Colt Police Positive 38 1st Issue

Question
What can you tell me about this gun. It has Colt SPIFA  AMFOO as well as Pd August 5, 1884, January 5, 1900 and July 4 1905-06. It also has Hartford Conn. which a know means it was made in Hartford but I know nothing else. We paid $500 for it and can you tell me the value of it. We were offered twice that for it so this peaked our curosity.

Answer
Hello Penny. The letters stamped on the barrel may be worn a bit. These letters are actually the company name and information. Colt SPIFA AMFOO actually are abbreviations. Let's try this;
Colt "S"= Colt'S ; "PI" is actually "PT"= Patent ; "FA"= Fire Arms ; "AMFOO" is actually MFG.Co. So it actually reads= Colts PT FA MFG CO. Now, The last patent date of July4,05 is the Colt Police Positive 38 (1st Issue) manufactured from 1907-27. The early (1907-1923) have the black Colt grips. The 1924-27 had the brown walnut Colt grips with the Colt medallion. Any other grips were after market. The actual value of this gun can run from $200-$800 according to condition. I am including a few item numbers from one of the leading Firearms sales site, GUNSAMERICA.com.. This may help you decide on the approximate value of your gun.
#970707905 ; #908328614 ; #934942843 ; #980719544 ; #989685248. There are several more sites on the web you can find. Just enter Colt's Police Positive 38 First Issue. I do hope this answers your question and thank you for asking for me. Charles Gage