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No, not really. That's just wishful thinking for most collectors of the vintage .45 military and commercial pistols. The black & white photos shown iin most reference books do show what markings look like, but simply can't show variations in original finish.
I recently created a new category in the Gallery at my site with (73) listings. 63 of those items were acquired from the Charles W. Clawson collection. Some were acquired from other collectors and are pictured in the Clawson books. I show 44 pieces that are shown in Clawson's Colt .45 Service Pistols, Colt Government Models and his 3rd Edition Collector's Guide to Colt .45 Service Pistols. Several pieces are shown in multiple books.
As nice and interesting as most of the pistols in the books are, what is perhaps most interesting are some of the great pieces Mr. Clawson had collected that were never featured in his books. He often elected to show examples from the collections of other collectors, rather than his own. I show nearly 20 pieces from Mr. Clawson's collection that were never published.
Overall, there are more than 1300 photographs in the new section of the Gallery. Some of those images are for 5-6 other recent acquisitions that are not shown in the books or from the Clawson collection.
Here are a few examples of pieces shown in the books:
A few pieces acquired from Mr. Clawson's collection that were never shown in his books:
His 1938 Colt M1911A1
His rare Royal Norwegian Naval Service pistol
Photos of his rare WWI contract magazine made by Raymond Engineering (1 of only ca. 4000)
And finally, his late 2.36M serial range WWII J.S.B. inspected Colt M1911A1
Obviously, there is a lot more information in the Clawson books than just photos. Every serious collector needs the reference books. And of course, I did not acquire all the guns shown in Mr. Clawson's books, nor all the guns from his fine collection. But I have managed to acquire the vast majority of what I sought for my own collection and am pleased to share images of them and information about them in the Gallery at my site.
Along with the guns, I received a lot of documentation. Mr. Clawson is perhaps the most skilled researcher I've ever known. He provided great provenance with many of his pistols. There certainly is the "wow" factor when all the pieces of the puzzle come together for a rarely encountered example. My hat's off to him for all he has contributed to the hobby. This new section of my Gallery is just a small way to emphasize that.
I recently created a new category in the Gallery at my site with (73) listings. 63 of those items were acquired from the Charles W. Clawson collection. Some were acquired from other collectors and are pictured in the Clawson books. I show 44 pieces that are shown in Clawson's Colt .45 Service Pistols, Colt Government Models and his 3rd Edition Collector's Guide to Colt .45 Service Pistols. Several pieces are shown in multiple books.
As nice and interesting as most of the pistols in the books are, what is perhaps most interesting are some of the great pieces Mr. Clawson had collected that were never featured in his books. He often elected to show examples from the collections of other collectors, rather than his own. I show nearly 20 pieces from Mr. Clawson's collection that were never published.
Overall, there are more than 1300 photographs in the new section of the Gallery. Some of those images are for 5-6 other recent acquisitions that are not shown in the books or from the Clawson collection.
Here are a few examples of pieces shown in the books:
A few pieces acquired from Mr. Clawson's collection that were never shown in his books:
His 1938 Colt M1911A1
His rare Royal Norwegian Naval Service pistol
Photos of his rare WWI contract magazine made by Raymond Engineering (1 of only ca. 4000)
And finally, his late 2.36M serial range WWII J.S.B. inspected Colt M1911A1
Obviously, there is a lot more information in the Clawson books than just photos. Every serious collector needs the reference books. And of course, I did not acquire all the guns shown in Mr. Clawson's books, nor all the guns from his fine collection. But I have managed to acquire the vast majority of what I sought for my own collection and am pleased to share images of them and information about them in the Gallery at my site.
Along with the guns, I received a lot of documentation. Mr. Clawson is perhaps the most skilled researcher I've ever known. He provided great provenance with many of his pistols. There certainly is the "wow" factor when all the pieces of the puzzle come together for a rarely encountered example. My hat's off to him for all he has contributed to the hobby. This new section of my Gallery is just a small way to emphasize that.
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