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19JJ-1 .45 AUTO W/PRETTY BOY FLOYD HISTORY

Currency:USD Category:Firearms & Military Start Price:1,500.00 USD Estimated At:5,000.00 - 10,000.00 USD
19JJ-1 .45 AUTO W/PRETTY BOY FLOYD HISTORY
All items are as is, no warranty or claims and All SALES ARE FINAL. Please examine prior to bidding as it is the bidder's responsibility to establish condition, age, genuineness, value or any other determining factors.
Colt Government Model 1911 semi-automatic pistol, .45 caliber, 5” barrel, blued finish, checkered wood grips, S/N C 97206, with documentation to East Liverpool, Ohio Police Officer Chester C. Smith, who was with FBI Agent Melvin Purvis and other officers of the law when they confronted and killed noted outlaw “Pretty Boy” Floyd on October 22, 1934. Included in the documentation are a number of photos and copies of newspaper articles related to Floyd as well as 3 hardback books on Floyd and the gangster period of his time. Importantly, there is a copy of a newspaper article dated Oct. 24, 1984 announcing the death of Chester Smith and recounting his involvement in the pursuit and killing of this outlaw. Also there is a notarized letter from Neal E. Trickel dated June 10, 1989, to Tim Smith of Reading, Pennsylvania that in summary, identifies this Colt 1911 by serial number as a gun recovered from Floyd at the time of his death, indicating Chester Smith was given the gun at the time of the shooting and gave the gun later to Neal Trickel (President of Strommen-Trickel Industries, Inc., Monroe, Wisconsin a company that specialized in small arms ammunition according to the document’s letterhead). The gun is in overall very good + condition displaying the majority of its original blued finish with highpoint and grip strap wear, very good bore, crisp action, sharp markings and very good grips; the gun retains its two-tone magazine. An important piece of U.S. depression-era outlaw and lawman history relating to one of the most notable outlaws of the period, “Pretty Boy” Floyd who was as actively sought by law enforcement as was John Dillinger. (C& R/PPT). Est.: $5,000-$10,000.