This week a friend excitedly told me of receiving a “Letter of Provenance” from Browning on a shotgun he inherited from his Grandfather. For years I’ve heard of people getting a “Colt Letter” but never thought about pursuing one for any of my own firearms until now.
If you are unfamiliar with the term “Colt Letter” or “Letter of Provenance” it is a document that lists the chronology of ownership, custody or location of a historical object.
A quick inventory revealed that over 65% of my guns were purchased used. I pride myself in researching everything there is to know about the design history of my personnel firearms; however I realized some of their individual histories were a mystery to me.
First let me clarify they were all purchased from friends, family, or a licensed dealer, with any required background checks or paperwork performed to the letter of the law. Being satisfied they are legal with a clean ownership history is good enough for me on modern guns.
What I am interested in, is learning more of the actual history of some of my older firearms. In particular I have a Colt 1911 which from the serial number would indicate was built in September 1918.
Stamped with “U.S. Property” I wonder where it was originally deployed. Was it used here in the U.S. by the Military? Maybe it was in a shipment bound for overseas to support WWI efforts. Did it make it there in time for the Armistice on November 11th? A Colt letter will also report if the firearm was ever returned to the factory for any kind of service or upgrade.
Similarly I have a 1923 Colt Police Positive in .32 Long Colt, the type of gun popular for law enforcement usage at the time. Small and under-powered by today’s standards, I wonder what type of usage it received. Finding out what Police Department or Agency it went to would make it just that much more fun to shoot!
Several of the long time gun manufactures such as Colt and Browning have departments to support requests. It is not a free service and can cost from $40 to over $100. That may sound like a lot, but if you have an investment level firearm knowing the ownership of a particular gun can add greatly to the value.
Guns that once belonged to famous historical figures such as: Soldiers, Movie Stars or even Politicians are highly sought after. I know it is hard to believe but in the 1920’s through the 1960’s prominent Hollywood actors and actresses were often very active in the shooting sports and spoke frequently of hunting, and trap shooting. Maybe you just want to know when and where Grandpa purchased his favorite Deer Rifle?
Another source for this information is the Cody Firearms Museum in Cody, Wyoming. They have serial number ranges and access to sales dates, original configurations, options etc… for other brands such as High Standard, Marlin, Parker, L.C. Smith, Remington, Ruger, Sharps, Savage/Stevens, Smith & Wesson and Winchester.
Every gun in my collection has a reason for being there. I like them because of their historical significance, or a personal attachment to the previous owner or family member. I’m sending off for letters on the two firearms I mentioned and will keep you informed on what I find out.
Keep your fingers crossed, I’m hoping the Colt 1911 belonged to Sgt. York!