Colt 1905 What to Do

[Chase]

I have a friend who has a 1905 Colt in 45 ACP.  He's had it for years and bought it at a police auction.
Sadly, the serial number is all but gone, only a "seven" is barely visible.
I would say that the original finish is at 10% and the grips have been altered with silver nameplates amateurishly done.

Approximate value?  Would it be worth the cost of having it professionally restored?

Hey, it was really neat holding such an old gun even in it's present condition.  I really tried to hand him a C-note for it but he wouldn't take it!

Thanks.

[St. George]

You 'can' have all of the lettering re-cut and have the piece refinished after that, but with this much evident wear - it'll always have the look of a refinished piece.

Best to leave it as-is and put away any thoughts of using it, should you eventually be able to buy it.

I'd say your buddy has more of an idea of it's true worth than he's letting on - he likely knows it's relative rarity.

It can't be apraised without a real inspection.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[JimBob]

Try looking at the serial number under a blacklight.There were some changes in these along the way that might give you an idea of the serial number general range.One of them that is easily determined is the first 500 the slide was marked "BROWNING'S PATENT" after that "PATENTED" with the dates.

A quality restoration would probably cost as much as the guns worth.It would require re-engraving the lettering for one thing.They only produced aprox.6100 of these,in any condition they are "find" for a collector.