SOLD IMPORTANT EARLY COLT MODEL 1911 US ARMY SERIAL #2403…SHIPPED APRIL 25, 1912…..ORIGINAL HIGH CONDITION
$21,500.00
Out of stock
In 96% original 100% factory correct and original condition, we have an exceptionally early and exceptionally high condition Colt Model of 1911 US Army Pistol. This pistol, serial number 2403 was shipped to Springfield Armory on April 25, 1912 as part of a group of 350. This pistol was issued to and carried by 1st Lieutenant John P Griebel of the 3rd Missouri Infantry during service on the Mexican border and as part of the Legendary 140th Infantry of the 35th Division, which saw some of the heaviest fighting and highest casualties of any US division during WW1. Lt Griebel had his name and unit very tastefully engraved on this pistol and he treasured it as it has been well taken care of.
This pistol is 100% factory original with the exception of a later magazine. The barrel is the correct sideways H with serifs. The bore is excellent minus with some very slight wear. The grips are very sharp. Over all the pistol is in extremely high condition as the pictures show. If you are looking at this I hardly need to tell you how much of a big deal finding an early pistol this sharp is…..it is a very rare occurrence.
John Phillip Griebel was born in 1875 and he had a long career in both the Army and Government Service. He rose to the rank of Master Sgt in the 3rd Missouri Infantry during the Spanish American War, and was commissioned as a 1st Lt and was Battalion Adjutant during service on the Mexican Frontier and during the Great War. The 3rd became part of the 140th Infantry and the 35th Div and saw heavy fighting and high casualties. He was transferred into the Quartermaster Corps and worked in the postal area until the end of the War. He stayed in Government service until he retired in 1940. He worked for the State department in Germany and Austria. He died in Texas in 1950. The rarity of this gun is made all the more desirable by the fact that it had a story to tell and it has become a window into the past. Indeed this pistol has drawn its former owner out of the obscurity of the past and his story can now be told.
