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LOT 3365
Outstanding and Rare Documented U.S. Navy Contract Colt Model 1900 “Sight Safety” Semi-Automatic Pistol with Factory
Letter - Serial no. 1070, 38 Colt auto cal., 6 inch round bbl., blue finish, walnut grips. Shipped on 19 October 1900, this pistol falls in the
second shipment of Model 1900 “sight safety” pistols sent from Colt to the U.S. government general storekeeper at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Colt produced only 250 of these scarce pistols under contract for the United States Navy, all of which were shipped in the fall of 1900. These
automatic pistols were the pinnacle of firearms technology at the time and were ordered by the navy to test the feasibility of the automatic
pistol as a seafaring weapon. The left side of the slide carries the two-line “BROWNING’S PATENT” marking and the two-line Colt address
arranged in two blocks, with the circled Rampant Colt following behind the serrations, which are at the rear of the slide. The right side of
the slide is marked with the “AUTOMATIC COLT/CALIBRE 38 RIMLESS SMOKELESS” caliber designation. The right side of the frame is marked
with Colt’s production serial number, which ran from 1001 to 1250 for the contract. The left side of the frame bears the U.S. Navy inventory
number “U.S.N. 70”, these numbers corresponding to the serial numbers, ran from U.S.N. 1 to U.S.N. 250. The left side of the trigger guard has
the “B” inside a triangle proof and the right side has the iconic trident navy inspection mark. There is an import mark inside the magazine
well. The pistol is fitted with a blade front sight and notch rear sight in its original “sight safety” configuration, a checkered spur hammer, a
pair of smooth walnut grips, and a full nickel magazine marked “PAT’D SEPT.9.1884” on the base. The accompanying factory letter states the
pistol was sold to the U.S. Government and shipped to General Store Keeper, Navy Yard, Brooklyn, New York, on October 17, 1900 with a 6
inch barrel in .38 caliber, blue finish and type of stocks not listed. This was a fifty gun shipment.
CONDITION: Excellent, retains 97% of the bright original high polish blue finish, 90% of the vibrant original case colors on the hammer and
sight safety, and 85% plus of the bright original niter blue on the small parts with some light edge wear and some scattered light handling
marks throughout. The grips are very fine with some scattered minor dings and dents. Mechanically excellent. These U.S. Navy contract Colt
Model 1900 “sight safety” pistols are rarely found in their original excellent configuration in even the most extensive collections. Don’t miss
this opportunity!
Estimate: 16,000 - 25,000