Help, please: Engraved Python revisited

monk

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i'd think the names of the people on that document may be able to give you a bit of information. what about the colt factory ? good luck, ed.
 

Ed Westerly

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Which document are you referring to, Monk?
As to the Colt factory, I have a factory letter on this Python, and it says "engraver not listed".
Thanks for responding, though.
 

Roger Bleile

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Bruce,

I let this sit for a few days before I chimed in in case a former Colt engraver or someone who does contract work for Colt knows the answer. All I can tell you is that I have seen the same scrollwork on many Colts of the same time period and never have found out who did the engraving. I have always been under the impression that it was cut by one of their many contract engravers who worked outside the factory. If you contact Bryson Gwinnell or George Spring, they may know.
 

Ed Westerly

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Thanks, Roger. I was hoping to add the info to the auction to add interest (heh, heh, heh). One well known collector gave it as his opinion that Alvin White's studio had done it, but I am looking for more support. I guess that the time frame of when it was engraved is right for White (1977), but that may not be meaningful. I'll see if I can get ahold of the two names you have given me. Hopefully they can shed some light.
 

Ed Westerly

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Roger, I was able to e-mail Bryson, but I have no contact info for George Strong. Could you PM me with his contact info?


Thanks, Bruce
 

Roger Bleile

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If the gun was engraved by White (or Andrew Bourbon who did most of White's production work) it would have AAW under one of the grips.
 

monk

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Which document are you referring to, Monk?
As to the Colt factory, I have a factory letter on this Python, and it says "engraver not listed".
Thanks for responding, though.

that's a shame, ed. sorry to hear even the factory cant tell by whom it was done.
 

monk

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Which document are you referring to, Monk?
As to the Colt factory, I have a factory letter on this Python, and it says "engraver not listed".
Thanks for responding, though.
by document-- i meant the info that showed on my monitor. lousy choice of words on my part.
 

Ed Westerly

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Thanks for all of the replies, Cafe members. I think I have the definitive answer, however. I contacted George Spring and he says that from what he sees this was done by one of the large number of outside contractors Colt used in the 1970s and there is probably no way to find out who did it. Thanks again. I was hoping to find a master's work before he became a master, but the shades of time have already hidden the fact if it ever existed!!!

How do you like that "shades of time" thing? Pretty poetic, huh?
 

TOOLMEISTER

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Out the back door "factory engraved guns"

Ed ,when I worked there they were farming
out guns through Larry Wilson. He distribut-ed them to various engravers around the
country. They weren't signed by the engraver. Instead they were stamped with
a stamp made at Colt which looked like this.
COLT
ENGR
I don't know if all of them were stamped. That wasn't my business.
Dan Goodwin,formerly
a real factory engraver
at Colt 1974-1979
 

Roger Bleile

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Ed ,when I worked there they were farming
out guns through Larry Wilson. He distribut-ed them to various engravers around the
country. They weren't signed by the engraver. Instead they were stamped with
a stamp made at Colt which looked like this.
COLT
ENGR
I don't know if all of them were stamped. That wasn't my business.
Dan Goodwin,formerly
a real factory engraver
at Colt 1974-1979

Dan,

It's good to see you on this forum and it was a pleasant surprise to see you again after many years at FEGA in Las Vegas. Hope to hear more from you.

Roger
 

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