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Ohhhh I love this topic....I have a couple of 911's including 1911's.....

Actually the Colt 1911 dates back to 1900...1902...1905....1911 models...John Browning was the designer..his very last design was for the Browning High Power in 1935...

The US military adopted the Colt 1911 in 1912 and was the designated sidearm until the 1980's when the Berreta 92 became the sidearm of the US military.

The Colt 1911 has been collectable for over 40 years...in the past 5 or 6 years they really have taken off in value....with some of the rarer variations bringing well over 10K......

the first 4500, Colt 1911's had a very bright blue finish on it...those guns are extremely sought after... I saw one for sale in the orginal box for 18K.... A near new WW1 era 1911 is worth in the 3k to 4K range, Pre WW2 National Matches in near new condition bring over 5K, Pre WW2 38 Super Matches can bring over 10K, and pre Series 70 Gold Cups bring 1750 NIB,....Then there are the extreme rarities...the Singer manufactured 1911A1 and the North Amercan 1911....Those guns will bring what the market will bear...40K to 100K?????

Many manufactureres have made copies of the 1911..most of them under military contracts in both WW1 and WW2. Starting in I guess the 1970's the 1911 was tricked out by various custom gun makers for target or combat shooting matches, and it currently enjoys alot of popularity.