This page is for the standard Colt Police Positive .38 and the closely related Bankers Special sequence. The important distinction is chambering: many collectors see “.38” and jump to .38 Special, but this table is for the shorter .38 Colt New Police / .38 S&W-class branch, not the longer Police Positive Special line.
Use a serial table as an anchor, not as a factory letter. These numbers are best for collector orientation. Record the serial exactly, confirm the barrel marking and chambering, and use Colt Archive documentation when originality, provenance, or price depends on the claim.
Related tables: This page is one branch of the Colt Police Positive serial-number set. For the decision tree, start with the Police Positive serial-number hub. The companion tables cover standard .38, .32 / Target, Heavy Frame, and Police Positive Special / Detective Special.
Standard .38: What Belongs on This Page
Use this table when the revolver is marked and configured as a standard Police Positive .38 or Bankers Special. If the barrel or cylinder indicates .38 Special, move to the Police Positive Special / Detective Special table instead. A correct caption should name the branch first, then the approximate production range.
The .38 Confusion That Causes Bad Dates
A standard Police Positive .38 is not automatically a .38 Special revolver. Colt used the Police Positive name across related models, but the Special was lengthened for longer cartridges. That difference affects the serial range, the value discussion, and the way the revolver should be described in collection notes.
Bankers Special Notes
Bankers Special revolvers are short-barreled defensive Colts that are often researched alongside the standard .38 Police Positive sequence. When one appears with strong finish, correct stocks, or box material, record those details separately from the year estimate because the serial table alone does not prove configuration or shipment history.
Police Positive .38 & Bankers Special Table
This table belongs to the standard .38 / Bankers Special branch. If the revolver is a .38 Special, use the Special-family table instead.
| Year | Serial number shown / annual anchor | Collector use |
|---|---|---|
| 1905 | 1 | Annual anchor for the standard .38 / Bankers Special sequence. |
| 1906 | 2,300 | Reference point for placing a standard .38 Police Positive in the production run. |
| 1907 | 10,400 | Use as a beginning-of-year guide for the non-Special .38 branch. |
| 1908 | 18,000 | Collector dating anchor; confirm chambering before applying it. |
| 1909 | 27,000 | Approximate production reference for this standard .38 family. |
| 1910 | 33,000 | Annual anchor for the standard .38 / Bankers Special sequence. |
| 1911 | 40,000 | Reference point for placing a standard .38 Police Positive in the production run. |
| 1912 | 52,000 | Use as a beginning-of-year guide for the non-Special .38 branch. |
| 1913 | 62,000 | Collector dating anchor; confirm chambering before applying it. |
| 1914 | 71,500 | Approximate production reference for this standard .38 family. |
| 1915 | 78,000 | Annual anchor for the standard .38 / Bankers Special sequence. |
| 1916 | 82,000 | Reference point for placing a standard .38 Police Positive in the production run. |
| 1917 | 89,000 | Use as a beginning-of-year guide for the non-Special .38 branch. |
| 1918 | 98,000 | Collector dating anchor; confirm chambering before applying it. |
| 1919 | 100,000 | Approximate production reference for this standard .38 family. |
| 1920 | 115,000 | Annual anchor for the standard .38 / Bankers Special sequence. |
| 1921 | 129,000 | Reference point for placing a standard .38 Police Positive in the production run. |
| 1922 | 137,000 | Use as a beginning-of-year guide for the non-Special .38 branch. |
| 1923 | 150,000 | Collector dating anchor; confirm chambering before applying it. |
| 1924 | 153,000 | Approximate production reference for this standard .38 family. |
| 1925 | 165,000 | Annual anchor for the standard .38 / Bankers Special sequence. |
| 1926 | 166,000 | Reference point for placing a standard .38 Police Positive in the production run. |
| 1927 | 176,000 | Use as a beginning-of-year guide for the non-Special .38 branch. |
| 1928 | 177,000 | Collector dating anchor; confirm chambering before applying it. |
| 1929 | 185,000 | Approximate production reference for this standard .38 family. |
| 1930 | 329,000 | Annual anchor for the standard .38 / Bankers Special sequence. |
| 1931 | 342,000 | Reference point for placing a standard .38 Police Positive in the production run. |
| 1932 | 357,000 | Use as a beginning-of-year guide for the non-Special .38 branch. |
| 1933 | 360,000 | Collector dating anchor; confirm chambering before applying it. |
| 1934 | 364,000 | Approximate production reference for this standard .38 family. |
| 1935 | 370,000 | Annual anchor for the standard .38 / Bankers Special sequence. |
| 1936 | 374,000 | Reference point for placing a standard .38 Police Positive in the production run. |
| 1937 | 375,000 | Use as a beginning-of-year guide for the non-Special .38 branch. |
| 1938 | 380,000 | Collector dating anchor; confirm chambering before applying it. |
| 1939 | 383,000 | Approximate production reference for this standard .38 family. |
| 1940 | 390,000 | Late pre-war / wartime anchor; production context should be described conservatively. |
| 1941 | 395,000 | Late pre-war / wartime anchor; production context should be described conservatively. |
| 1942 | 401,000 | Late pre-war / wartime anchor; production context should be described conservatively. |
| 1943 | 406,725 | Late pre-war / wartime anchor; production context should be described conservatively. |
Caption language: Say “serial range suggests” or “production anchor indicates” unless a factory record confirms exact shipment details.
Suggested Caption
Example: “Colt Police Positive .38, standard .38 Colt New Police / .38 S&W-class chambering, serial range suggests early twentieth-century production. Verify barrel legend, stocks, finish, and shipment details before making originality claims.”
Standard .38 Verification Checklist
- Confirm the barrel marking before treating the revolver as a standard .38.
- Do not use this table for .38 Special chambering.
- Record any Bankers Special features, barrel length, stocks, finish, and box label separately.
- Use factory documentation for high-condition or premium examples.
Collector Takeaway
The standard .38 Police Positive table is useful only after the gun is kept out of the Special-family sequence. The safest workflow is branch first, serial range second, condition and originality third.
About Greg Cook
Greg Cook is a CPA and firearms collector who writes about gun collecting, history, provenance, ownership impressions, and the practical details that make individual firearms memorable. His Army MOS was 76Y, Unit Armorer.
Sources Consulted
This page was prepared by comparing Colt factory resources, historical firearm publications, collector serial-number archives, and Gun Collectors Club notes. The table is presented as a collector production reference, not as a factory shipment ledger. When value, originality, provenance, or a premium claim depends on the details, Colt Archive documentation remains the stronger standard.
- Colt Serial Number Lookup — official first-pass factory lookup for approximate date-of-manufacture orientation.
- Colt Archive Services — factory-letter resource for documented shipment information and original configuration details when records are available.
- Colt Timeline — factory historical background on Colt double-action revolver development and related company milestones.
- ProofHouse Colt revolver serial-number archives — collector reference material compared against the model-family notes in this guide.
- ProofHouse Colt target and small-frame reference material — historical collector data reviewed while checking .32 and Target-era anchors.
- ProofHouse Colt Heavy Frame reference material — archival serial-number reference consulted for the short Heavy Frame sequence.
- ProofHouse Colt D-frame reference material — collector serial-number archive reviewed for Police Positive Special and Detective Special family ranges.
- American Rifleman historical coverage — background on the Police Positive family, Positive Lock context, chamberings, and related D-frame development.
- Gun Collectors Club: Colt Police Positive Guide — companion GCC identification article for production years, issue changes, and Police Positive family context.
- Gun Collectors Club: Colt Police Positive Timeline — companion GCC timeline for placing the model family in chronological order.