Engraved Thompson ?

[paulsavoy]

A guy on the French forum posted this photo (since removed because it was not the correct post) :

We are curious to show the complete model and history 🙂

 

[rpbcps]

Paul,

What French forum was that on?

La vie est belle

Richard

Edited November 27, 2024 by rpbcps

[paulsavoy]

5 minutes ago, rpbcps said:

Paul,

What French forum was that on?

La vie est belle

Richard

The photo was removed because it was out of subject. I charged the photo before !

[rpbcps]

2 hours ago, paulsavoy said:

The photo was removed because it was out of subject. I charged the photo before !

👌🏼

[Bridgeport28A1]

Very nice engraving.

[TD.]

paulsavoy,

Thank you for sharing. 

The nomenclature appears to be standard Auto-Ordnance Bridgeport (AOB). Is this Thompson a deac? Any additional pictures? Hopefully, it will surface again. 

[Countryboy77]

Much nicer than what Kahr is doing. Does this bring up the value or down the value? Sending a Military to Turnbull for a Museam quality work, would that hurt the value of a Thompson or bring up the value of say a Thompson that was already refinished once?

[Doug Quaid]

I would guess that the engraving would lower the price.

Decorating milsurp guns was considered an improvement when they were being sold as bulk surplus.  

But nowadays it's considered defacement by gun collectors.

Anything that lowers the number of interested buyers is generally going to lower the value of an object.  Not always, but usually.


 

[Countryboy77]

5 hours ago, Doug Quaid said:

I would guess that the engraving would lower the price.

Decorating milsurp guns was considered an improvement when they were being sold as bulk surplus.  

But nowadays it's considered defacement by gun collectors.

Anything that lowers the number of interested buyers is generally going to lower the value of an object.  Not always, but usually.


 

Typically I agree and your probably right here but I have seen some 1911s Military models very nicely engraved some even specialty finished with gold inlay sell for some Ridiculous prices more so what the gun would have sold for without it. And I'm not talking 'Factory Engraved' as that's a whole other animal.

[Countryboy77]

On 11/27/2024 at 3:14 AM, paulsavoy said:

A guy on the French forum posted this photo (since removed because it was not the correct post) :

We are curious to show the complete model and history 🙂

 

I wish we had more photos of this gun,I woukd like to see it as a whole

[paulsavoy]

1 minute ago, Countryboy77 said:

I wish we had more photos of this gun,I would like to see it as a whole

I'm trying to get more photos, i'm curious too !

[Countryboy77]

O found this Colt 1921 while looking for it  but all I could find of the colt too.I want to see the whole gun.And its hard for mr to believe when I look at original colts that have police stamped stamped engravings some horrible so and to think this would sell at about the same price or less because it's not original seems obsurd.This thing is a work of ARt. And with so many war time Thompsons i don't see how this would Decrease value .I would think it's worth as much as an original or damn close.If I had choice of a slightly pitted ww2 Thompson or one engraved and inlaid like this I would buy the Engraved one all day if its same price as a shooter.And I would shoot the perrty thing too.

Edited November 28, 2024 by Countryboy77

[TSMGguy]

I first think 'Germany' when I see oak leaves used extensively in engraving. 

[Doug Quaid]

On 11/28/2024 at 5:02 PM, Countryboy77 said:

O found this Colt 1921 while looking for it  but all I could find of the colt too.I want to see the whole gun.And its hard for mr to believe when I look at original colts that have police stamped stamped engravings some horrible so and to think this would sell at about the same price or less because it's not original seems obsurd.This thing is a work of ARt. And with so many war time Thompsons i don't see how this would Decrease value .I would think it's worth as much as an original or damn close.If I had choice of a slightly pitted ww2 Thompson or one engraved and inlaid like this I would buy the Engraved one all day if its same price as a shooter.And I would shoot the perrty thing too.

There are definitely gun collectors out there who put a high value on an excellent engraving job on a gun.

If you engrave a Thompson, you are closing the door on the usual military collectable buyers.  They just won't want anything to do with it.

But you are opening the door to the guys who love engraving.  That would be a much much smaller group.  

So you would expect the price to be lower since the demand is lower.  But on the other hand, as you noted in your post, collectors do sometimes pay crazy prices for engraved guns.

Just taking a guess based on gut feeling, I would predict that the engraving would lower the value of a Thompson, especially a Colt, unless the engraving was historic in some way or really really really well done, a masterpiece of engraving.

[Countryboy77]

Well let's say you have a Colt 21 that's been relegated to 'shooter grade' because of imperfections to the finish,However,refinishing typically doesn't do too much to a shooter grade anyway,hell it may already have been refinished,A good engraving/ inlay is a work of Art,and I'm sure has to raise the value even if only the labor of the engraving.You can turn somthing not perfect to a work of art.I certainly do not think it would devalue tge shooter however correct you do close off your amount of potential buyers for military collectable,but that smaller niche that like ornate guns usually have the $$ to buy them and I haven't seen an auction where a well done decorated firearm from flintlock to akm where they didnt sell well.

[mbc230]

On 11/28/2024 at 4:02 PM, Countryboy77 said:

O found this Colt 1921 while looking for it  but all I could find of the colt too.I want to see the whole gun.And its hard for mr to believe when I look at original colts that have police stamped stamped engravings some horrible so and to think this would sell at about the same price or less because it's not original seems obsurd.This thing is a work of ARt. And with so many war time Thompsons i don't see how this would Decrease value .I would think it's worth as much as an original or damn close.If I had choice of a slightly pitted ww2 Thompson or one engraved and inlaid like this I would buy the Engraved one all day if its same price as a shooter.And I would shoot the perrty thing too.

Well to me it looks like a Dummy Receiver that was engraved and not an actual REAL Colt (Thank you Lord). If you look really close at the actuator channel it looks to be filled in so that tells me someone has a really expensive Dummy Gun. I do not even see a serial number on the receiver either. Look at the picture real close. Just my opinion based on what I see in the picture.

[TD.]

I believe the picture of the engraved Colt posted by Countryboy77, above, is NO 1361, known as the Midas Thompson. It was once owned by J. Curtis Earl. Shown below is another picture.

[john]

I have an old JC Earl catalog that came with an insert of the Midas Thompson.....it's price was $6000 back in the 70's.

Recall it hadn't even been cocked since engraving took place.

Not sure who owns it now but seems to recall it was engraved by Colt?

[SP Sarge]

I'd love to see more photos from Paul of the original gun that started the thread. The engraving quality looks absolutely gorgeous. Old school European craftsmanship.

[pvt81pvi]

Perhaps a GI, after the war ended, had a bunch of cigarettes and rations.  Traded them to a German for some engraving done on a Thompson.  

[colt21a]

I thought it{midas} is still owned by Ken in Ohio. or maybe sold since that time. i seldom keep track of all the trading and selling of Thompsons anymore. Taking up 50 years of my time was enough. NEVER HAD A ENGRAVED Thompson. BUT MANY MANY Smith's,, Colts Walthers. Lugers. P-38's. it was always fun...and they all sold really fast. there was always a customer.. even the Kalashnikov ltd ed. engraved sold.