In honor of all servicemen and women this Memorial Day, Guns.com reached into the Collectors Corner to show off a patriotic and embellished M1911 — the Colt Iwo Jima Collectible.
In the late 1990s, Colt teamed up with TALO Distributors to offer unique collectible M1911A1s to the world. The collaboration was so successful that TALO is now engraving many other brands. The Colt lineup remains some of its most sought-after guns.
Beautiful hardwood grips make this an attractive gun. (Photo: Don Summers/Guns.com)
The Colt Iwo Jima pays tribute to the Greatest Generation and one of WWII’s bloodiest battles. The Marines landed on the beaches of Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945, armed with a large swath of guns, including the M1911. On February 23, Joe Rosenthal took his award-winning photo of six Marines planting the flag atop Mt. Suribachi. Sadly, days later three of those men would lose their life on the battlefield.
The raising of the flag atop Mt. Suribachi depicted on side of the slide. (Photo: Don Summers/Guns.com)
TALO pays homage to those men and Rosenthal’s photo on one side of the slide. Behind them, you can see warplanes flying in the sky and battleships on the sea. The opposite side of the slide depicts a jungle scene with four Marines hunkered down. The slide is both brushed and polished and serves as a beautiful tribute to the brave men who fought for over a month to secure the islands. The hardwood grips feature the U.S. Flag engraved into it with a gold Colt medallion in the middle.
Four Marines hunkered in a foxhole. (Photo: Don Summers/Guns.com)
This full-size Government model is number 60 of 300 produced, making it an extremely collectible piece for any patriot or M1911 aficionado. Check out this and other Colt’s like it by clicking the button below.
One of the finest TALO and Colt collaborations. (Photo: Don Summers/Guns.com)
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