Colt 25 auto

[Clint]

Hi, i am new to this site and have a colt 25 auto with a serial number of 85xxx i would like to know what model it is and what it might be worth, thank you.

[RJay]

Well the first thing you should have done is read " Read this before posting " you didn't so only a little information can be given with out photos. The serial number dates to 1913, with out any ideal of conditions only a range of values can be given , In excellent condition ( like new ) 5 to 550 down to 100 in poor. The correct name is The Model of 1908 Hammerless .25 Pocket Pistol, also called the Colt Vest Pocket. There's a number of things that might effect value, the condition, engraving. grip type and relationship to a known personality. One that is engraved with MOP grips and was once once by General Marshall might sell for 10,000 dollars. One that is old and tired with no bluing left and a barrel that looks like a sewer pipe might sell for 50. Best I can do with the information furnished

[johnlives4christ]

thats kinda like asking " what year was my chevy made and whats it worth and what model is it"

[Clint]

Sorry, it has no engraving, and the bluing is worn a little around the slide and has a few scratches but is in good condition, and has black, i would asume plastic grips, but i am confused as to the proof marks.

[muddober]

Clint, a nice Colt vest pocket 25 ACP with 90% finish should fetch between $275.00 and $325.00. The grips are a hard rubber material that I would not really call plastic, but then I am no chemist. As said pictures are best.

Ron

[Jim K]

Most handgun grips of that era were made of a natural material called "gutta percha" or "hard rubber." It could be moulded like modern plastic with company logos, checkering and the like. The problem is that it grows brittle with age so those grips today are very fragile and can shatter if subjected to a blow or attempts to pry them off.

Jim

[muddober]

Originally Posted by Jim K

Most handgun grips of that era were made of a natural material called "gutta percha" or "hard rubber." It could be moulded like modern plastic with company logos, checkering and the like. The problem is that it grows brittle with age so those grips today are very fragile and can shatter if subjected to a blow or attempts to pry them off.

Jim

Jim, that was cool, I never heard of "gutta percha". That is why I like this forum.

Ron

[RJay]

The one really documented gun from an old west gunfighter, Bat Masterson, iin 1885 when he ordered his nickle plated Colt he specified on the order form that they have " Gutta Percha " grips.

[Jim K]

That was the standard grip material for all the Colts of that era except the Army contract guns, which always had plain wood grips. It was also the material of choice for just about every other gun maker at the time. If your c.1870-1940 gun has black grips or buttplate, they are gutta percha.

Jim

[Alpo]

According to something I was reading the other day, flat-gate Ruger Single Sixes came standard with gutta percha. I was surprised, as I thought the use of that stopped with WW2, but maybe the author knew what he was talking about.

[grcsat]

A short history of gutta percha.

Gutta percha is a rubberlike gum obtained from the milky sap of trees of the Sapotaceae family, found in Indonesia and Malaysia. Once of great economic value, gutta percha is now being replaced by plastics in many items, although it is still used in some electrical insulation and dental work. The English natural historian John Tradescant (c. 1570-1638) introduced gutta percha to Europe in the 1620s, and its inherent qualities gave it a slow but growing place in world trade. By the end of World War II, however, many manufacturers switched from gutta percha to plastics, which are more versatile and cheaper to produce.

[Jim K]

Interesting about the Rugers. Wilson (Ruger & His Guns) uses the term "hard rubber", usually a synonym for gutta percha, even though I always thought they were plastic. Further research might prove worthwhile.

Jim

[Alpo]

Jim, here's where I got my info.
http://www.gunblast.com/Hamm_Old_Model_Single-Six.htm

In the pictures he refers to "black rubber or walnut", and in the 8th paragraph, "The first production guns..." he says "checkered hard rubber grip panels".