Source: ATF P 5300.11 · Curios or Relics List · Jan 1972 – Apr 20253,573 entries · 4 sections
The C&R RegisterA finding aid to the ATF Curios or Relics List, for Type 03 collectors
C&R · II · 207

Colt Police Positive .38, S/N 139212

Section II: curio or relic, still subject to the Gun Control Act

Official wording

ATF P 5300.11 · APRIL 2025 EDITION · SECTION II · VERBATIM · PDF P. 7 ↗

Colt, Police Positive revolver, cal. .38, S/N 139212.

What this entry requires

  • ATF REQUIRESYour serial number is one ATF listsATF: “S/N 139212”
  • INFOATF states no date; production was about 1922.

Editorial facts · Our research

Country
United States⁴
Manufacturer
Colt's Patent Fire Arms Mfg. Co.
Type
Pistol
Action
Other³
Caliber
.38
Made
S/N 139212 · c. 1922production; ATF states no date¹²
Service
Commercial
Search listings ↗Check a specific gunReport an error ↗

Source

Official wording
ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section II · PDF p. 7 ↗ · ATF original ↗
Entries
1 line
Verbatim check
Checked against the PDF text before every release
Editorial facts
Confidence: High · Last revised 18 October 2026 (Evidence pass) · How we rate confidence
References
  1. proofhouse.com ↗, years: Proofhouse serial table "Police Positive .38 & Bankers Special": 1922 begins at 137000, 1923 at 150000, so S/N 139212 is a 1922 gun
  2. Wikipedia, “Colt Police Positive” ↗, years: infobox production date 1907–1947 (consistent with 1922)
  3. Wikipedia, “Colt Police Positive” ↗, action
  4. Wikipedia, “Colt's Manufacturing Company” ↗, country: American firearms manufacturer headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut, U.S. (the maker ATF names)
Fact tags
  • ATF the ATF wording states it.
  • REF ¹ an outside reference supports it; the number points to the list of references.
  • ESTIMATE an approximate or indirect reading, for example the production range of the base model.
  • NO CITATION we haven’t attached a reference for this fact; it’s our editorial reading, not ATF’s.
Source checked
20 October 2026: ATF’s page still lists the April 2025 edition
Corrections
2 changes · see below

Correction history

  1. Evidence passEditorial confidence: Low → High. Re-rated after supporting references were added or re-checked.
  2. Evidence passYears: 1905–1925 → 1922. Proofhouse's Police Positive .38 table puts S/N 139212 between 137000 (1922) and 150000 (1923)

All corrections · How corrections work

Historical context

Colt Police Positive .38, S/N 139212

Image: Wikimedia Commons, “Colt.png” by Dake, CC BY-SA 1.0. Retrieved October 2026.

Summary: Wikipedia, “Colt Police Positive”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.

FROM WIKIPEDIA

The Colt Police Positive is a small-frame, double-action revolver featuring a six-round cylinder, chambered for either .32 or .38 caliber. A .22 caliber model was also offered. Designed primarily for sale to federal, state, or local law enforcement agencies, the Police Positive was introduced into the firearms market by Colt's Manufacturing Company in 1905.