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According to The Book of Colt Firearms by Wilson, approximately only 140 Pre-World War II Model 1911 and 1911A1 pistols were factory engraved, and only about 160 pistols were inscribed or monogramed.
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LOT 466
Historic, Rare Factory Engraved and Inscribed Colt Government Model Semi-Automatic Pistol Presented by U.S. General of the Armies John “Blackjack” Pershing to the President of Venezuela with Factory Letter - Serial no. C144632, 45 ACP cal., 5 inch round bbl., blue finish, original grips. Offered here is not only a rare factory engraved and inscribed Colt Government Model pistol but a tangible piece of American-Latin American diplomatic relations in the mid-1920s. The historical significance rests with the inscription that marks the pistol as a gift presented by famed American World War I General John J. Pershing (1860-1948) to President of Venezuela General Juan Vicente Gomez (1857-1935). In American military affairs, General Pershing needs little introduction. As the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe during World War I, Pershing is one of America’s most celebrated soldiers of the early 20th century. In 1921, Pershing became Chief of Staff of the United States Army, serving for three years at which time he retired from active military service in 1924 at the age of 64. When this pistol was sold to Pershing and shipped in 1925 Pershing was overseeing a U.S. commission to settle a boundary dispute between Chile and Peru that had occurred after the War of the Pacific (1879-1883). Based on newspaper reports, Pershing along with his staff traveled to Venezuela in February 1925 and greeted with a military review ordered by the president of Venezuela, General Juan Vicente Gomez. Then in early July, around the time that this pistol was shipped, Gomez, through the Venezuelan minister at Washington, presented Pershing with a sword once belonging to General Jose Antonio Paez, a national hero who fought during the Venezuelan War of Independence. The sword presentation occurred on the eve of Pershing’s sailing trip to South America to participate in a U.S. led delegation attempting to settle the territorial disputes of Tacna and Arica provinces between Peru and Chile, which would persist until 1929 when the Treaty of Lima was signed. In all likelihood this pistol was a reciprocating gift for the sword Gomez presented to Pershing. Eventually, the Venezuelan government requested the return of the sword which was deemed “one of Venezuela’s most sacred trophies.”