Samuel Colt and the Colt revolvers owe their fame in large part due to the brave men of Texas in the 1840s. The historic Paterson revolvers are directly connected with the early history of Texas, especially the Texas Rangers. To secure their freedom and territory, the Texans needed Colt's revolvers, and Sam Colt needed the Texans for his business to succeed. Only approximately 1,000 No. 5 Holster Model "Texas Paterson" revolvers were manufactured by Samuel Colt's Patent Arms Manufacturing Company in 1838-40. The No. 5 Holster Model is similar to the later Colt Model 1851 Navy in size and power but were the largest of all the Paterson handguns and marked a significant increase in overall firepower compared to the single shot pistols commonly used in the period. While a small number were manufactured, these revolvers received significant use on the Texas frontier. They achieved fame due to their use by Captain John Coffee Hays and the Texas Rangers on the frontier in the Southwest. In addition to fighting for their independence from Mexico, the Texans in the 1830s and 1840s were fighting off attacks from another menace in the north: Comanche raiders. Though the Texans had tenuously secured independence from Mexico in 1836, the Comanche were still the rulers of much of Texas, especially across the plains and launched frequent raids. Hundreds of warriors participated in many of these raids, greatly overwhelming the Texan settlers. Nonetheless, settlers continued to press on into Comanche territory. The Texas Rangers were formed to defend the frontier but were a small force in the 1840s. Samuel Colt provided an answer for the superior numbers of the Comanche: five-shot Colt Paterson revolvers. Bandera Pass was the first time Colt's revolvers truly showed their utility in battle. Around 50 Texans held their ground while being assaulted by hundreds of Comanche warriors. At Walker's Creek, Colt's revolvers were demonstrated to be particularly useful in running battles on horseback. The Comanches were used to fighting men with single shot firearms and could draw their fire and then descend upon them before they could reload or overwhelm them with fast firing bows. Captain John Coffee Hays and 14 of his rangers fought an estimated 40 to 200 Comanche in the battle. After avoiding being drawn into a trap, the Texans attacked the Comanche on horseback, fought off two counter attacks, and then pursued the Comanche in a running fight with Hays calling on his men to use their revolvers at close range yelling: "Crowd them! Powder-burn them!" Comanche losses are estimated to 20-50+ killed while the Rangers lost one killed and four wounded, including Samuel Walker who took a thrust from a lance to the body and was expected to die but lived on to fight in the Mexican-American War. The Paterson revolvers were also used by the navy of the Republic of Texas during the Texas-Mexican Wars in the early 1840s. Patersons also saw limited use outside of Texas by the U.S. Army in the Seminole Wars, and, even after the Patent Arms Manufacturing Company closed, they appear in newspaper articles, including in an article about two men in Mobile, Alabama, dueling with "Colt's pistols" and exchanging four shots in 1844. Colt's Paterson, New Jersey, based Patent Arms Manufacturing Company failed in 1842, but the Texans kept on using their Colt revolvers, and they wanted more, especially with the outbreak of the Mexican-American War. The war broke out following the annexation of Texas by the United States. Samuel Walker based on his experiences with the Paterson revolvers spearheaded the genesis of the formidable Colt Walker revolver in collaboration with Samuel Colt. The revolver launched the rebirth Samuel Colt's firearms business and his tremendous business success. The Mexican-American War further proved the utility of revolvers in combat, and following the war Samuel Colt recognized the importance of the Texans in his business success. He memorialized the Texans' earlier successes on the battlefield with his revolvers by using a scene of the Texas Rangers fighting the Comanche on the Walker and Dragoon revolvers and a scene from the Naval Battle of Campeche on his Model 1851 Navy, 1860 Army, and 1861 Navy revolvers. With only around 1,000 manufactured (same number as the U.S. contract Walkers), No. 5 Patersons in any condition are rarely encountered, and this early production No. 5 remains in very high condition and is complete with a case, matching spare cylinder, and loading tools. These revolvers often saw hard use on the frontier and examples with any remaining finish are nearly unheard of let alone the superior amount of finish seen on this revolver. With its Texas, Mexican-American War, and Colt history, this model transcends collector genres, and a "Texas Paterson" is highly sought after by antique arms collectors. The revolver has been in some of the most renowned collections. The cased set was sold from the William M. Locke Collection to Robert Sutherland. Sutherland kept the case and accessories to accompany his engraved Paterson as shown on page 35 of "The Book of Colt Firearms" by Sutherland and R.L. Wilson. In 1971, Herb Glass sold the revolver to Walter Buhl Ford III. The revolver was subsequently sold at auction in 1976 and purchased by Richard "Dick" Raynor who then put the set back together by purchasing the case and accessories which had since become part of the Al Kelley Collection. Raynor later sold the re-united set to Greg Lampe in 2001. The barrel has a German silver front sight blade and is marked "~*Patent Arms M'g. Co. Paterson, N.J. - Colt's Pt. *~." The five-shot cylinder is roll engraved with the stagecoach holdup scene and is marked “COLT.” It has a varnished walnut grip. The serial number "16" was found on the wedge, rear of the barrel lug, rear of the cylinder, right side of the trigger, and inside the back strap. It is fitted with a bonded two-piece grip. The case has a nickel-silver plaque on top and wine colored lining. It holds the revolver, the spare cylinder which is numbered "16." on the rear, ball mold, loading tool, key, cleaning rod, capper (marked "39"), and the distinctive Paterson combination flask (marked "93"). Provenance: The William M. Locke Collection; The Robert Sutherland Collection; The Herb Glass Collection; The Walter Buhl Ford III Collection; The Richard Raynor Collection; The Greg Lampe Collection

Exceptionally fine with 70% plus of the bright original high polish blue finish remaining on the barrel along with a crisp address, 20% original blue on the cylinders which have distinct roll-scenes, brazed line on the arbor pin, patterns of original case colors on the frame, 60% plus original blue on the back strap, mostly smooth gray and brown patina on the balance, a replacement toe screw, faint crack at the face of the hammer, and minor overall wear. The grip is also fine and has mild handling wear, some nice figure, a repaired crack on the right, and light scratches. Mechanically fine. The case and accessories are all very fine with minor age and storage related wear. This is a beautiful cased Texas Paterson set that has been featured in some very notable collections and will certainly enhance any collection of Colts or antique American firearms collections.