Catalog Auction info Auction #136 - Two-Day Sale, November 19th & 20th (#136) 11/19/2022 9:00 AM EST Closed Starts Ending 11/19/2022 9:00 AM EST Auction Info Lot #347 U.S. Colt Model 1908 Pocket Hammerless General Officers Pistol Belonging to Brigadier General William Heavy Click image to enlarge PreviousNextSimilar Items Lot closed - Sold Price (Including Buyer`s Premium):$6,600 Estimate: $5,000 - $7,000 Description Description: serial #M131125, 380 ACP, 3 3/4" barrel with a bright excellent bore. The metal surfaces on this attractive model M pistol retain about 97-98% original blue, the loss is due only to sharp edge and contact point wear and some light handling marks with overall extremely light and very sparsely scattered, very fine oxidation staining, it is very light and almost un-noticed. All of the principal markings are crisp including the "U.S. Property" marking and the very good ordnance wheel stamp at left rear of frame. The checkered walnut grips with silver Rampant Colt medallions rate very good plus to excellent showing only a very small handful of lightly chipped points or light compressions. Included with the gun is a single blued "Cal. 380/Colt"-marked magazine and both serial number and magazine are "M" stamped, indicating function testing at Colt. William F. Heavey, son of a distinguished infantry general, was born at Fort McPherson Georgia in 1896. He graduated early from West Point in 1917 and was assigned to the Corps of Engineers, assigned to the 6th Combat Engineers. He was slightly wounded at Chateau Thierry and returned to the states to command a battalion in a newly formed engineer regiment. Between the wars he had a number of engineering duties primarily at Fort Belvoir and Fort Benning, when in August 1942 he was promoted to Brigadier General and ordered to Cape Cod to help with an entirely new type of Army Engineer Brigade, a group of Amphibious Engineers which would link between the Navy afloat and the infantry landing on enemy beaches. Heavey knew that the Navy would be highly skeptical of these "amateur yachtsman" who lacked naval training, indeed they were, and he also knew some elements of the Army would be skeptical as well. He constantly trained and drilled his men and they learned "on-the-fly" in many situations but gained the respect of both the Navy and the men they would ferry ashore. In 1943 he was assigned to General MacArthur and flew to Australia. His 2nd Engineer Special Brigade participated in numerous actions in the South Pacific accounting for 82 combat landings, Heavey himself being wounded at Leyte Gulf and in New Guinea. Post-war he became a consulting engineer for the port of New York and worked on some of the plans for Kennedy International Airport. In 1948 he was appointed general manager of the Port of Houston where he would become president of the World Trade Association and the Texas Ports Association. For his actions during the Second World War Heavey would be awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, the Commendation Ribbon, and the Purple Heart (3 times). Included are a number of photos of the general, a facsimile of his ribbon and service bars, brown leather officers holster, a copy of his recommendation for the Legion of Merit and the instruction pamphlet for the Colt pistol. The included Colt factory letter shows delivery in October 1944 to the Officer in Charge, Naval Supply Depot in Oakland California and the included Springfield Research Service letter shows the arm by serial number being issued to Brigadier General Heavey, no date given. The arm is listed in “The Colt U.S. General Officers Pistol” by Greeley, with no date of issue, however the pistols around it were all 1944-issued and “The Colt Pocket Hammerless Automatic Pistols II” by Brunner with the arm by serial number as being issued to Heavey. The slide is appropriately serial numbered to the frame and the gun functions well mechanically. Additionally Heavey authored a book “Down Ramp!”, the story of the Army amphibian engineers, an as-new copy of that book is included with the collection. Overall a very nice example, issued to a very bright military officer with a family history of military service, who stepped up and answered the call when brand-new amphibious forces were needed to be trained and policies and protocols developed and implemented. This was a pioneering man who would lead from the front, indeed being wounded three times in combat in the South Pacific. An excellent ensemble that would make a superb addition to any advanced U.S. martial collection. (3B10638-66) {C&R} (5000/7000) Categories: firearm Terms and conditions TERMS & CONDITIONS OF SALE The following paragraphs represent the terms under which all sales by Amoskeag Auction Company, Inc. are conducted. Bidding on any item in the sale indicates the bidder’s full acceptance and understanding of all terms and conditions of sale. Amoskeag Auction Company, Inc. has taken great care in the preparation of the descriptions in this catalog. Although we believe everything in the descriptions to be true, we do not guarantee any part of any description. We recommend that the bidders view the items in person and form their own opinions as to condition, originality, origin, etc. Amoskeag Auction Company, Inc. will consider all requests for refunds. If a customer is unhappy with a purchase, we will be happy to discuss a remedy with them. All requests for refunds must be made within 30 days of the sale date. Therefore, it is important that absentee bidders pay for their items in a timely fashion. All requests for refunds received after 30 days of the sale date will not be considered. Amoskeag Auction Company, Inc. reserves the right to reject any bid in order to protect our consignor’s interests. PAYMENT POLICY All invoices are payable upon receipt. Amoskeag Auction Company, Inc. will accept cash, check, wire transfer, MasterCard, Visa, Discover and American Express as payment for items purchased. Online payment is available for buyers directly through the online invoicing process. Bidders who fail to pay their invoices in full by the 25th day following the sale agree to have their total invoice amount charged to the credit card listed on file. Credit card purchases are limited to $50,000.00 per customer, per auction. 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If an FFL dealer is sending an “agent” to pick up items, that person must be a bona fide, paid employee of the company with a W4 on file. Outside contractors cannot be used as pickup agents. A SIGNED LETTER FROM THE FFL STATING THIS FACT MUST BE PRESENTED AT TIME OF PICK UP. The FFL Dealer will in turn be notified that a transfer was made to you as their agent. New Hampshire residents over the age of 21 may take possession of any firearm, on day of sale, provided the proper paperwork is completed and the transfer has been approved either through the N.H. State Police or the FBI NICS System, whichever is appropriate based upon the type of firearm(s) purchased. Non-resident individuals from states without waiting periods may take possession of long guns on day of sale after completing the proper forms and successfully completing a NICS check. If you reside in a state with a waiting period, your items will need to be shipped to a dealer in your state. No modern handguns will be delivered to non-resident individuals. All modern handguns purchased by non-resident individuals will need to be delivered to or shipped to an FFL holder in the buyer’s home state. Buyer is responsible for any and all shipping charges and all items must be paid for on day of sale. Bidders should be familiar with their local and state laws as Amoskeag Auction Co., Inc. will not be responsible for any parties purchasing items which may not be possessed in, or shipped to their state of residence. Some states have restrictions on transfers to C&R License holders, study your state and local laws before bidding. If you are the winning bidder of an item that you find does not comply with your state’s laws, you will still be required to pay your invoice, Amoskeag Auction Co. will then re-offer the arm on your behalf. FIREARM CLASSIFICATION: ANTIQUE - no paperwork required MODERN - Post-1898 firearm which requires an FFL or 4473 with corresponding successful background check in order to be delivered. C&R - for firearms that fall under the ATF Curio & Relics licensing and if purchased by a person with a “C&R License” no paperwork is required. NOTE: Items that meet the age requirements but have been altered from their original configuration may NOT be delivered on a C&R License. ABSENTEE/TELEPHONE/ON-LINE BIDDING • As a service to our buyers, Amoskeag Auction Company, Inc. will accept absentee bids from bidders who cannot attend the sale. Bidders without prior credit approval are required to submit a 20% deposit prior to bids being accepted (credit cards may be used for absentee deposits). Absentee bids will be bid in a competitive manner and an absentee bidder needs only to outbid another buyer i.e. bidding will not be opened at the maximum bid unless that is the next competitive bid. Because we do not open at the absentee bidder's top bid (unless that is the next competitive bid) there is a chance that the absentee bidder's bid may tie with a bidder using a different bidding method (live, Proxibid or telephone bidder). If an absentee bidder wishes to guard against this occurring, they may complete an absentee bid form with a "+" after the bid amount and forward that bid sheet to our office to be entered by Amoskeag. When a "+" is added after the bid amount, the bidder authorizes Amoskeag Auction Co., Inc. to make one additional bid in order the break the tie. Buyer is responsible for any and all shipping charges. Properly registered Amoskeag On-line bidders may use this service free of additional charges as an alternative to telephone or absentee bidding, at their election. On-line bidders should be aware that the sale sometimes proceeds at a very rapid pace and should plan their bidding strategies accordingly. • Amoskeag Auction Co., Inc. will not be held responsible for errors or omissions of any type that may occur during these services. • All absentee bids must be received by 8:00pm on the day prior to the auction. If you plan to attend the sale but will not be staying until the end and want to leave a bid on an item that will be sold after you leave, we must have those bids in by 8:00am on the morning of the sale. No bids will be accepted after that time. Please do not call the gallery once the auction has started (after 9:00am) as we will not be able to accept bids or make changes to bids. • Amoskeag Auction Company, Inc. will also accept telephone bids on a limited basis. Telephone bidding is reserved for seriously interested bidders. In order to bid by telephone, the bidder must be willing to pay at least the low estimate of the item being bid on. NOTE: Phone bids MUST be arranged by 5:00pm ON THURSDAY prior to the sale. • All absentee/telephone bidder invoices are issued by end of business on the Tuesday following the sale; all invoices are due upon receipt. Invoices are to be paid either by cash or check, or by credit cards listed above. All items not paid for within 20 business days from sale date shall be considered abandoned as well as any deposit that was made on those items and Amoskeag Auction Company, Inc. shall have sole discretion as to their disposal. SAFETY WARNING Amoskeag Auction Company, Inc. does not warranty the safety of any article it sells. Therefore, it is imperative that, before you use any firearm, purchased here or anywhere else, you have it examined by a qualified gunsmith to determine whether or not it is safe to use. SHIPPING • Amoskeag Auction Company, Inc. will make every effort to ship items in a timely fashion. All items, with the exception of modern handguns, are shipped via UPS Ground unless other arrangements have been made. All merchandise is shipped Signature Required. • All modern handguns are shipped via UPS Next Day Air service. • Buyer is responsible for any and all shipping charges and for insurance on the items being shipped. Purchasers who self-insure can forego insurance charges if Amoskeag Auction is notified of your intent to self-insure. PICKING UP MERCHANDISE • Pickup will be by appointment only. • OUR OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED MONDAY AND TUESDAY FOLLOWING THE SALE. No merchandise will be delivered on those days. We will resume normal business hours on Wednesday. • Our office hours are Monday through Friday - 8:00 am to 4:00pm.
