What's my old Ithaca Army 45 worth

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05-09-2011, 09:51 PM
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What's my old Ithaca Army 45 worth

Hi,
I was wondering if I could get some opinions on what my 1943 Ithaca Army 45 is worth. My grandpa bought out a gun collection many moons ago and had this gun untill he passed away in 1981. My dad then acquired it and gave it to me when I was 16. I have probably fired 30 rounds in the 25 years that I have owned it.

It is complete and original. It has the parkerized finish which is still in great shape.
It is marked "United States Property M 1911 A1 US Army. No 972266.

I really like the gun but may consider selling to a family member to buy a vintage motorcycle. Just a consideration, not written in stone.
Thanks,
Alex
05-09-2011, 10:08 PM
Johnny Peppers

You actually have a Remington Rand with an Ithaca slide.
05-09-2011, 11:06 PM
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Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny Peppers

You actually have a Remington Rand with an Ithaca slide.

Yes, I did notice that Remington Rand came up when I looked up the serial. The color and condition matches perfectly throughout the gun. Was this manufactured in a collaborative effort between the two companies?
05-10-2011, 12:07 AM
Johnny Peppers

No. There was no swapping of slides during manufacture, and certainly no swapping of receivers as each manufacturer was issued a range of serial numbers to be used.
The right grip is a Colt grip, while the left grip is a Keyes which was used by both Remington Rand and Ithaca. Remington Rand and Ithaca used no Colt grips. The slide stop is from a Model 1911.
If the color matches the pistol was probably rebuilt, and that was when it got the mixed parts.
05-10-2011, 07:53 AM
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Hmm, that's odd. This gun has been in a private collection since about 1960. My grandpa bought much of his collection from a local detective so maybe this was rebuilt for use as a service weapon. I can't imagine at that time it had much collectible value. Most of the guns acquired were deringers, pepper box pistols and old west type stuff. Although there was a Luger and P38 in the bunch. I wish he was still around to ask about it.

So any opinion on what this gun is worth as a mongrel? Or maybe more parted out?
05-10-2011, 10:08 AM
Johnny Peppers

It was very common for service pistols to go through rebuild and no effort was made to keep the original parts together. The military did not let them get in really bad condition before they were sent back through an arsenal. Hard to tell much from the pictures, but the pistol probably falls into the $750/900 price range.
05-10-2011, 10:24 AM
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Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny Peppers

It was very common for service pistols to go through rebuild and no effort was made to keep the original parts together. The military did not let them get in really bad condition before they were sent back through an arsenal. Hard to tell much from the pictures, but the pistol probably falls into the $750/900 price range.

Ah, so after returning from duty they would get refurbed out of a mix of parts for another tour? That makes sense. Thanks for the info, I really appreciate your knowledge and input.