This revolver was manufactured circa the early 1860s and has beautiful factory floral scroll engraving patterns on the rear half of the barrel, loading lever hinge and all of the frame. The trigger guard and grip frame also have factory scrollwork along with geometric border designs, and the hammer has a dog head motif. The late vine style engraving may have been executed by Gustave Young and was at the very least inspired by his style. The "I.E." markings by the serial numbers on the barrel, frame, trigger guard, and back strap indicate the engraving and special grips originated from the factory. The grip is one piece rather than two separate pieces bonded to a spacer and has a Mexican eagle with a snake in its beak over cacti and a banner that reads "REPUBLICA MEXICANA". The back of the grip is numbered to match the revolver under the back strap and a "5" is stamped on the left side of the front strap at the bottom. The design is based on the Coat of Arms of Mexico. The Model 1860 Army on page 147 of "The Book of Colt Engraving" by R. L. Wilson has near identical grip carving and similar barrel engraving. Note that the hammer design the "COLTS/PATENT" frame marking are also nearly identical to those on the Model 1851 Navy engraved by Young on page 69, and the hammer design on the Young engraved Model 1860 Army on page 82 that also has very similar frame engraving but a differing patent marking. The matching partial or full serial number is marked on the loading lever, barrel lug, wedge, arbor pin, cylinder, frame, trigger guard, and back strap. The wedge does not have a retaining spring, and its first number is double or re-stamped. The top of the barrel has the one-line "ADDRESS SAML COLT NEW-YORK U.S.AMERICA" address, and the left side of the trigger guard at the rear is marked "36 CAL". The cylinder has the stagecoach hold up scene. The barrel and grip frame are silver-plated, and the loading lever, cylinder, and hammer are gold plated. The frame is casehardened, and the trigger and screws are blue. It comes in a wooden case with fitted interior and compartments for the included Eley Bros. cap tin, package of six combustible cartridges from Colt's Cartridge Works, a small E. Pluribus Unum powder flask with plum blue finish, and a blued dual cavity bullet mold marked "COLT'S/PATENT" on the sprue cutter. Some estimates suggest only five Pocket Navies had this rare combination of finishes. The combination of engraving, finishes, and carved grip certainly make it unique!

Very fine. The barrel retains 80% plus of the original silver-plating with some minor flaking and light pitting/oxidation. 75% plus of the original gold plating remain with numerous small pin pricks, small flakes, and patches of gray patina on light pitting primarily on the cylinder. The frame retains nearly all of the original case colors which remain very vibrant in the capping cutout and in the protected area below the cylinder. The grip frame and trigger guard retain 30% of the original silver plating primarily on the areas on and near the trigger guard bow. The exposed brass has a pleasant aged patina. The trigger and several of the small screws retain strong original niter blue finish. The engraving patterns and markings remain crisp. The grip is very fine with attractive cream, yellow, and light brown tones, crisp carving, some slight age cracks on the bottom, and minor handling marks. The action functions fine. The case exterior is very good with various minor marks and scrapes from storage and a few chips. The slightly sun faded original interior is fine. The lining has faded significantly and has some stains and pressure marks from the revolver. The tin and cartridge package are also fine. Both have been opened, but the cartridges and most of the caps remain. The flask and bullet mold are very fine and retain nearly all of their original finish with only minor wear. Overall, this is an outstanding set built around a beautifully factory engraved Colt Pocket Navy revolver with rare tri-color finish and carved one piece grip.