Description
11/4/25 - This is an absolutely stunning example of a very rare and desirable General Officer's Colt Model 1908 with US Property marking on frame. Made in 1944, there were only 1,500 of this variation production for General Officer's, compared to 2,500 of the the M1903. A Colt Factory Letter has been ordered and will be sent to the buyer when it arrives. According to the Colt Archives, it was shipped to a transportation officer at Springfield Armory on November 9, 1944, along with 648 other guns. This particular example has a terrific blued finish with almost no signs of wear - just one tiny surface blemish on the left side of the slide. Fitted with mint wood grips and comes with a mint .380 magazine. Factory-new bore.
Collection of Robert Reed Kelley, Col, MD.
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Colonel Kelley was the practicing physician to Presidents Truman and Eisenhower, and was later offered the rank of General but turned it down as he wished to be a practicing doctor rather than be stuck behind a desk. Kelley was living in San Francisco at the time that he began to build a collection of Colts and Smith & Wessons, and would practice target shooting at a range nearby after work every day. He managed the Letterman Army Hospital, and while there, he became friends with all of the guards from San Quentin and Alcatraz prison, along with the Army guys from Benicia Arsenal. He became known for his interests in these firearms, and accrued a beautiful collection of rare and exceptional pieces through these friendships.
