This beautiful factory master engraved Colt Model 1861 Navy was manufactured in 1864, in the latter part of the Civil War, and certainly ranks among the finest in private hands. Master Engraver Gustave Young was Colt's famous primary engraving contractor starting c. 1854 and helped establish the complex Germanic scroll engraving as the standard in the United States. He later moved to Springfield to work for Smith & Wesson in 1869 where he continued to create beautiful works of art. Many of the finest revolvers of the 19th century were engraved by Young, and exceptional revolvers like this one remain among the most sought-after of antique firearms. The Model 1861 Navy is already among the most attractive of all of Colt's percussion revolvers, and only around 38,843 of these revolvers were manufactured making the model already rare and desirable. Engraved examples are particularly scarce and highly valued by collectors, and very few received higher end deluxe engraving. Many of the engraved Colts from the 1860s became prized presentation pieces given to Union officers and veterans during and following the Civil War further adding to their historical significance and desirability. This revolver features especially fine and stunning deluxe factory engraving consisting of complex interlacing Germanic scrollwork with beaded backgrounds, detailed dog masks, and foliate accents. The engraving even extends to around the German silver blade front sight, the small flats at the bottom of the barrel lug, the flat sections at the rear of the loading lever arm, and to multi-point checkering and knurling at the front of the loading lever arm. The engraving also surrounds the one-line New York barrel address on the barrel, and the "COLTS/PATENT" marking is neatly inscribed instead of stamped among the scrollwork on the left side of the frame. The dog grotesques are found on both sides of the barrel above the wedge, the left side of the frame below the hammer screw, and on the hammer and feature the "tear drop" accents by the eyes seen on other works by Young. The hammer also features a series of nine dots in a chevron panel on the spur. These dots are said to represent the number of days Gustave Young spent engraving the revolver. Rounded dot borders frame the engraving on the trigger guard bow. The foliate design at the top of the back strap is particularly attractive, and the engraving throughout is incredibly finely detailed and beautifully executed. The matching serial number "17199" is visible on the cylinder, barrel, frame, trigger guard, and back strap. The cylinder has the classic Naval Battle of Campeche roll-scene and "COLTS PATENT No", and the left side of the trigger guard bow at the rear has the "36 CAL" marking. The grip is beautifully figured walnut with high polish piano varnish finish. The revolver comes in a fitted mahogany case with wine colored lining, Eley Bros. cap tin, martial themed "COLTS/PATENT" powder flask with a slanted charger, two L-shaped combination tools, a blued "COLTS/PATENT" ball/bullet mold, key, and a few bullets. Provenance: The Andrew Singer Collection

Exceptionally fine with crisp engraving and markings, 95% original bright high polish blue finish on the barrel, 60% original blue on the cylinder with some fading to smooth brown on the crisp cylinder scene, 95% plus vibrant original case colors, 40% original age darkened silver plating, aged patina on the exposed brass, and generally only minimal light handling and storage wear. The grip is also exceptionally fine and retains nearly all of the glossy original varnish and displays gorgeous figure and only slight handling marks. Mechanically excellent. The case and accessories are generally very fine and have minimal wear, including some fading of the finish. Overall, this is an extraordinary example of a deluxe Gustave Young factory master engraved Colt Model 1861 Navy. Relatively few of these revolvers were made, only a small number were engraved, and fewer still received anywhere near this level of deluxe engraving. This revolver will certainly make an extraordinary addition to any collection.