Extremely Rare North American Arms Model 1911 Pistol

Serial #97, .45 ACP, 5" barrel with a find, bright bore that has some very mild freckling present within the grooves.  This is one of just over 100 original prototype, or tool room sample pistols, manufactured by North American Arms Co. Ltd. of Quebec City, Canada.  The metal retains 95-97% of the commercial quality blue finish with some fading along the high edges and projections.  Some subtle mottling is present along the sides of the slide, but the markings remain clear and the edges are still sharp and crisp.  The checkered, double diamond grips are likewise in very good shape, with some minor wear and flattening of the points on either panel.  The magazine is in good condition, but has two areas of cleaned pitting that have gray metal surrounding them.  North American was awarded a US Ordnance Dept. contract (#WAR ORD P-11092-1953SA) on July 1, 1918, to produce 500,000 pistols at the rate of 2,000 pistols per day, for a cost of $15.50 each.  North American’s production facilities were housed in the Ross Rifle factory, but the armistice that November caused the contract to be cancelled on December 4, 1918.  As a result, North American Arms never delivered any pistols or spare parts to the US Government under the contract.  In addition to the maker’s marking on the left side of the slide, North American Arms pistols differ from other contract-made Model 1911s by having an uncheckered hammer, no lanyard loop on the mainspring housing, serial number on the left rear of the slide, and no US acceptance or inspection stamps.  Information gleaned from an ex-North American Arms employee indicates that a few of the late guns in the series were left in-the-white and were subsequently given a blued finish by one of the gunshops operating in Quebec City at the time.  The serial number and rust blue finish on this pistol would be consistent with a period commercially-applied finish, but unfortunately there are no surviving records.  The pistol is housed in a 1914-dated Mills canvas holster that is in fine shape with no fraying and only a few very minor stains and worn black finish on the brass cap.  This is a fantastic, highly desirable Model 1911 variant in fine overall condition, and would make a splendid addition to any collection.  FFL or C&R