Letter to accompany 1911A1 ? Comments?
This Colt 1911A1, serial number 437xxx , was made in 1918 during WW I. It was later refurbished by the Government as evidenced by its checkered brown plastic grips. It was issued to and carried by Lt. Robert A. Nichols during WW II. Bob Nichols was a US Navy Supply Officer on the Admiralty Islands, north of Papua New Guinea. It was the base for the invasion of New Guinea. It was also an emergency ship repair facility for PT boats to Cruisers. The boats were either returned to duty or patched up enough to make the long trip to the shipyards at Pearl Harbor. (Bob made his promotion to Lt. Cmdr. in the reserves after the war.)
The pistol should not be fired much but kept as a family heirloom. It should never be sold unless to a descendent of Bob Nichols. Pass it on to his descendants as I am doing. Bob originally gave it to me, his son-in-law because none of his children were gun oriented and I was his friend. Things have changed with the grandchildren.
The gun is accompanied by its original leather holster marked " JOSEPH H. MOSSER, 1942 " and a web pouch with two additional magazines, all carried by Bob Nichols. Currently in 2005 the setup is worth $1,500 or more. Should anyone make the mistake of having the worn finish redone, that would reduce the gun's value by up to $1000. Do not store the pistol in the leather holster. Leather, especially around moisture, will corrode the steel.
My Name, Date
The pistol should not be fired much but kept as a family heirloom. It should never be sold unless to a descendent of Bob Nichols. Pass it on to his descendants as I am doing. Bob originally gave it to me, his son-in-law because none of his children were gun oriented and I was his friend. Things have changed with the grandchildren.
The gun is accompanied by its original leather holster marked " JOSEPH H. MOSSER, 1942 " and a web pouch with two additional magazines, all carried by Bob Nichols. Currently in 2005 the setup is worth $1,500 or more. Should anyone make the mistake of having the worn finish redone, that would reduce the gun's value by up to $1000. Do not store the pistol in the leather holster. Leather, especially around moisture, will corrode the steel.
My Name, Date
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Facts:
--based on the serial #, it is a M1911, not a M1911A1; if the slide says "1911A1", then it is a mixed parts gun.
--if it is blue, then the finish may be original, if parkerized, then it was "arsenal rebuilt", not "refurbished".
--while all of us appreciate Bob's service to his country, in the interest of factual documentation, you may want to state that he stole the gun from the US government when he left the service.
--if it's in good condition, there's little reason not to fire it; in the unlikely event some part breaks, replacing parts on a gun that already has a mixture of parts won't lower it's value.
Opinion:
--arsenal rebuilds generally sell in the $700-1,000 range; a commercial repark might lower that by $100-200.
--the gun shouldn't even be stored NEXT TO the holster, or, for that matter, the web belt.
--I would include the instructions that if a family member is unable to keep the gun under lock-and-key, it should be given to another family member who CAN, or, if that's not possible, it should be disposed of. Kids & burglars can get into just about anything.
Neal0 -
I seriously doubt the theft remark. Bob was very careful about things like that. He was with the Navy into the 1960s.
There is no model number on the outside of the slide. The gun looks like a worn finish version of this:
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=37883057
Curved back of the grip (mainspring housing ?) and all. The serial number is on the frame and is as stated.0
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