This revolver was manufactured in 1868 and is said to have been owned by a cousin or uncle of the notorious outlaw and gunfighter John Wesley Hardin based on the holster which is hand marked with "o. S. HARDIN. C" on the outside. It is possible the "S." and "C." relate to his aliases "J.W. Swain" and "Wesley Clement" per the consignor or to a Hardin relative nicknamed "Osc." The revolver has the standard markings and features aside from the antique ivory grip, a rare feature. Only 492 Colt Model 1860 Army revolvers with this grip are recorded in the factory records per Charles Pate in "The Colt Model 1860 Army Revolver." The serial numbers match aside from the replacement wedge. Hardin is said to have been armed with a Colt Model 1860 Army when he was arrested in 1877, and 1868 was coincidentally the same year he is said to have first killed a man when he shot freedman Major "Maje" Holshousen five times with a revolver and then claimed to have killed the three soldiers sent to arrest him with a double barrel shotgun and his revolver. Before being arrested by Texas Ranger John Armstrong in 1877 for the murder of a sheriff deputy, Hardin had killed several more men, many of them lawmen, and wounded others. Estimates range on the number of men he killed. More than 20 is often stated, and some say more than double that number met their untimely demise thanks to Hardin and his quick aim with a Colt. Despite the bloodshed, he was a free man again in less than 15 years and was even pardoned in 1894. In the mid-1890s, he frequented the saloons of El Paso and worked as an attorney. On May 1, 1895, he used his pistol to get money he lost gambling back at the Acme Saloon. The included framed five of hearts playing card is signed "J.W. Hardin/7-4-95" below a tight group of small caliber bullet holes. The card is in a modern frame and has a brass plaque inscribed "John Wesley Hardin/Born May 26, 1853/Died August 19, 1895." It has been said these cards were shot by Hardin as part of a shooting exhibition held during at the grand opening of the Wigwam Saloon in El Paso, Texas, on the Fourth of July in 1895, but the saloon opened several years earlier while Hardin was still in prison and was well-established by the time he was released, so they may have been shot as part of an Independence Day event. Regardless of the specific details of the origin of the playing cards, they are particularly interesting as Hardin was killed the next month in El Paso. On the 10th of August, he is recorded as having been fined for carrying a pistol. Details of what led to Constable John Selman Sr. shooting Hardin multiple times on August 19 in the Acme Saloon while Hardin was playing dice vary somewhat from source to source. The main facts appear to be that Hardin had argued with John Selman Jr. and possibly pistol whipped him and threatened his life. The argument appears to have related to the arrest and fining of Bula/Beulah M'Rose/Mroz. Some sources say she was arrested for brandishing a gun and others for vagrancy or drunk-and-disorderly conduct. She was an associate and possibly romantic partner of Hardin. He had acted as a lawyer for her husband Martin M'Rose when he was arrested by Mexican authorities in Juarez, and then Martin was killed in July 1895. The elder Selman and Hardin were both in the Acme Saloon gambling before Selman shot and killed Hardin. Hardin was armed with a Colt Model 1877 at the time. At least one witness, Frank McPherson, said that Hardin had said he would kill Selman before leaving town and told Selman this before the incident. Selman claimed Hardin was reaching for his gun when he shot him. Selman was not convicted for the killing but was himself killed in a shootout with a lawman in April 1896 over a gambling dispute. A modern printed and framed reward poster for Hardin, an original funeral notice for S.A. Hardin (wife of Thomas A. Hardin) and information from the sale of other Hardin items are also included.

Very good with 20% original blue finish concentrated in the protected areas, strong patches of bright original case colors on the protected areas of the frame and hammer, patches of original silver around the trigger guard bow, mostly smooth gray and brown patina on the balance of the iron, aged patina on the exposed brass, moderate holster wear, and general mild marks and dings. The slightly age shrunken grips are very good and have attractive natural patina and grain, numerous minor age hairline cracks, and mild age and handling related wear. Mechanically fine. The holster is good and is missing some of the stitching and the toe plug and has mild scratches and rub wear. The framed items, including the historic playing card, are very good with minimal wear. This is definitely an interesting set associated with one of the most notorious killers of the American West: John Wesley Hardin.