The day after I found the - well, actually it found me - the . 51, I was talking to a guy at the range who told me that he had an old 1911 at home. It belonged to his uncle who left it to him about 20 years ago. The uncle had gotten it with a battlefield commission at the Battle of the Bulge '44/'45.
Seems that nobody in his family wanted it - I offered to buy it and she now resides with my family!