I guess that kind of changes the significance of the ratty pearls that came on it. After looking at recent auctions of documented Wolf and Klar nickel 1908's with the pearl grips Wolf and Klar was known to add, I should probably find someone who can authenticate whether these grips came from Wolf and Klar and have them restored.

https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/79/435/wolf-klar-shipped-colt-model-1908-pocket-hammerless-pistol

Anybody know how I can go about getting these grips authenticated? These were what came on the gun and I think they can be restored. Maybe the wood backing can be compared with a known W&K set, although they don't look like any W&K grips i've seen so far. I would be forever grateful if someone has a set of known W&K pocket hammerless pearl grips to compare and would be willing to post pictures, especially of the back.

 

Did you notice your letter says date of shipment as Oct. 17th 2924?

 

Yup. One of one.
Possible Bonnie and Clyde connection,
AND it's from the future.

 

It's back from the future 😆

 

So get this. My gun is 800 number earlier than Bonnie and Clyde's 1908 pocket hammerless.
It shipped to the same store,
And it shipped less than a month before Clydes.

It is entirely possible my gun was in the case when the duo came into the store to buy their gun.
It is possible the duo looked at my gun.
It is even possible they handled it before deciding on the one they ultimately chose.

Likely? Maybe not
But it is possible.

 

It is possible they stopped and had a roll in the grass down by my creek.

 

Nice 1908, I've had good luck with RIA, snagged a few deals.

 

That is a great looking 1908...B & C touched or not.
I'm personally not a big fan of pearls on any gun but they can look nice for display.
I believe they can be cleaned up and possibly restored...by the right person. Don Furr is a member here and may be able to help.

 

Maybe it's just me, but I would want the Colt Archives to provide another copy of the letter with the correct date. It may be fun to have the misprint, but it's not accurate.

 

My favorite 1903 means so much to me as a family heirloom that I'd be quite put-out if I ever found that either of those syphilitic monsters ever came anywhere near it.

Now, any of the principals that helped to put those mad-dogs down? Hell yes!

 

I have watched the movie with Beaty and Dunaway a few times because it's a good movie. But, making hero's out of a couple miscreants like them is repugnant to me. They were just a couple of ruthless punks who deserved what they got.

 

Pretty interesting how a gun that was possibly in the hands of one of the the most notorious pair of outlaws in American history made its way halfway across the country to a sleepy little fishing and logging town on the coast

 

I don't think those pearls look that ratty. I think they look better on the gun than the aftermarket grips. Plus they are part of its history. Great gun.
I have a nickel 1908 vest pocket
25 auto with aftermarket pearls. I never lettered it but wouldn't be surprised if it was a Wolf and Klar gun as well.

 

I don't think those pearls look that ratty. I think they look better on the gun than the aftermarket grips. Plus they are part of its history. Great gun.
I have a nickel 1908 vest pocket
25 auto with aftermarket pearls. I never lettered it but wouldn't be surprised if it was a Wolf and Klar gun as well.

Yeah - they look rather standard for use & age to me. I like imperfect pearls on an imperfect gun.

 

In the 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde, Hamer is portrayed by Denver Pyle. He is depicted as incompetent, while the Barrow gang is shown capturing, teasing, and humiliating him. The ambush at the end of the film is suggested as his personal revenge. After the film's release, his widow Gladys and son Frank Jr. sued Warner Bros.-Seven Arts for defamation of character. In 1971, they received an undisclosed out-of-court settlement.

 

The Kevin Costner movie - 'The Highwaymen' - has a far different take on that era.

 

I just rewatched that movie a few weeks ago. Very good movie.

 

I took the pearls off because they are poorly fitted or the wood insert has worn to the point they are sloppy and loose, sliding around freely and wearing at the nickel under the grips. They need to be restored before they can safely go back onto the gun.
I hadn't had much interest in them because of the damage and extra holes drilled into them, and I don't think they are the original W&K grips because of how the wood insert is pinned through the pearl. I have not seen such an amateurish method of mounting it in any other pocket hammerless pearl grips I've seen.

I briefly considered having them restored, depending on the cost.

 

Todd, ignats,
History is all about the good the bad and the ugly. it's still History.

 

I'll neither deny not ignore history but I despair the person or society who celebrates the scum and villainy of the world by elevating the value of their past possessions if not their actions.

The suffering and abject malevolent narcissism attached to a gun of someone like that is something I find queers any historical value completely. We can be boldly open-eyed to the history without iconifying the tools.

 

Faye Dunaway has been in somr good ones.
I liked her best in 'Chinatown' with Jack Nicholson. It was a little ahead of it's time, and dealt with topics not really mainstream.
As for the MOP, well, those are just fine. It would not be a terrible chore to get 'em into service.
I have some aftermarket (probably hand made, possibly one of a kind) that are positioned on the grip frame with 2 steel pins.

They are attractive, but they are a little thicker than the OE hard black rubber or wood ones. They are OK for appearance, but I don't like 'em in the hand. I cannot complain though, I think I gave $150 for 'em. They fit the model M frame quite nicely. I will probably find a spot for "em on one of the pistols min the pile. It ain't as if I don't have enough choices.....

I ain't crazy.......not yet.

 

I have some aftermarket (probably hand made, possibly one of a kind) that are positioned on the grip frame with 2 steel pins.

Looks like that pin install was a daring project for someone. Good idea.

 

When I start worrying about what someone else collects, I have absolutely run out of something to worry about.

 

I'll do better than B&C. For reelz.

This gun was found in a drop holster with the Field Post address of General Fieldmarschall Albert Kesselring of the Luftwaffe.

Did he handle it? Maybe. Maybe not. I don't know. But it went through his mailing office near Salerno in Central Italy during mid 1943, when the Field Post Number (52230) was active.

Seems historical, at least.

 

There is a Luger, a P-38, a C-96, a Nazi FN M-35, and a CZ 27 in the pile. The is a Browning model 22 on the radar to be collected at some later time.
I can be reasonably certain that some or all of them were handled by bleepheads of one stripe or another.
The firearm is an inanimate object. It may or may not have historical significance, depending on when and where it came from.
It's attraction resides in the identity of the piece of iron, not in what it may or may not have been used for. It is simple really.

 

Interesting thread.

It's a nice gun, but I think to say that it was "possibly" handled by Bonnie and Clyde is a big stretch.

I personally don't understand why the OP is so enamored by the idea his gun may be connected to a pair of murderers, but that's their business.

 

To you and everyone else wishing to follow this train of thought,.
If you do not want to join in the discussion of this fine old Colt pistol., thats fine
But.
There is no need to start leveling disgusting personal insults if you do not like the tone or flavor of the conversation.

I have been on this green earth long enough to know that this is all an act, a fake pearl clutching, quivering display, and its laughable. History is history and if discussing it frightens and disgusts you so much, go home and pull the blanket back over your head and let the adults continue the discussion.

 

B&C guns sell for big money.

Bonnie and Clyde Guns Sell for 504k at Auction

 

Here are the links to the auctions:
Clyde Barrow 1911 Army Colt .45 Pistol | Sold for $245,000 | RR Auction
Bonnie Parker Colt Detective Special .38 revolver | Sold for $269,500 | RR Auction

Martin

 

deleted.

 

C'mon boys.
There are plenty of other places on the 'net where we can cross swords if we are so inclined.
It does not fit on this website.
Suppose we end the conflict and resume the decorum this place is known for.
This is not rocket surgery.

 

We're finished here .