This is a nice example of a very rare George Raphael revolver. Only 1,000 of these large frame double action 11 mm Raphael revolvers were purchased on the commercial market by the Federal Government during the Civil War. Some Raphael revolvers may have been privately purchased by officers during that same time period. It is assumed that the revolvers were manufactured in France. George Raphael was a friend of Abraham Lincoln and he supplied revolvers and swords to the Federal Government. The only visible marking are the serial number "68" on the left side of the frame ahead of the cylinder and "11" on the cylinder face, however this is normal for the Raphael revolvers as the Civil War Era revolvers were unmarked. The revolver featured a very interesting design with a loading gate on the upper left side. The cylinder and breech plate rotate at the same time when the hammer is cocked, however the cylinder can also be rotated separate from the breech plate when the loading gate is open for loading and unloading. The revolver has a solid open top frame design, dovetailed front blade sight and a dovetailed notch rear sight mounted on the breech end of the barrel and six round cylinder. The revolver is fitted with smooth two piece varnished walnut grips marked "11" and "G" on the inside. The usual butt cap lanyard bolt which doubles as an ejector rod is absent. Raphael revolvers are famous for very precise machining of their complex mechanism.

Fine. The barrel has a purple hue with 75% original blue finish on the breech end. The cylinder retains 60% thin original blue finish with a smooth brown patina on the balance. The frame is a mix of thin original blue finish and smooth brown patina. The grip straps and trigger guard have a smooth gray patina. The grips are also fine with almost all of the varnish remaining showing some minor dents and dings. The action functions very well. A nice and rare Civil War Era Raphael revolver.