Im trying to find some infomation about a strange SN on a 1911 manufactured in 1918. The serial number has a "C" that is stamped directly below the 6 digit SN. Has anyone else seen this??? If so, whats it worth????
A "C" in front of the serial number would be a typical Commercial Government Model 1911 style pistol but what you describe is obviously different. This would probably be something that was done for unknown reasons by unknown folks. I would say that showing us some pictures would be the first place to start.
Your 1911 is in the Military serial, end of 1918; from 233601 to 573000.
Impossible to be a commercial with such serial number.
Concerning this C marking I do not have an answer, sorry maybe some could give an explanation.
The "C" marking will most likely remain a mystery. Possibly some sort of unit or rack marking. We will probably never know for sure. Unknown Markings, such as your pistol has will most likely negaively effect the value too.
It is like a vintage car. If you paint your name on the rear deck it is worth less. Now if the name is a movie star and you have provenance to prove it, then the value may go up.
While I agree the value is negatively influenced by the additional marking of unknown origin, the primary value of the pistol is based on the amount of original finish and whether all parts are correct and/or original. More and much larger, detailed photos are necessary to comment on whether or not finish and parts looks right. However, it looks pretty glossy to me for a pistol in that serial range. If refinished, the C could be the refinisher's mark or an owner's mark. Who knows without better and more complete photos?
PM
