08-24-2011, 01:30 PM

When I bought my wife her engagement ring it was what is called a 'Provenance ring.' This means we tracked the history to when it was made in 1920, what jeweler made it, who first wore it, and the history of how it was handed down in one family until we bought it at an estate sale. Similarly, with my first wife her wedding ring when given to us as a gift was a Provenance ring with a remarkable history.
I've heard of different guns being tracked down to having been owned by everyone from Melvin Purvis to Wyatt Earp.. and obviously people do that kind of tracking because selling a gun or knife known to have been owned by some people adds tremendously to the value. It's the history, not the weapon itself, that gives it the collectors' value.
But I am curious about whether or not our M1's can be tracked simply because it would be great to be able to preserve the history of some of these rifles. I know most won't track back to having been carried by anyone famous in most cases.. but some may track back to having been part of some pretty significant parts of WWII and Korea.. ow who knows what. I also know that these guns are rebuilt.. so probably almost no one has all original parts - but at least the serial number stays they same as the rifle is remade. And on top of that they have probably been issued to a string of soldiers.
Does anyone keep records of what soldier carried what serial number rifle? Or were they just issued to a platoon and not kept with the same soldier? Or are there no records like this at all that there is public access to?
I think it would be a blast to put in the sleuthing to pull up my rifle's history. Is it possible?