Help. How much is this gun worth?

[Diggs]

My Father's oldest Brother fought in WWII. My Uncle passed away years ago but his wife passed last fall. I just received a bunch of the family's stuff and I came across his service pistol and holster. The gun is a Colt .45 m1911 1a and with the exception of a missing magazine, appears to be in great condition and working order. I have taken a series of pictures in hopes that someone could give me an idea of it's value and the best place to look for a buyer. If there is any real value, my goal is to get a fair price for it and send the money to my cousin who is in need. Thank you for any assistance you can provide.

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I am located in Eastern Los Angeles County near the 210 & 57 freeways.

Again I appreciate any advice.

JD

[McTerry]

That is truly a piece of history. I don't know what a fair price would be but I would not sell it immediately. Maybe do some shopping around and more research.

Found this link: Link

May want to join that forum as well and see if you can't get some more information on it.

[loose_electron]

Classic government issue 1911 - pretty perfect condition.

Keep everything as is, don't modify, poliish, or otherwise change anything. A common mistake people have with antiques, they buff them up and in the process lower the value.

That's a collectible gun. Take a look on gunbroker.com at closed auctions to get a value, but don't confuse it with modern look-alikes

[Cheese & Bacon]

Great looking gun

[imtheomegaman]

Worth a good deal I'd imagine. 1911's are popular, collectable ones even more so. However, this is a family heirloom. I have a feeling you will deeply regret selling it.

[Diggs]

Classic government issue 1911 - pretty perfect condition.

Keep everything as is, don't modify, poliish, or otherwise change anything. A common mistake people have with antiques, they buff them up and in the process lower the value.

That's a collectible gun. Take a look on gunbroker.com at closed auctions to get a value, but don't confuse it with modern look-alikes

Thanks, I was thinking I'd need to clean it or polish the holster, but I'll leave it as is.

[loose_electron]

Looking around on Gunbroker, beat up versions from the same era go for about $2000. Considering how good the condition is, its probably worth more however. I would get it professionally looked at for a value.

Advice - A gun store will try to give you a lowball price, so I would not walk into a gun store and try to sell it. Best bet would be to auction on Gunbroker (the EBay of firearms) or figure out a value, and put it on the Marketplace forum here.

[Diggs]

Worth a good deal I'd imagine. 1911's are popular, collectable ones even more so. However, this is a family heirloom. I have a feeling you will deeply regret selling it.

My Cousin is fighting cancer and racked up big medical bills. This gun has sat in a box for 60+ years (probably no one knew it existed). There is no sentimental attachment but there is greater good that could come from any monies it raises.

[loose_electron]

Thanks, I was thinking I'd need to clean it or polish the holster, but I'll leave it as is.

Wise choice.

[McTerry]

Don't clean, polish, wax, scrub, anything! You may have to field strip it to get a look at some other markings but I wouldn't do anything more to it than that.
If you need help field stripping it:

Video Link

[Ripon83]

You might want to make the same post at

https://www.coltforum.com

The people there can be helpful. I had a "reaction" to one of the photos' (the one with the pony) that made me think its been refinished at some point - possibly many years ago. Thats's just my reaction and I could be wrong and I'm not expert. My dad left me a similar pistol and I cherish it greatly. Knowing he used it in WWII matters a great deal to me so it has no dollar value to me.

[Diggs]

Looking around on Gunbroker, beat up versions from the same era go for about $2000. Considering how good the condition is, its probably worth more however. I would get it professionally looked at for a value.

Advice - A gun store will try to give you a lowball price, so I would not walk into a gun store and try to sell it. Best bet would be to auction on Gunbroker (the EBay of firearms) or figure out a value, and put it on the Marketplace forum here.

If I could get $2,000 or more here, I'd be happy. My sister wanted to take to a county sponsored gun "turn-in" and get a few bucks for it. I figured it had some value and stopped that immediately. A friend who is a gun enthusiast told me about this website and suggested I come here for advice. He seemed to think it was in excellent condition and that the holster increased the value for a collector. I don't need top dollar but a fair price and I know it would make many people happy.

[loose_electron]

Don't clean, polish, wax, scrub, anything! You may have to field strip it to get a look at some other markings but I wouldn't do anything more to it than that.
If you need help field stripping it:

Video Link

Um, in a word NO!

People new to the 1911 often damage it the first time they take it apart.
Leave it alone. The "1911 idiot mark scratches" are a common outcome of somebody inexperienced taking it apart and re-assembling it.

He's not trying to prep it for use, hes trying to get the most "bucks for his bang" (so to speak) as he can get.