In about 90% condition, we have a very rare and highly sought after 1931 Production Colt 1908 Pocket Hammerless Pistol, that was issued to the Shanghai Municipal Police Force and is so marked. These pistols have many unique modifications that were performed at the Shanghai Police Armory. Among these are the disabling of the manual safety, the installation of a Lanyard Ring and unique modifications to the magazine to allow inspection of the rounds therein. These pistols have all been reworked numerous times and the few surviving examples all show very hard use and rough treatment. This particular example is much nicer than you often see.
These Shanghai Police Colts are among the most well-known and sought after of the 1908 Colts. They are without a doubt the most exotic and romantic Colts from the period. Shanghai in the 1930’s was the most International City in Asia and was full of crime and espionage and intrigue. One only need to watch some of the Movies from the 1930’s such as the Lady from Shanghai or even the second of the Indiana Jones movies to see the allure. This is about as fine of an example as you will ever see.
