Page 260 - 89-FLIPBOOK3

LOT 3387
Unique and Very
Scarce “Ithaca”
Marked North
Vietnamese/Viet
Cong Copy of a Model
1911A1 Semi-Automatic Pistol
- Serial no. 5034, 45 ACP cal., 5 inch round bbl., blue
finish, hardwood grips. Manufactured by an unknown
party, this pistol bears a strong resemblance to known
“underground” pistols from the Indochina/Vietnam region. Such
weapons were pressed into service for the First Indochina War against the French, and would continue to be used by factions on both sides
of the North/South split after the French left. Such weapons are often associated with the Viet Cong, an example of a similar weapon is pictured on page 837 of “Small Arms of the World” by Ezell. Made mainly by hand in crude workshops, Ezell notes that these weapons have been seen with finish “surprisingly good considering the circumstances under
which they were made”. Clearly patterned after a Model 1911A1,
this example appears to have been crafted by someone who
had seen a World War II era pistol manufactured by Ithaca. The
left of the slide is marked “ITHACACUN COINC/ITHACA - NY”. The
right side of the frame is marked with the serial number and
dated “1953”, making it likely it was manufactured during the First Indochina War. It is fitted with blade and notch sights, checkered slide catch, serrated thumb safety, non-functioning grip safety (possibly a later replacement), very slightly arched serrated mainspring housing with a lanyard staple on the bottom, and a pair of checkered hardwood grips. The magazine is absent. CONDITION: Good, retaining traces of the original blue finish with the balance mostly a smooth grey-brown patina and some scattered patches of light pitting. The grips are good showing significant wear, a minor crack in the left panel, and minor handling marks scattered throughout. The slide does not properly retract, but the hammer and trigger function as they should. A rare and unique example of a Vietnamese workshop-made copy of an Ithaca Model 1911A1! Estimate: 3,500 - 5,500
LOT 3388
Unique Documented
Chinese Manufactured
“Little Tom” Copy Semi-
Automatic Pistol as
Pictured and Described in “Pistols of the
Warlords: 1911-1949” - Serial no. 2405, 32
ACP cal., 3 1/4 inch round bbl., nickel finish,
hardwood grips. Almost certainly manufactured
during the violent “warlord” period of the Chinese
Civil War. Many Chinese produced pistols of that period were based
on existing European designs; with this example taking heavy design influence from the Czech designed “Little Tom” pistol, which was the first commercially successful semi-automatic double action pistol. While the “Little Tom” was widely copied in China during the period, examples like this that emulated the double action mechanism were relatively scarce. The left side of the slide has imitation markings in English along with a faint Chinese character and the serial number inverted (“5042”).
The left of the frame is marked “8” and “RUS”.The right of the slide is marked “WADE IM RUSSIA” and has the serial number. It is fitted with blade and notch sights and a pair of smooth hardwood grips with interesting brass medallions. This specific pistol is pictured and discussed on p. 470-471 of the book
“Pistols of the Warlords: 1911-1949”
by Ian McCollum.
CONDITION: Fine, retains 80% plus of the period replated nickel finish with some light flaking in the slide serrations and some scattered patches of rough oxidation/light pitting. The grips are very good with some scattered minor dings. Mechanically fine.
LOT 3389
Interesting
Documented Chinese
Manufactured Semi-
Automatic Pistol as
Pictured and Described
in “Pistols of the Warlords: 1911-1949” - NSN, 45 cal., 4 7/8 inch part round bbl.,
bright finish, hardwood grips. Almost certainly manufactured during the violent “warlord” period of the Chinese Civil War. Many Chinese produced pistols of that period were based
on existing European designs; with this example showing a mixture of loose influence
from European designs as well as domestic ingenuity. Somewhat similar to the FN Model
1900, this pistol has the barrel oriented below a tube containing the recoil spring. Also unusual for many Chinese manufactured pistols of the time, this example has a grip
safety that appears to function. The pistol is completely devoid of markings.
The magazine is now absent but appears to have attached to the trigger,
a design that may be somewhat inspired by the Thompson submachine
gun. It is fitted with a one-piece smooth hardwood grip. This specific pistol
is pictured and discussed on p. 196-197 of the book “Pistols of the
Warlords: 1911-1949” by Ian McCollum.
CONDITION: Very good, showing mostly a smooth grey patina
speckled with some brown and a few scattered patches of very
light surface pitting. The grip is fine with some scattered minor
handling marks. Mechanically functions intermittently. A very unique,
domestically produced Chinese pistol!
Estimate: 2,250 - 3,250
LOT 3390
Unique Documented Chinese Manufactured
Semi-Automatic Pistol as Pictured and
Described in “Pistols of the Warlords: 1911-
1949” - Serial no. 193, 7.63 mm Mauser auto cal., 6 5/8
inch part round bbl., blue finish, hardwood grips. Almost
certainly manufactured during the violent “warlord”
period of the Chinese Civil War. Many Chinese produced
pistols of that period were based on existing European designs; with this example showing a mixture of European influence as well as domestic ingenuity. Interestingly, the pistol has been manufactured with a fake Mauser C96 style fixed magazine, but uses a detachable magazine inside the grip. This specific pistol is marked with a series of differed numbers
on the slide and barrel, the frame being devoid of markings. The barrel is marked “40103”, what appears to be a date of “1936”, and “444”, all on top around the breech. The slide is marked with the same “1936” and “444” on both sides. It is fitted with a blade front sight
with a mounting point for a tangent rear sight which is now absent, and a ring style hammer similar to the Mauser C96.
It is also fitted with a pair
of checkered hardwood
grips. This specific pistol is
pictured and discussed on p.
140-141 of the book “Pistols
of the Warlords: 1911-1949”
by Ian McCollum.
CONDITION: Very good,
retaining 20% of the original
blue finish on the barrel
with the balance mostly a smooth grey patina and some scattered light pitting throughout. The grips are also very good with some scattered light chipping and handling marks and mostly well defined checkering. When cocked, the hammer needs some slight pressure from the rear to function when the trigger is pulled, and the firing pin assembly is absent, otherwise mechanically fine.
Estimate: 2,000 - 3,000
AS PICTURED AND DESCRIBED IN PISTOLS OF THE WARLORDS BY MCCOLLUM
AS PICTURED AND DESCRIBED IN PISTOLS OF THE WARLORDS BY MCCOLLUM
258 Estimate: 1,500 - 2,500
AS PICTURED AND DESCRIBED IN PISTOLS OF THE WARLORDS BY MCCOLLUM