GUN SPRING 2017
The live portion of this session begins on Tuesday, April 11, 2017.
COLT MODEL 1903 SEMI-AUTO POCKET PISTOL PURPORTEDLY BELONGING TO INFAMOUS BANK ROBBER AND OUTLAW JOHN DILLINGER. COLT 1903 216003 32 MODERN; C&R Cal 32 ACP. Blue finish with 3-3/4" bbl, fixed sights, standard slide markings with Rampant Colt at the left rear end and mounted with Rampant Colt checkered hard rubber grips. Accompanied by one orig two-tone magazine with marked base plate. Also accompanied by a brown leather flap holster probably from the 1920s or 30s. Additionally accompanied by a Colt Factory letter which identifies this pistol in caliber 32, bbl length and type of stocks not listed, blue finish and shipped to Shapleigh Hardware Co., St. Louis, MO on August 7, 1916 in a 100 gun shipment. Further accompanied by an extremely large archive of research material on the life & times of John Dillinger including his known personal contacts, crimes and convictions leading up to his death in July 1934. Included in this archival material are several notarized affidavits by Robert A. Hufsmith who is the son of George W. Hufsmith who was the Assistant Attorney General of Indiana from 1929-1936. Mr. Hufsmith states that this pistol was kept in his fathers' bedside table and that he had been admonished not to touch it under any circumstance, that it had belonged to John Dillinger. Mr. Hufsmith states that his father had been assigned to prosecute Dillinger for bank robbery & murder, but Dillinger escaped and traveled to Chicago where he eventually was killed. Mr. Hufsmith states that he never learned how his father came into possession of the pistol but that it was common practice for policemen to keep "trophies" from high profile criminals and present them to their superiors. Mr. Hufsmith speculates that one of the policemen gifted this pistol to his father. Also included is a newspaper article which includes a photograph of four East Chicago, Indiana police officers holding a Colt semi-auto pistol that could be this pistol. There are copies of other photographs in the archive of George Hufsmith standing beside the body of Dillinger in the morgue. Mr. Hufsmith states that his father carried this pistol for about 15 years while serving in a legal capacity in Rio de Janeiro Brazil and that Mr. Robert Hufsmith had carried this same pistol while acting as a prosecuting attorney for Teton County, WY in Jackson Hole. Mr. Robert Hufsmith identifies this pistol by serial number. Mr. Hufsmith was unable to directly link this pistol to John Dillinger, however the circumstances lead one to believe that it is in fact John Dillinger's pistol. At the inquest, after the shooting of Dillinger no firearm was produced to justify the shooting although later a pistol was produced and put on display by the FBI but was later proven that that pistol was manufactured after Dillinger was killed. One newspaper article states that when Dillinger was shot his pistol went "clattering" down the street. This scenario further promotes the strong theory that one of the 4 Indiana policemen, who were present as witnesses then picked up the pistol and later gave it to Mr. Hufsmith's father. Further accompanied by 4 books regarding Dillinger: Dillinger A Short and Violent Life, Cromie & Pinkston; Dillinger The Hidden Truth, Stewart; John Dillinger, Matera; Dillinger The Untold Story, Giardin & Helmer. Further accompanied by a VHS, Public Enemy #1. The cover the the Giardin book and the VHS sleeve picture Dillinger holding a Thompson sub-machine gun and a Colt semi-auto pistol. The cover of the Stewart book pictures what is probably the same Thompson, Colt small caliber automatic pistol & a severely modified 1911 style pistol along with what is probably Dillinger's straw boater and a plaster death mask. PROVENANCE: George H. Hufsmith; Robert A. Hufsmith; consignor. CONDITION: Good. Traces or orig finish remain in the most sheltered areas being mostly a gray/brown patina showing moderate to heavy wear. Grips are sound also showing heavy wear. The slide-lock will not hold in the open position,safety has been internally disabled as was described in the text from Mr.Hufsmith. This was purportedly done by Dillinger so as to be always at the ready. Other than the non functioning safety and hold open mechanics are fine, strong dark bore. Holster is extremely fine. Books are fine. 51640-1 JRL (5,000-7,500)