Dated "1856" at the breech and marked with Cyrillic markings (Izhevsk) and the Imperial Russian double headed eagle ahead on top of the barrel. The bottom of the barrel lug has "54," and the bottom of the frame has"AI-0." It has mostly standard Colt Model 1851 Navy type features but does have slight differences in overall shape and the screws enter from the right. This revolver is one on only two known manufactured by Izhevsk. The second, serial number 38, is featured in Joseph Bradley’s “Guns for the Tsar: American Technology and the Small Arms Industry in Nineteenth-Century Russia” and recently sold in a private sale for $5,000. For more information see www.russianrevolvers.com. Provenance: Joe Leiper Collection.

Fine overall with patches of original blue finish concentrated on the breech end of the barrel, brown and gray patina on the balance of the steel, mild pitting, aged patina on the brass, general scrapes and dings, and strong varnished finish on the grip. Mechanically fine.