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fidel castros gun
stirrat
Member Posts: 48 ✭✭
someone just showed me fidel castros pistol from the 50s with good documentation. 1911a1 anyone have any idea what i can pay for this
thanks
thanks
Comments
If you have a Colt factory letter showing that this gun was special ordered by a hardware store in Havana for Fidel, well, that's a great start. Or, DOD documents stating that this particular gun was given to a Bay of Pigs soldier....
But, it's rare that someone with a valuable gun says "What will you give me for it?" That alone should make you wary.
Neal
"Rock solid" provenance with regards to a notorious owner (Fidel) will add to that value I'm sure, but what it's "worth" above the base is strictly what the market will pay. One of a kinds like these are not easily valued until AFTER they sell.
Regretably, many thousands of fakes are created every year in order to cash in on that variable... and lots of buyers are taken in by paying well above actual value as a result. This is why you're getting these responses; unless it's a certifiable pic of Fidel actually carrying and holding THAT particular gun, things can be very difficult to sell above what the gun's base value is.
Good luck, I hope it turns out for you!
There's an auction coming up soon featuring a Colt Model 1851 Navy revolver claimed to be "owned by Frank James". It was purchased in the 1930's from the James family by a doctor and is being sold from his estate. It even has "Frank James" engraved on the backstrap but maybe it wasn't THE Frank James or maybe it was added in an effort to deceive someone. Many years ago, I saw a nice Colt SAA at a gun show and a friend of mine wrote down the serial number (he did this with every 1st Generation SAA he came across, including caliber, markings, barrel length, finish, etc.). The following year, we saw the same exact Colt at another gun show with "W. Earp" engraved on the backstrap! True story.
Zerelda James, mother of Frank and Jesse, made a nice living by selling guns "owned" by her sons, which they never were. Although most of the guns were claimed to belong to Jesse, I'm sure she sold a few that "belonged" to Frank as well. That Colt Navy may have been passed down through the family but still doesn't prove it actually belonged to Frank.
The main point is just because someone says it's true doesn't mean it is. It might be true, it might be a lie, or they may truly believe it. Nonetheless, without positive provenance, it's worth the same as any other 1911a1. Without irrefutable proof, buy the gun but don't buy the story.