Help ID & determine value of Colt revolver

B

BumbleBug

New member
A neighbor in my community asked if I would look at a revolver that her husband left her & determine it's possible value in order to possibly sell it. I'm definitely not a collector oriented shooter but I said I'd help. I was quite surprised to see the beautiful DA Colt she brought by. It is labeled on each side of barrel:

POLICE POSITIVE SPECIAL
.38 SPECIAL CTG

COLT'S MFG CO. HARTFORD, CT. U.S.A.
​
The bluing looks like 99%+. It obviously has never been in a holster. On cocking, the cylinder locks up super tight with no discernible play. Barrel is bright & shiny, throat sharp & clean & cylinders shiny bright. I would not be surprised if this gun had only been fired the number of cartridges missing from the ancient box 158gr Lead Police Special that she had with it. I found it in the blue book of values under two possibilities: "First Issue" & "Second Issue". From a value stand point, either First or Second shows the same value range. The only thing that is off is the grip. This grip does not match the pictures I found on the internet. But there was a production of this gun issued as Police Positive Border Patrol that wore this grip. But those guns had the barrel clearly marked "Border Patrol" & they seem to be very rare & valuable. There is no box or papers with the gun.

Any ideas, value guesses or suggestions they are most appreciated!
2nqxljk.jpg

2i0q53o.jpg

2emlcsj.jpg

ifzat1.jpg

2jeyzoy.jpg
 
You can enter the serial number on the Colt website and MAYBE get a year of manufacture. Maybe because their own data is not complete.

I would put this one in the 1950s because of the brown plastic grips and ramped front sight.
 
Like Jim mentions, the Coltwood grips ( the shrinkage is a very common ailment of them ) and the matte finish on the top & bottom
of the frame as well as the cylinder flutes date the gun from as early as 1949 thru 1955.

You are correct that it is called Colt's second issue PPS.
Google 'proofhouse colt' to find the date based on the serial no.

During that post-war duo-tone finish era, Colt gradually made the transition from the square butt on the pistol you have
to round butts as standard on the PPS.

The 4" .38 Spec. is the most common variation of the PPS.
However, the lack of wear on the ejector rod and the faint beginnings of a turn line back your belief of the guns lack of use.
A definite selling point for any Colt.
IMO though,(From the pictures. they lack the definition to tell for sure)
the scratch behind the cylinder release and the area of what looks to be minor finish wear/spotting? below the pony keep the gun from being 99%

With sharper photos in natural light to better show the lack of wear, I could see the gun at 5 or 550.
It would be a search to upgrade on a PPS from that era in that nice of condition.

JT
 
I think it is a O.P. as I am pretty sure Colt did not fit "Coltwood" stocks on the P.P.
The O.P. is as good a revolver ever made and better than 99.9% of the rest.Hand fitted actions,polishing and bluing not be seen again in production revolvers.The O.P. is in my opinion the epitome of the .38 Special platform with the Colt Officers Match(adjustable sights O.P.) version the pinnacle of the evolution of the .38 Special cartridge.
I just read what you said about the printing on the barrel, "Border Patrol" take some clearer pictures of the barrel with it's makings(take it outside with no flash).
The revolver is on the Official Police frame,I,E, It was part of a special order and the there is a premium on the "Border Patrol" marked guns. It's value will be different than average O.P's.
Take it over to www.coltforum.com and learn more about it. It is an interesting revolver and is worth learning more about and again they are not common.
www.proofhouse.com list' dates of manufacture for most all of the older Colt revolvers using serial #'s. You could possibly find the the year, it maybe that the "Border Patrol" revolvers were serialized separately.The goal now is to make sure it is not a re-barreled Official Police with a "Border Patrol" barrel as it was fairly common for O.P's to get re-barreled with whatever would fit or available.
You will be quite pleased with it's potential value, here's link from a search on the Colt forum worth you time.http://www.coltforum.com/forums/col...ne-tell-me-about-original-border-patrols.html
 
Last edited:
The OP says the barrel is marked POLICE POSITIVE SPECIAL which I would take as a definite clue that it is not an Official Police.

He says he found reference to the Border Patrol model, not that his was so marked.

It is a very nice example of a standard model of the period.
 
Thanks for the good info.

The grips are actually plastic, varied redish brown, but not wood. Pictures of other Police Positives also have plastic grips, but black with signature horse top & bottom of grip.

Thanks for the good info.:)
 
Starting with the Colt Commando of WWII, Colt began using "Coltwood" plastic grips on all pistols unless special ordered with wood.
This continued up until about 1953 when they went back to checkered walnut with silver medallions.

The War-time Coltwood plastic grips had a more uniform solid brown color.
After the war the grips were made with a reddish-brown swirled plastic to simulate figured wood which usually had silver coloring on the molded-on Colt medallions, then in the later years went back to a uniform brown color without the silver paint or whatever it was on the molded-on medallions.

These Coltwood grips were made of an early plastic that's notorious for shrinking and leaving gaps between the grips and the frame.

And to be clear, there's no such thing as a Police Positive or Police Positive Special Border Patrol.
The original Border Patrol was just a very heavy barreled Official Police made for the US Border Patrol

The Second Issue Border Patrol was just a Trooper Mark III with a lesser polished finish and with "Border Patrol" stamped on the barrel.
This later Border Patrol was made for both the US Border Patrol and for commercial sales.
The actual Border Patrol issue guns had "USBP" and issue numbers hand stamped on the right side of the frame above the trigger.
 
Sorry, but the different colors of the frame and sideplate and the buffing marks on both indicate that gun has been reblued. As far as I can tell from the limited photos, it is not a bad job, but it does definitely reduce the value.

Jim
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top