my grand children will find out,, Maybe" RUINED" is the wrong word...Lots of fine engravers applying their art in an aftermarket manner..I really would`nt say they are RUINING the arms they work on, in most cases..true there are some engraver`s that do screw them up bad..It is art, and we each have differnt likes..Happy days..

  4. #14
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    Colt Letters

    One of the pistols Mr. Norton had E.C. Prudhomme engrave was a High Standard Sentinel. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

  5. #15
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    25th December 2005
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    Quote Originally Posted by gunny6
    Johnny..so I guess what your telling me is..if Alvin White engraved my Colt while sitting at the Colt factory it`s good..But if he engraved it in his own studio it`s ruined ???
    I think the point I was trying too make is, if you look up the history of a firearm to make up a letter, why should the contents of the letter raise the price ??
    Well, it is the story of the pistol, but a bit more than that. It is the certified story of the pistol (something that is very often impossible to do for the pistol once it leaves the factory). Never buy the story, only buy the pistol--except when the story is document and bona fide
    Now I do agree that it is a little silly that one engraved by Colt would be MORE valuable, and one that was engraved by a master engraver just after it left the factory would be worth less. But I think that less is in relation to the more of a factory engraving, provided you find the right collector.
    Generally, I think engraving (or any customization) would lessen the price for most collectors, but increase the price to a very few special collectors. Having the engraving done by Colt means that the pistol is engraved and "as sold" by Colt. That makes it special indeed. It is customized, but done in a way that very few could do (no matter how good, talented, or famous the after market engraver). A bit silly, yes. But then you are talking about the value added by the desire of collectors, and they are allowed to go by whatever rules they desire.
    Now having said that, I think that an after market engraved pistol could still be of much greater value than an un-engraved one, depending on the engraving AND very much depending on the buyer!
    But I am speaking in terms of collecting in general, and have absolutely no knowledge about firearm collecting in particular. So you can just ignore what I say as I am only guessing.
    ---
    Rick
    "Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty." Thomas Jefferson

  6. #16
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    12th April 2006
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    Rick, I guess I`m not a serious collector, I just enjoy owning engraved guns. The skill it must take too tap out a nice engraved pattern on steel is rare indeed. I wonder if an arms maker has a room that engravers work in ? or do they send the arms to the engraver`s own studio ? If I could engrave, I`d put my name all over the gun, but these guys just hide little marks, so sometimes you can`t tell who did the work. A factory letter sure solves that. So back you my original gripe..If you are going to look up the history of a gun, why should the out come of the search triple the price ?? Seems like Colt wants you too pay more if you own an expensive gun. Could be the records are stored in different places ? Maybe I`m just cheap !!

  7. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by gunny6
    Rick, I guess I`m not a serious collector, I just enjoy owning engraved guns. The skill it must take too tap out a nice engraved pattern on steel is rare indeed. I wonder if an arms maker has a room that engravers work in ? or do they send the arms to the engraver`s own studio ? If I could engrave, I`d put my name all over the gun, but these guys just hide little marks, so sometimes you can`t tell who did the work. A factory letter sure solves that. So back you my original gripe..If you are going to look up the history of a gun, why should the out come of the search triple the price ?? Seems like Colt wants you too pay more if you own an expensive gun. Could be the records are stored in different places ? Maybe I`m just cheap !!
    I agree, the price for a letter should be the price for a letter (of course if your Colt is from the 1800's and the search is more difficult--not on computer records or such--then okay a bit more may be legit). However, if I understand what has been written here correctly (a big stretch for me), the higher price is only if your pistol was engraved by Colt; and if it was, then price of the pistol goes up several thousand. So, it seems it is a win win, you only get charged more if your pistol is worth a whole lot more to a collector.
    Course, if you don't want to sell but just want the background that does ****.
    Why not write a letter to Colt and complain. At the very least you will get an explanation as to why they are charging more (little consolation, but hey there are a lot of things in life that aren't fair).
    ---
    Rick
    "Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty." Thomas Jefferson

  8. #18
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    Tsk, tsk, old-fashioned communications methods. Start a thread here, with a suggestion to Colt. Collect unique responses from the members and when you are done, I'll make sure Mark sees that thread. Same thing, more convenient, more pressing, if there are a lot of supporters of your idea (with which I personally agree).
    John Caradimas SV1CEC
    The M1911 Pistols Organization
    http://www.m1911.org

  9. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by John
    Tsk, tsk, old-fashioned communications methods. Start a thread here, with a suggestion to Colt. Collect unique responses from the members and when you are done, I'll make sure Mark sees that thread. Same thing, more convenient, more pressing, if there are a lot of supporters of your idea (with which I personally agree).
    Hey, I just got my first cell phone last year!
    ---
    Rick
    "Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty." Thomas Jefferson

  10. #20
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    Aint' technology a charm?

    And I am trying to find a simple phone, without a camera, a video camera, and half a computer, and I can't find one!
    John Caradimas SV1CEC
    The M1911 Pistols Organization
    http://www.m1911.org

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