Quote Originally Posted by maxim View Post
It is beautiful. While on vacationin Zihauntenajo, Mexico we stopped at the Navy base PX. There was their version of a Navy MP on 'guard' in the store. He was armed with a severely worn 1911 in a severely worn and raggedy shoulder holster. It displayed the type of pitting and rust patina and worn grips of your pistol. No doubt from years and years of carry and being passed daily. I respect those who aquire pristine examples, but drawn to the ones who have earned thier scars from years of honest service.
While it is certainly OK to like the worn pistols, most of the military pistols in private hands left the military approximately 40 to 100 years ago. Whether the wear came from military usage or from being carried under Bubba's truck seat is impossible to determine. In the end wear is just wear no matter where it came from and that determines their value in the collecting world. They were all made for the same thing.

The pistol shown below is documented by SRS as having been issued to the commanding officer of Navy ship U.S.iconS. LCI 780 in April of 1945. It was manufactured in June of 1943, so it had to be somewhere in the military for almost two years prior to issue to the ship's captain. A good example of a pistol not having to be worn out to have any history.