hell of a story and an American hero.....and the gun ain't too bad.

 

Very interesting story and a beautiful example of a Singer.

My uncle was with the 15th Air Force, 451st bombardment group, 724th squadron
and was based in Italy. He was lead navigator for the squadron and also participated
in the Ploesti raids. I'm surprised that the pistol survived all of this duty. My uncle
related to me that in many cases, crew members left their pistols in the barracks.
They considered them pretty useless if you were shot down, excess weight and
there was concern that the shoulder harness straps might get entangled with
the chute if you had to bail out.

 

That was posted posted a couple months prior leading up to the RIA Aug Premier. The gun hammered for: $323,125. It'a certainly a neat gun and story.

WWII U.S. Singer Manufacturing Co. Model 1911A1 Pistol

“The Invictus Singer”: Rare, Historic, Documented, World War II U.S. Singer Manufacturing Co. Model 1911A1 Semi-Automatic Pistol, the Personal Sidearm of Lieutenant Colonel Thomas R. Moss, Pilot of B-24 No. 27 “Invictus” of the 765th Bombardment Squadron, 461st Bombardment Group, 15th Air...

www.rockislandauction.com

 

Very interesting, and I love the B-24 connection. My grandfather was a B-24 mechanic in France in 44-45, so not impossible he ran into LTC Moss. If I had the money I would definitely have bid on it. It actually went for less than I would have expected.

I remember reading somewhere (and am happy to be corrected) that most Singers were known to have been issued to the USAAF.

 

I hope it was Moss's family that for the benefit of that gun. He definitely earned it.

 

I may get some hate for this, but please keep in mind that it's my opinion, and everyone is entitled to their opinion...

I read the page on RIA's website, and I watched the video. They were well done - much better than many other advertisements I've read with phrases like "super rare", "blue-chip investment gun", words in all capitals and plenty of exclamation points.

I don't have any reason to doubt RIA's claims about this gun. Still, what was written seemed overly dramatic, like a Shakespeare play. Perhaps it's because I've seen too many ads from lying charlatans, but I'd rather see a few key details, and evidence of documented provenance. You know, "buy the gun, not the story".

That said, I understand the need for marketing devices, especially for a gun like this - which is absolutely gorgeous (as well as way out of my price range).

 

I may get some hate for this, but please keep in mind that it's my opinion, and everyone is entitled to their opinion...

I read the page on RIA's website, and I watched the video. They were well done - much better than many other advertisements I've read with phrases like "super rare", "blue-chip investment gun", words in all capitals and plenty of exclamation points.

I don't have any reason to doubt RIA's claims about this gun. Still, what was written seemed overly dramatic, like a Shakespeare play. Perhaps it's because I've seen too many ads from lying charlatans, but I'd rather see a few key details, and evidence of documented provenance. You know, "buy the gun, not the story".

That said, I understand the need for marketing devices, especially for a gun like this - which is absolutely gorgeous (as well as way out of my price range).

I guess I felt just the opposite when I first saw the video and ad on the RIA site. I don't know how much more that you could want when it comes to authenticating the exact gun to the pilot. What he did and his missions are well documented. The photos and paperwork are a big plus. Now does the gun have all the exact parts in it as it did when it left the factory, maybe that could be disputed. But that could be the case with many guns. I think that a buyer who wanted a Singer with ties to its use in WWII would look long and far to find one with better history.

Just my opinion,

Cam

 

You know embellishment is nothing new. This ad appeared in the Dec. 15, 1977 Shotgun News. I learned the SA parkerized pistols were “super rare.”

 

I would think by now most surviving Singers have been well-documented among collectors. Some seem to be re-auctioned every few years.

 

It seems there may be more Singers sold than there were ever produced.