Third Party Press

Post war hi power serial 1

C

Caesar1

Senior Member
This is post war but kind of cool. I went into a local shop ty o get a garand and the owner showed this to me. Apparently sold to an officer at the end of the war. He is trying to research it and I think has been in touch with Rock Island. The officer that brought it back did carve his name in it :facepalm: I don't know if this helps in this case because the bring back paper has serial 111 instead of 1.
http://imgur.com/a/j9Lpggf
 
I can see why they put 111 down since the serial number is stamped on the barrel, slide, and frame, and those numbers all happen to line up. The name cheaply engraved on the slide hurts it more than anything.
 
It's cool, but it was a "lunchbox" pistol, put together from unnumbered parts available at the end of the war. Most of the original FN employees were there at Liege when the Germans withdrew and would have been eager to grab blank spare parts, assemble them, and then get a "1" die and pop it on the frame, slide, and barrel. If it really was GP.35 No.1 of legitimate and official postwar manufacture, then it would command a significant premium. As it stands, it's a curiosity, but the only people paying huge bucks for it are those who don't know what it really is. There were plenty GP.35s made up, sold, and traded this way for GI smokes and rations and such.
 
I’d go so far as to say it could have been an unnumbered lunchbox pistol that Bubba’s gumsmiff whacked with a “1” die. They built a box and made this the uber coolest to display at the old gym armory funshow back in 1983.
 
Interesting how FN still had tangent slides and tangent sites to make these up in October of 1944. I would have thought these would have been exhausted in the 613 and early 103 waffen ampt pistol run.
 
jsz said:
Interesting how FN still had tangent slides and tangent sites to make these up in October of 1944. I would have thought these would have been exhausted in the 613 and early 103 waffen ampt pistol run.
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You nailed the most obvious point. This was an unnumbered parts bin build either during German occupation and a smuggled out lunch pail pistol (a sexy story) traded to a GI for smokes or K-rats or simply an unnumbered parts bin build after the Germans were run out of Liege but before regular production started that got traded to a GI for smokes, etc. Either it got the "1s" popped on it then (GI concern about a no serial pistol). Or, a more likely explanation is he put his name on the pistol because it lacked a serial when he acquired it and an enterprising pawn shop / gunsmiff carny with a "1" die saw a cool what to kreate a rare jewel and "Browning High Power No. 1" was born (or rather, hatched). Those jumping at that box and "High Power No. 1" are people who believe in "Terry the Turtle Boy" at the state fair and jump at things like that. They rarely have enough to pay the display seller's asking price for such a rarity, thus it is on constant display on the funshow circuit for years (and years), while being finger f@cked by the lookie loos, table flies, and tire kickers at the fun show. Of course it is rare. There is no other like it. I have 10/22s I've customized for my use which are rare like that.
 
I don’t know, the letter from FN indicates it was sold by them to that specific guy and was part of a run numbered 1-500. Should be easy enough to authenticate the letter from them and after that it’s authenticity would be verified. Not something I would ever own though.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
The letter is only valid evidence if two things are true:
- the serial on the gun is correct
- only one gun numbered “1” was made.

If you’ve ever worked with FN handguns in the immediate postwar period you’ll see that serial numbers don’t always mean much. They were restarted, used for certain contract runs, whatever.
 
mrfarb said:
I don’t know, the letter from FN indicates it was sold by them to that specific guy and was part of a run numbered 1-500. Should be easy enough to authenticate the letter from them and after that it’s authenticity would be verified. Not something I would ever own though.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I didn't see the letter, on my iphone. As Nate said, GP.35 serials were as the customer requested. I guess I should look at all pics before commenting :) That FN letter is original and legit IMHO. It also puts all the puzzle pieces together. The pistol was clearly assembled from parts on hand not previously assembled, perhaps even parts that required some work and were previously rejected. The frame is likely post 1942 without the stock slot. The slide is pre-1942 with the tangent sight. The grips are German occupation resin grips, mid to late 1944. We know that GP.35s were assembled for sale to US occupation troops and this would be particularly true for officers. Thus with the letter and records we know it was not a "lunch box" pistol or something taken by an employee to barter. It being "1" merely means it was the first of 500 pistols assembled for sale to US officers. As noted, the serialing of GP.35s was as the client desired. The remaining 499 pistols are out there confounding as to when they were made. It is good that FN at least identified that assembler by the frame inspection / marking. Those men are identified with those markings in the the excellent book FN Browning Pistols by Anthony Vanderlinden which I have and which I recommend buying. Anthony is a great guy as well.
 
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The tangent slide is the part that worries me the most. I would love to hear Anthony Vanderlinden's opinion on it from Jan Stills forum if you don't mind cross posting.
 
phillynick said:
The tangent slide is the part that worries me the most. I would love to hear Anthony Vanderlinden's opinion on it from Jan Stills forum if you don't mind cross posting.
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I think it is a standard "2nd variation" slide (for the tangent sight, but not issued with the stock) with perhaps even a first variation leaf. The "1st variation" was for use with the stock and has the gap at the top of the leaf graduations. I think what you'll get is that it was assembled from parts on hand after the Germans were booted out of FN.
 
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