Have a TR Kid Colt 38, looking for year and value

Question
QUESTION: Can you help me with the year my Colt .38 Special was made.
The left side of the barrel reads: OFFICIAL POLICE .38 SPECIAL CTG.  The right side reads: COLT'S PT.F.A.MFG.CO. HARTFORD CONN.USA. Left side of revolver says T.R. Kid. Does not have a serial number It has a five (5) inch barrel. It is black with Grips a very sturdy Stag and they are in fantastic shape.  Sights are fixed with and the sight channel is not serrated.  The revolver has numberous scratches, but the grips are excellent  Any and all help would be great.

ANSWER: David,

I've never seen a Colt without a serial number.  I think if you will open the cylinder and look at the cylinder hinge you'll find a serial number.  If you can do that and report the serial number back to me, I can give you the details you are looking for.  There were several issues of the Police Special so without the serial number, I really can't tell you anything about age or value.

Best regards,

Doug


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QUESTION: Found the serial # 513897  N
It was on the inside of the cylinder hinge as you said.
David

ANSWER: David,

I'm not quite sure what you have.  From the serial number you provided, it should be part of the 1949 production.  However your gun falls outside of the two 1949 serial number ranges available from Colt.  This could be because of either a) a problem in record keeping right after the war or b) because the gun was part of a special production run that had limited serial numbers.

The "T.R. Kid" notation is a little unusual as it doesn't correspond to any normal production information that would normally appear on a Colt.  If the engraving of the "T.R. Kid" looks like it is factory done and not added to the gun after production, that would add weight to the idea that it is part of a special production run.  It is also worth noting that Police Positive Specials don't generally come with a stag type grip.

To get a really definitive answer, I would suggest that you contact Colt.  If you visit the Colt website at www.coltsmfg.com and look for "Archive Services", there is information on how to get a history of your gun.  There is a $75 charge for this service so you'll have to decide how badly you might want to know.

The standard version of this pistol would be a Police Positive Special (Third Issue).  The value in 95% condition would be in the $350-$400 range.

That's about all I can tell you based on the available information.  I hope that it is helpful to you...

Best regards,

Doug Little


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for your reply.
The engraving looks well done, and it has an engraving of a "colt horse" near the upper right side of the
T.R.
KID

"is there usally an engraving of a horse"?

I am not sure about the grip.  It is black hard plastic, COLT on either side of the top, and not smooth (not sure what you call it, but it is sort of a dense waffle type for a non slip grip).

Answer
David,

Colt's always have an engraving of a "colt horse" on them.  The grips you describe are a standard grip.  The only thing that is not 'standard' about what you have described is the "T.R. Kid" on the gun.

Sorry I can't help you further...

Regards,

Doug Little