April 24-25, 2019 Extraordinary, Sporting, & Collector Firearms
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/25/2019
This would be a nice find if it was simply as is, an all original unaltered 1911 Springfield Model 1903 that has never undergone any updates. It features the original early single bolt wide groove stock, high hump handguard, straight bolt, straight cut left side of stock, early proper rear sight graduated to 2700 yards, barrel dated 3 of 10, and the frame is dated to 1911, which would indicate that the rifle was assembled in 1911 with barrels in stock. All milled parts to include smooth buttplate with trapdoor. But the intriguing aspect of this rifle is that it was issued to the Marine Corps Rifle Squad on board one of America's newest battleships: the U.S.S. Georgia. The U.S.S. Georgia was a Virginia class battleship commissioned September of 1906, when it became a unit of the Atlantic fleet. In June of 1907, during the Jamestown naval review, she suffered a turret accident that took the lives of ten of her crew. In December of the same year, it began the World Cruise of the Great White Fleet, returning in 1909. She participated in operations in troubled Mexico and Haiti during 1914 and was recommissioned in April of 1917, performing escort missions during most of the war. Commissioned April 6th 1917 and for 18 months she operated with the Third Division Battleship Force. For six months after the war, she brought almost 6000 US servicemen home from France. In 1919 the battleship joined the Pacific Fleet at the Panama Canal. She was sold for scrap in 1923. Additionally, aboard the four mainbattleships, U.S.S. Dolphin, Kansas, Georgia, and Utah, were each assigned a Marine Corps rifle squad. We have copies of photos of the Navy Blue Jacket Camp, Marine Rifle Range, Maryland, 1915, showing the Marine Rifle Range, a picture of three members of the U.S.S. Dolphin Marine Rifle Corps, 1915, and a copy of the U.S.S. Georgia June 19th 1909, a copy of the U.S.S. Georgia 1906. Also included in this lot is an original photograph in sepia tone, undated, of the U.S.S. Georgia that measures 11x20. CONDITION: Original photo is rough and attached to a flat board for preservation purposes. Rifle frame retains approximately 70% of the original 1911 period blue finish, balance patina, barrel is a blend of blue and grey patina, all legends are sharp, stock is excellent. Right side of stock stamped "U.S.S. Georgia", upside down. Left wrist has JFC cartouche stamp, for James F. Coyle, in block letters, correct for this era. Coyle served as inspector from 1905 to 1918. Rifle has a TE reading of 1 and an ME reading of 2. Stock has usual abrasions but is in excellent condition - even the barrel band retains approximately 50% of the original high polish blue. This is a historically significant, early, Model 1903. To date, this is the only rifle attributed to a pre-World War I battleship that we are aware of and we are conducting further research through Springfield Research on the ship's manifest. All further information required will accompany rifle. A once in a lifetime opportunity to acquire an all original pre-World War I Springfield, documented to one of America's Great White Fleet battleships.