Rare New World Order Desert Storm Commemorative 42/1000 Glock 17 G17 Gen 2
Sold for $1825.00
Make: Glock
Model: 17, Gen 2
Serial Numbers: UD042US
Year of Manufacture: 1991
Caliber: 9mmx19 Parabellum
Action Type: Striker-Fired Semi-Automatic Pistol
Markings: The left side of the slide is marked with the Glock logo, “17”, “NEW WORLD ORDER / COMMEMORATIVE”, “9×19”, and “AUSTRIA”. The top of the slide is marked “ALLIED / COALITION / FORCES” over a list of member countries including Australia, Canada, France, Niger, and the United States. The right side of the slide is marked with a small Glock logo, a partial of the serial number, “UD042”, and “OPERATION DESERT STORM / January 16 – February 27, 1991”. The right side of the barrel is marked with a partial of the serial number, “UD042”, “9×19”, the Glock logo, and a pentagonal (polygonal rifling) proof mark.
Barrel Length: 4 1/2”
Sights/Optics: The front sight is a blade with a white dot that is fixed to the slide. The rear sight is an adjustable square-notch with a white outline.
Stock Configuration and Condition: The grip is a Gen 2 pattern textured black polymer with a checkered/serrated backstrap and checkered front strap that is integral to the frame. The grip has only minor handling marks, but is otherwise free of any notable wear or damage. Overall, the grip is in Excellent condition.
Type of Finish: Tenifer
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is bright, the polygonal rifling is pronounced, and there is no erosion.
Overall Condition: This pistol retains 96% of its finish. The slide flats have scattered minor scuffs. There are two spots of minor holster wear on the upper right edge forward of the ejection port. Pins controls are unmarred, and all markings are clear. Overall, this pistol is in Fine-to-Excellent condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this pistol. As with all used firearms, thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork, and Accessories: This Glock 17 pistol will ship with its serial-matching “Tupperware” case, cleaning rod and brush tip, load assist device, and one (1) 17-round magazine.
Please note, NO magazines will be included
for purchasers who reside where they
cannot be legally transferred.
Our Assessment: Designed in 1980 by Gaston Glock—then a 50-year-old fabricator of polymers and curtain rods—to answer the need of a replacement for the Austrian military’s Walther P38, the Glock has gone on to be perhaps, both as a brand and a design, the most widely and easily recognized modern firearm throughout the world—the Superman “S” or Coca-Cola of firearms, if you will. It all seems so unlikely considering the competition at the time (H&K, Sig Sauer, Beretta) and the general down-the-nose-view at the time of polymer use in firearms, but by 1982, the Glock 17 was indeed the sidearm of the Austrian military. And today, the world.
On offer here is an ultra-rare Glock 17 made to commemorate Operation Desert Storm. Only 1000 were made, and given the serial number, this example is the 42nd. The first thirteen were slightly different, marked also with the name and rank of men such as George Bush, Colin Powell, Dick Cheney, Lt. Gen. Chuck Horner, and Vice Adm. Stanley Arthur, all of whom were presented with one. Notably, this Glock also commemorates George Bush’s infamous September 11, 1990 New World Order (no, not that new world order) speech in which he said, “Out of these troubled times, our fifth objective—a new world order—can emerge: a new era—freer from the threat of terror, stronger in the pursuit of justice, and more secure in the quest for peace.” Many lofty goals go unaccomplished, but as Benjamin Mays once said, “[It] is not failure, but low aim is sin.”
Glocks are ubiquitous, and an example like this is well and truly rare, but even more so considering the legacy of the conflict it highlights and the manner in which the connotation of the term “New World Order” has shifted in the American zeitgeist. The avid Glock collector simply does not see such a sight very often