Rock Island Auction Company is pleased to present Colt No. 5 Texas Paterson Revolver serial number 157, an exceptional piece of Colt history as documented in R.L. Wilson’s “The Paterson Colt Book” and accompanying R.L. Wilson letter. This is one of the rarest Colt sets. Even the most advanced Colt collections are missing this type of Paterson revolver set. Research by Linda Lasseter and Steve Evans approximates that there are only 29 known No. 5s with 9 inch barrels. Even rarer are cased nine inch barreled No. 5 sets. Known cased set examples include no. 3 from The Paterson Museum collection, nos. 141 and 515 sold by us in auction 70 (May 2017) and auction 61 (May 2014) respectively and cased pair nos. 582 and 600 in a private collection. Finally, there is this example, no. 157, waiting to be included in your collection. Approximately 1,000 No. 5 Texas Paterson revolvers manufactured by Samuel Colt's Patent Arms Manufacturing Company from 1838-40. The No. 5 Holster Model were the largest of all the Paterson handguns and achieved fame as a result of their use by Captain Jack Hays and other Rangers on the Texas frontier. In fact, a major purchaser of the No. 5 was the Republic of Texas. Samuel Walker was familiar with the No. 5 during his days as a Texas Ranger and used the revolver to great effect. His experience with the Paterson persuaded him to advocate for a larger, quicker loading revolver powerful enough to kill either a man or horse with a single shot. His discussions with Samuel Colt led to the Colt Walker Model revolver in 1847. What followed next was a rapid evolution in revolver design spearhead by Colt who introduced the Dragoon series of revolvers that were based on the Walker design. Samuel Walker is often credited for establishing early Colt revolvers as an effective handgun. The Walker and Dragoon revolvers definitely provided Colt with financial relief and fame. This particular No. 5 features a barrel with a German silver front sight blade and "- Patent Arms M'g. Co. Paterson, N.J. - Colt's Pt. -" reading from the breech to the muzzle with “star & snake” terminals at either end of the roll-stamped legend. The five-shot cylinder with square shoulder is roll engraved with the stagecoach holdup scene and is marked "COLT." Based on research by Linda Lasseter and Steve Evans, there are only 33 known No. 5s with square back cylinders but only 12 known with 9 inch barrels and square back cylinders. The hammer spur is smooth. The serial number “157” is on the rear face of the barrel lug, rear face of the cylinder, wedge, cylinder collar, bottom of grip, and inside of the back strap. The walnut case lined in blue velvet and featuring wires and studs to secure the accessories is original. The accessories are original and correct. The extra cylinder is numbered (“157”) to the gun and features the correct roll engraved stagecoach holdup scene. The other accessories are the following: combination loading tool with screwdriver, nipple wrench, and nipple pricker, brass cleaning rod with wooden handle, combination powder and ball flask bearing the number “18” (rarely do flask numbers match these revolvers in the same set), blued bullet mold with wooden handles, brass capper featuring the early Rampant Colt logo, and case key. This No. 5 along with its case and accessories is pictured and identified in R.L. Wilson’s “The Paterson Colt Book” on page 136. In his accompanying letter (copy), Wilson authenticates this No. 5 along with the accessories and concludes, “Serial No. 157 Texas or Holster Model Paterson Colt Revolver is one of the finest and most desirable of Patersons which it has been the author’s privilege to examine. It is well deserving of a place of honor in the most discriminating of museum or private collections.” We could not have said it better. Provenance: Warren Anderson, Ira Weinstein, Dennis LeVett, Bobby Smith and property of a gentleman