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LOT 3320
Historic, Exceptional Pre-World War II Colt Government Model
National Match Semi-Automatic Pistol Documented as Shipped
to Prohibition Era Forensic Ballistics Innovator Calvin Goddard,
with Factory Letter - Serial no. C165839, 45 ACP cal., 5 inch round bbl.,
blue finish, walnut grips. Manufactured in 1933, this is an exceptional
example of a pre-World War II Colt Government Model National Match
pistol that is documented as having shipped to “the father of forensic
ballistics”, Calvin Hooker Goddard. The included factory letter lists the pistol
in .45 caliber with a 5 inch barrel, blue finish, and grips not listed when
shipped to Calvin Goddard in Chicago, Illinois as a single gun shipment on
26 May 1933, towards the end of the Prohibition Era in the United States. Only
around 4,813 National Match Government Models were manufactured between
1932 and 1941, making these pistols relatively rare on the collectors market,
particularly examples like this that were individually shipped to interesting
historical figures. The left side of the slide has the standard two-line address and
patent dates, while the right has the National Match, Colt, and caliber marking,
followed by the Rampant Colt. The right side of the frame has the model marking
over the serial number. The left side of the trigger guard is marked “W/VP”, while the
right is marked “20”. The blued barrel is unmarked and has a polished chamber hood. It
is fitted with blade and notch sights, a checkered wide hammer, arched and checkered
mainspring housing, a pair of checkered walnut grips, and a two-tone magazine with
“COLT/45 AUTO” on the base. Calvin Goddard (1891-1955) served in the Medical
Corps during World War I after having earned a medical degree from Johns Hopkins
University in 1915. After the war, he established the Bureau of Forensic Ballistics in New York, analyzing distinct markings left on bullets and casings
after being fired, with the goal of utilizing the new science to assist law enforcement during investigations. This initial Bureau was the first of its kind
in the United States, and was utilized heavily by the FBI during the turbulent times of the Prohibition Era. Goddard gained national and international
attention when the science he had developed and his testimony were utilized in convicting the anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti of murder during
their high profile case. After the infamous “St. Valentines Day Massacre” in Chicago in February of 1929, some prominent Chicago businessmen
eager to improve Chicago’s image offered Goddard a larger lab at the Northwestern University School of Law, so as to be independent from the
Chicago Police Department, who were also suspects in the case. Goddard’s forensic ballistics science was later used to link firearms discovered at a
Capone gangster’s home in Michigan to the murders in Chicago, launching Goddard into the national spotlight, securing more funding for his lab,
and significant validity for his new science. Goddard served as the lab’s director and a professor of police science until 1934.
CONDITION: Excellent, retains 95% of the original high polish blue finish, some light holster/edge wear, a few scattered light handling marks, and a
takedown mark on the left of the frame. The grips are very fine with a few scattered light blemishes in the otherwise crisp checkering. Mechanically
excellent. A fantastic example of a desirable Colt Government Model National Match pistol documented as shipped to an important figure in law
enforcement during the Prohibition Era!
Estimate: 7,500 - 12,000