Colt Model 1908 Vest Pocket.25 ACP Serial Numbers 1 & 2with original August 25, 1896 patent and 1909 ColtCatalog.The First Colt Model 1908 Vest Pocket.25 ACP Automatic PistolsSerial Numbers 1 and 2© Sam Lisker, All rights reserved.Colt’s Model 1908 Vest Pocket.25 ACP pistol (or “ModelN” as it was referred to internally by the Colt factory) isperhaps one of the more interesting Colt models to collect.It was manufactured from 1908 until just after WWII, withthe last pistol being shipped in 1948. Throughoutproduction, there were a significant number of standardproduction and factory embellished variations of this model.Due to its size and small caliber, there is a relativelyhigh survival rate of Vest Pocket.25s in better thanaverage condition.While the highest serial number was 420,705, the totalproduction numbered approximately 409,000 pistols making itone of Colt’s best selling commercial automatic pistols.Until World War II, the Colt 1908 Vest Pocket was Colt’sfifth most popular model. It was only outperformed by the1903.32 ACP and Model of 1911 U.S. Army.45 ACP automaticpistols and the Official Police and Police Positive Specialrevolvers, four models for which there were large militarycontracts and police orders.Collectors most frequently encounter six and occasionallyfive-digit serial number examples of the Model N. Seldom arefour, three and two-digit serial numbers encountered.Single-digit serial numbers are almost unheard of.Pictured on this month’s cover are two very unique Colt VestPocket.25 pistols: serial numbers one and two. They areperhaps the only set of pre-WWII first and secondconsecutively serial numbered pistols that exist in the samecollection.
Model 1903 Pocket Hammer.38 ACP serial numbers19999 and 19998 (which were the first and second guns ofthis model produced) were at one time in the samecollection, but today, their whereabouts are unknown.As would be expected with the earliest single-digit serialnumbered examples of a new model, serial numbers one and twowere shipped to two very well connected individuals who hadimportant relationships with Colt’s.Serial number one was shipped to noted collector J.R.Hegeman. At one time, Hegeman had one of the mostoutstanding Colt collections in this country. He was truly apioneer in Colt collecting and presumably had some fantasticconnections within the Colt company that allowed him to ownmany pre-production, prototype and serial number one guns.Many of Hegeman's Colt's are now part of some of the finestcollections.Number one was assembled on October 30, 1908 and on November28, 1908, it was shipped directly to Hegeman in a single gunshipment. Hegeman, a vice president of the MetropolitanLife Insurance Company, of New York, was a very activecollector between 1885 and 1925, and was interested only inColt arms.Serial number two was shipped November 24, 1908 to FrankSchirmer. Schirmer, who at the time of shipment was theTreasurer of Colt’s, served on Colt’s board of directorsfrom 1901 until 1921 and was a principal in the originalacquisition of Colt’s Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Companyby the Boston and New York financial house of Armstrong &Schirmer in June 1901. Armstrong & Schirmer was a privateinvestment firm affiliated with the George R. ArmstrongCompany of Boston, Massachusetts.
Schirmer played apivotal role in the transfer of Mrs. Colt’s stock to thefirm in 1901 and was serving as Colt’s Treasurer at the timeof shipment. 1Also pictured with this consecutive set is the originalArthur Creed Wright Patent No. 566367, granted on August 25,1896, and an original 1909 Colt catalog.The August 25, 1896 date is the first patent date thatappears on the slide of Colt’s Model 1908 Vest Pocket pistoland is the earliest patent date to appear on any productionColt automatic pistol model. The 1909 Catalog was theearliest catalog to feature the Colt Vest Pocket.25.1 Ellsworth S.
Grant, TheColt Armory: A History of Colt’s Manufacturing Company,(Lincoln, RI: Mobray Publishing, 1995), p.71, 90, 226.(Second Edition)Colt Model N Serial Number 1. A one gun shipment tonoted Colt collector J.R. Hegeman on November 28, 1908. Mr.Hegeman, a vice president of the Metropolitan Life InsuranceCompany, of New York, was very active between 1885 and 1925,and was. Hegeman was truly apioneer in Colt collecting and presumably had some fantasticconnections within the Colt company in order for him to ownmany production prototype and serial number one guns.Colt Model N Serial Number 2. A one gun shipment toColt's Treasurer Frank A. Schirmer on 11/24/08.
Schirmeralso received the first Model M.32 shipped.Colt Model N serial number 25 - A single gun shipmentNovember 20, 1908 (the first day of commercialshipments) to, Helena, Montana.Serial number 25 predates the shipping dates for both serialnumbers 1 and 2. The gun is an interesting example as theserial number matches the caliber.Colt Model N Serial Number 400000. One of a two gunshipment to W.H. Hoegee Co, Los Angeles, CA, June 15, 1936.Colt 1908 Vest Pocket.25 ACPserial number 430467 - factory nickel finish, aftermarket mother ofpearl grips. Gun is unusual in that it the serial number isapproximately 10,000 numbers higher than the highest recorded productionserial number, 420705. This appears to be the result of a factorynumbering error at the time of production as the matching slide isnumbered 340467, meaning that the first two numbers of the serial numberon the frame were unintentionally transposed.Colt 1908 Vest Pocket.25 ACPserial number 430467 - slide is numbered 340467. According toColt's Historian, 340467 is recorded as a gun with factory nickel platedfinish.
Aug 13, 2012 - In 1908, Colt introduced a version of the gun chambered in.380 called the Colt 1908 Pocket Hammerless. The gun comes in. This gun is still a favorite for concealed carry. The.25 ACP was obsolete from the start. This Colt 1908 Hammerless.25 (Vest Pocket) Model N was manufactured in 1916. This example has real factory mother-of-pearl grips! Note: The genuine Mother of Pearl grips added $5.75 to the $16.50 base price of the gun for a total new purchase price of $22.25 in 1916.
The Historian also indicated that there is no notation inthe production records regarding the serial number discrepancy betweenthe slide and the frame. In the case of a misnumbered serialnumber, Colt's would often restrike a number over the incorrect numberin order to correct the error.Pistol was one of 10 shipped to Belknap Hardware & ManufacturingCompany, Louisville, Kentucky, December 17, 1923.An example of a Colt factory serial number overstrike tocorrect in an incorrectly numbered gun. Note the '6' over the '5'above.Colt 1908 Vest Pocket.25 ACPserial number 430467 - factory nickel finish, right side view.
DescriptionThe Model 1908 Vest Pocket is a compact, hammerless, striker-fired, semi-automatic single-action pistol. It was manufactured by the Colt’s Manufacturing Company from 1908 to 1948, having been marketed as a small concealable firearm which could be easily tucked into a vest pocket for unobtrusive carry. This example was originally shipped in 1910 and restored by Turnbull Restoration in 2018. Metal Restoration. Polish all parts for correct finish.
Restore original markings. Charcoal blue frame, slide and parts. Color case harden grip safety, thumb safety, trigger.