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LOT 358
Scarce and Highly Desirable Pre-
World War II Colt Super Match .38
Semi-Automatic Pistol with Factory
Letter - Serial no. 17766, 38 Super Auto
cal., 5 inch round bbl., blue finish, walnut grips.
Manufactured in 1935, this Colt Super Match .38 pistol shows the
scarce “MATCH” only slide marking, found on pistols from approximately serial number 15000
to 19000. According to “The Book of Colt Firearms” by Sutherland and Wilson, it is estimated that only around 3,000 to
5,000 of these Super Match .38 pistols were manufactured from 1934-1947. The included factory letter lists the pistol
in .38 Super caliber with a 5 inch barrel, blue finish, grips not listed, and adjustable rear sight when shipped to George
Worthington Hardware Co. in Cleveland, Ohio on 5 December 1935 These .38 Super Match pistols were manufactured
concurrently with the standard Colt .38 Supers, except they featured a deluxe, hand honed action and checkered match
trigger with a hand polished super smooth trigger pull. Additionally, they received a highly polished Colt factory blued
finish and all checkered grip panels. The right side of the matching number slide is marked “MATCH/COLT SUPER .38/
AUTOMATIC” followed by the Rampant Colt motif. The opposite side of the slide has Colt’s address marking above the patent
dates. The upper left front of the trigger guard is marked with “X/VP”. The right side is marked “60”. The blued barrel has a
polished chamber hood and is marked “SUPER 38 AUTO” on the lower left and has a circled “MB” on the left of the lug. It
is fitted with blade and notch sights, checkered slide stop, thumb safety, polished firing pin stop, arched checkered mainspring housing, a wide checkered
hammer, checkered walnut grips, and a two-tone magazine with the correct Colt Super .38 markings on the base.
CONDITION: Very fine, retains 85% plus of the original blue finish with some light handling/holster type wear, primarily on the edges of the slide and
the main spring housing, showing a grey patina, and some light scratches on the left of the slide. The grips are also very fine with some scattered minor
blemishes in the otherwise crisp checkering. Mechanically excellent.
Provenance: The Michael Priwer Collection.
Estimate: 6,500 - 9,500
LOT 357
Very Fine Colt Model
1900 “Sight Safety”
Semi-Automatic Pistol - Serial
no. 1752, 38 ACP cal., 6 inch round bbl., blue/
casehardened finish, walnut grips. Manufactured in
1902, with this example being 52 digits off of the last
of the 200 second U.S. Army Contract Model 1900 pistols delivered, which range from serial number 1501 to 1700. Features an
oval blade front sight and a folding notch rear sight that doubles as a firing pin safety when pushed into the downward position
(hence the “sight-safety” nickname), with early pattern plunge-milled serrations, two-line, two-block Browning patent date and
Colt address on the left of the slide with circled Rampant Colt behind the slide serrations and the caliber designation on the right
side, and the four-digit serial number “1752” marked on the left side of the frame and correctly on the bottom rear of the matching
slide (double struck, factory error). Fitted with a pair of smooth oiled walnut grips (standard until approximately serial number 2449) and a
correct nickel plated magazine marked “PAT’D SEPT.9.1884” on the base.
CONDITION: Very fine, retaining 75% plus original bright high polish blue finish and 60% case colors on the hammer and rear sight, with some
scattered light holster pattern edge wear, some thinning on the grip straps with mostly smooth brown patina, some scattered minor specs of
freckling, and minor handling marks. The grips are also very fine with numerous small faint compression marks and oil finish loss in the center of the
right panel, with otherwise attractive visible grain. The magazine release is stiff, otherwise mechanically functions. A solid representative example of
the first Colt semi-automatic pistol.
Estimate: 7,500 - 12,000