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e has
LOT 1477
Outstanding Historic World War II General
Officer’s Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless Semi-
Automatic Pistol Rig with Documentation - Serial
no. 548949, 32 ACP cal., 3 3/4 inch bbl., blue finish, checkered walnut grips. This is an exceptional example of a U.S. property marked Colt Model 1903 Hammerless .32 Pocket Automatic pistol that was manufactured circa 1942.
The pistol slide and frame have the Colt blue finish. The barrel chamber top is polished. The full checkered
walnut grips have inlaid German Silver Colt medallions. The eight shot magazine has a full blue finish. The pistol
has the early half-moon shaped front sight and round profile rear sight. “U.S. PROPERTY” is roll-stamped on the right
side of the frame above the trigger guard. The left side of the frame has the serial number roll-stamped above the
trigger guard. The left side of the trigger guard bow is stamped with the punch mark used by the Ordnance Corps as
an acceptance mark on these pistols from February-November 1944 and the Colt Triangle “VP” proofmark. The right
side of the slide is roll-stamped “COLT AUTOMATIC/CALIBRE 32 RIMLESS SMOKELESS” in two lines. The left side of the
slide is roll-stamped with the elongated, two-line, Hartford address and 1897 and 1903 patent dates. The Rampant Colt
trademark is roll-stamped on the left side of the slide behind the serrations. The magazine has a full blue finish and
the floor plate is marked “CAL 32/COLT” in two lines. A copy of a notarized letter with the pistol states that it was the
property of Major General Royal B. Lord, U.S. Army. The letter states that General Lord was a 1923 West Point graduate
who served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for General Dwight D. Eisenhower during World War II. Included with the pistol are two
magazines in the original, un-opened, paper wrapper and a regulation brown leather General Officers rig for Colt .32 and .380 pistols. The rig consists of a
brown calfskin holster with top strap and gold plated brass snaps, a brown calfskin hanger, a brown leather belt with gold plated brass fittings and a gold
plated, two-piece, buckle with United States Eagle and Shield in the center and wreath on the outer buckle. Most of the Colt Pocket Model General Officer
pistols were issued following WWII and had either a Colt Parco-Lubrite or armory parkerized finish. Blued Colt Pocket Model General Officer pistols with the
Colt, pre-war, commercial blue finish and early style sights are scarce.
CONDITION: Excellent plus. The pistol is all original and retains 99% of the original blue finish, with minimal holster wear. The grips are un-oiled and also in excellent plus condition. The magazin close to 98% of the full-blue finish. Mechanically excellent. The holster rig is very good. The belt and holster have flex marks and some minor age cracks. There
is some minor scuffing on the back and edges of the holster. The two-piece buckle has been polished but retains nearly all of the gold plated finish. This is an
outstanding example of an early World War II production, U.S. contract Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless semi-automatic pistol with blue finish and General Office holster rig. Estimate: 7,500 - 9,500
LOT 1478
Outstanding World War II U.S. General Motors Guide Lamp FP-45 Liberator Single Shot
Pistol - NSN, 45 ACP cal., 4 inch round bbl., phosphate finish, metal grips. Conceived, developed
and manufactured in 1942, the “Flare Pistol, 45 Caliber” (FP-45) was intended to A) give the citizens of occupied nations a way to express their displeasure to the occupiers, B) not give the enemy anything worth salvaging, and C) be cheap. The Guide Lamp Division of General Motors was tapped to produce the firearm, a collection of sheet metal stampings and cast zinc components assembled around a smoothbore barrel. While inexperienced with arms production, Guide Lamp stepped up admirably and cranked out over a million of the deadly little contraptions in a matter of months. The pistol is correctly devoid of markings with two oiler holes on either side of the frame, and a hollow grip for ammunition storage.
CONDITION: Excellent, as issued, retains 98% plus of the original phosphate finish with some scattered light handling marks. Mechanically excellent.
Estimate: 4,500 - 6,500
General Royal B. Lord
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