Set of 6 Serial-Number Matching WWI & WWII Commemorative 1911 & 1911A1 C&R
Sold For: $13,050
LSB#: 200728BB09, 200728BB10, 200728BB11, 200728BB12, 200728BB13, 200728BB14
Make: Colt
Model: WWI Commemorative Series 1911 Pistols – 01: Chateau Thierry, 02: Belleau Wood, 03: 2nd Battle of the Marne, 04: Meuse Argonne
WWII Commemorative Series 1911A1 Pistols – 05: European-African Middle Eastern Theater, 06: Asia-Pacific Theater
Serial Number: 01: 6824-CT, 02: 6824-BW, 03: 6824-M2, 04: 6824-MA, 05: 6824ETO, 06: 6824PTO
Year of Manufacture: 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970 (Listed on the ATF C&R Roster)
Caliber: .45 ACP
Action Type: Single Action Semi-Automatic Pistols with Removable Magazines
Markings: All the markings on the WWI pistols are gold filled. The right side of the slide on all four pistols is marked with a banner reading “1917 / World War I Commemorative / 1967” and “Colt’s PT.F.A. Mfg. Co. Hartford, Conn. U.S.A.” The barrels are marked “Colt .45 Auto”, and the right side of the frame with their serial number.
01: The left side of the slide is engraved with a battle scene of a machine gun crew with a town in the background and at the rear with the Rampant Colt logo.
02: The left side of the slide is engraved with scene in the woods and at the rear with the Rampant Colt logo.
03: The left side of the slide is engraved with a scene involving American soldiers firing at German soldiers across a creek and at the rear with the Rampant Colt logo.
04: The left side of the slide is engraved with a scene of American soldiers attacking Germans barricaded behind pill boxes and at the rear with the Rampant Colt logo.
The WWII Pistols each have their serial numbers marked on the right side of the frame. The ETO pistol has on the right side of its dust cover “COLT’S PT. F.A. MFG. CO. / HARTFORD, CONN. U.S.A.” with a rampant colt behind while this marking is on the left side of the dust cover for the PTO pistol.
05: The left side of the slide is engraved with “WORLD WAR II COMMEMORATIVE / EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS” bordered with oak leaves and with oak leaves at the rear of the slide. The right side of the slide is engraved with “NORTH ATLANTIC . TUNISIA . SICILY / PLOESTI . SALERNO . ANZIO . NORMANDY . BASTOGNE . REMAGEN . BERLIN” bordered with oak leaves and with oak leaves at the rear of the slide.
06: The left side of the slide is engraved with “PEARL HARBOR . CORAL SEA . CORREGIDOR . GUADALCANAL . TARAWA . SAIPAN . LEYTE GULF . IWO JIMA . OKINAWA . TOKYO” bordered with palm leaves and with palm leaves at the rear of the slide. The right side of the slide is engraved with “WORLD WAR II COMMEMORATIVE / PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS” bordered with palm leaves and with palm leaves at the rear of the slide.
Barrel Length: 5”
Sights / Optics: The front sights are short blades fixed to the slide and the rear sights are square notched and dovetailed into the slide.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The left grip on each WWI pistol has a medallion of an American eagle marked “1917*1918 / World War”. The right grip is marked with a medallion of an American soldier, and marked “U.S.A. / The Great War For Civilization” and with the names of our allies.
01: This pistol has a rectangular plaque on the left grip marked “Chateau Thierry”. The grips are checkered walnut. The left panel has no notable wear or damage. The right panel (not seen when in the display case) has a few light nicks and scuffs. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in about Fine condition.
02: This pistol has a rectangular plaque on the left grip marked “Belleau Wood”. The grips are smooth walnut. The left panel has a few minor marks, most notable between the plaque and the bottom mounting screw. The right panel (not seen when in the display case) has some more notable scattered nicks and scuffs. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in about Very Good condition and will appear Fine while in the display case.
03: This pistol has a rectangular plaque on the left grip marked “2nd Battle Of The Marne”. The grips appear to be a smooth light colored wood. The stocks show some discoloration, most notable on the right panel (not seen when in the display case), but no wear or damage. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in about Very Good condition.
04: This pistol has a rectangular plaque on the left grip marked “Meuse Argonne”. The grips are smooth walnut. The left panel has a very minor compression above the medallion and forward of center. Otherwise, there is no notable wear or damage, only light handling marks. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in about Excellent condition.
05: The grips are a smooth, blonde hardwood with gold-colored Colt medallions on each panel. The grips have no visible wear or damage, in Excellent condition.
06: The grips are two-piece dark laminate wood panels with faux-ivory inlays at the bottom and inlaid gold rampant colts in the middle. The faux-ivory inlays have foliate scroll carving. The grips have no visible wear or damage, in Excellent condition as not original to the gun.
Type of Finish: The WWI pistols have a highly polished blue finish. The WWII pistols have a highly polished nickel finish.
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bores are bright and the rifling sharp. There is no erosion. These pistols do not appear to have been shot outside the factory.
Overall Condition:
01: This pistol retains about 99% of its metal finish. There is no notable wear or damage, only light handling marks. The screw heads are sharp. The markings are clear. Overall, this pistol is in about Excellent condition.
02: This pistol retains about 98% of its metal finish. There is a very light, stuttered scratch on the frontstrap. Otherwise, there are only light handling marks. The screw heads are sharp. The markings are clear. Overall, this pistol is in about Excellent condition.
03: This pistol retains about 99% of its metal finish. There is no notable wear or damage, only light handling marks. The screw heads are sharp. The markings are clear. Overall, this pistol is in about Excellent condition.
04: This pistol retains about 98% of its metal finish. There is some very light scratching on the frontstrap. Otherwise, there are only light handling marks. The screw heads are sharp. The markings are clear. Overall, this pistol is in about Excellent condition.
05: This pistol retains about 99% of its metal finish. There is no notable wear or damage, only light handling marks. The screw heads are sharp. The markings are clear. Overall, this pistol is in about Excellent condition.
06: This pistol retains about 99% of its metal finish. There is no notable wear or damage, only light handling marks. The screw heads are sharp. The markings are clear. Overall, this pistol is in about Excellent condition.
Mechanics: The actions function correctly. All have grip and frame mounted safeties. We did not fire these pistols.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: A single 7-round nickel finished magazine is included, currently installed in the PTO pistol. The magazine has minor surface wear, intact feed lips and a strong spring, in about Fine-plus condition.
Each WWI pistol is mounted in a brown painted wood presentation case with clear Plexiglas windows which allows viewing of the pistol when displayed, and a cardboard window that can be used to hide the pistol from view. The cardboard windows have a white finish showing a map of the area where the battle was fought and marked with the name of the battle and the dates it was fought. Please note, two of the cases have The 2nd Battle of the Marne cardboard windows, no Meuse Argonne cardboard windows are included.
01: The case has some light wear and marring on its front face. The exterior shows some spots of residue and general light storage wear. The windows show minor wear. Overall, the case is in about Good-Very Good condition.
02: The case has moderate wear on its front face. The bottom-right corner is coming apart. The exterior has some tape residue and general light storage wear. The windows have minor wear with some residue on the outside of the rear cardboard window. Overall, this case is in about Fair condition.
03: The case has scattered light wear and minor marring on its front face. The right side of the top portion (which slides to allow removal/insertion of the windows) has a loss on its outside edge. The exterior shows general light storage wear. The wire hanger is missing from the back. The windows show minor wear, in about Fine condition. Overall, the case is in about Good condition.
04: The front left and right faces of the case have wear spots toward the top. There are some spots of tape residue. The exterior shows scattered light storage wear. The plexiglass window has minor wear. The cardboard windows are in Fine condition as not original to the gun (this pistol has the additional 2nd Battle of the Marne cardboard windows. The box is in overall Good-Very Good condition.
Each WWII is mounted in a hinge-top wooden presentation case with a felt-lined drawer containing the pistol and seven rounds of silver .45 ACP.
05: The case is made from oak with a print on the inside of the lid of a picture of the German surrender at Reims, May 7, 1945 with a more extensive list of battles underneath. Inset to the felt is a silver plaque reading “WORLD WAR II / COMMEMORATIVE / European – African / Middle Eastern Theater / DECEMBER 11, 1941 – May 7, 1945” bordered in oak leaves. The top of the case has had “BATTLE / OF THE / BULGE” laser-engraved with foliate motif at the corners (not original). The case’s plexiglass plate is missing. Otherwise, the case shows faint storage wear on the exterior and minor wear on the interior from the contents, in about Very Good condition as customized, easily Fine once the plexiglass has been replaced.
06: The case is made from bamboo or a very good imitation with bamboo-like bordering on the top and bamboo mat on the top face with a print on the inside of the lid of a picture of the Japanese surrender at Tokyo Bay, September 2, 1945 with a more extensive list of battles underneath. Inset to the felt is a silver plaque reading “WORLD WAR II / COMMEMORATIVE / Asiatic – Pacific Theater / DECEMBER 7, 1941 – SEPTEMBER 2, 1945” bordered in oak leaves. The case shows minor storage wear on the exterior and faint wear on the interior from the contents, in about Fine condition.
Our Assessment: These pistols are beautiful Colt Government Model 1911 and 1911A1 pistols with high luster blued and nickel finishes and with gold filled engraving on the WWI pistols. The WWI pistols also have custom grips with WWI medallions and the name of the battle that particular pistol commemorates. The pistols are in Excellent condition and appear unused outside of the factory, with very minor handling marks. They commemorate the four major battles our soldiers fought in World War I, the “War To End All Wars” and the two theaters of operation in WWII. The pistols come with wooden display cases. This is an extremely rare set. Many sets of serial matching WWI pistols exist as do matching sets of WWII pistols. WWII sets serial matched to a WWI set were only offered to those who originally purchased the WWI sets and were only made for those who accepted the offer. To find a set with all six pistols, serial matching, is not something you come across every day, week, month, year, or even decade. For the Colt 1911 collector, maybe even any Colt collector, there is likely no rival commemorative set and for a militaria collector, there is little in the way of commemorative firearms which would compete. These are an amazing tribute to the contribution America has made to keep the world free. Please take a look at our photos of these wonderful pistols and good luck!
CA Legal or CA Private Party Transferable (THIS SECTION DOES NOT APPLY TO OUT-OF-STATE RESIDENTS): This set is C&R eligible and CAN be sold as a dealer sale in California. It CAN be transferred as a Private Party Transfer (PPT) as our Simi Valley location. All C&R firearms must be transferred through your local dealer OR at our Simi Valley location; we cannot ship directly to a C&R holder in California. Out of state residents can disregard this section – your local laws apply.
