Factory engraved Colt Single Action Army revolvers are among the most desirable of all American firearms. The Single Action Army itself is arguably the most iconic handgun in history, and 357,800 were manufactured prior to World War II. However, though many of the most famous SAAs were engraved, using the most liberal statistics, only 4,500 pre-war Colt Single Action Army revolvers were factory engraved. This factory engraved pre-war SAA was manufactured in 1931 while Wilbur Glahn was responsible for most of the engraving at Colt. Glahn engraved only a select number of SAAs given a large share of the rare factory engraved SAAs were engraved before he even arrived in Hartford. The accompanying factory letter confirms the 5 1/2 inch barrel in .45 caliber, blue finish, factory engraving, grip material and carved grips with Shrine emblem inlay. The revolver was shipped on May 29, 1931 to Spetnagel Hardware Co. of Chillicothe, Ohio. This was a single gun shipment. The Colt factory "C" engraved coverage consists of Glahn's distinctive scroll style along with special leaf motif on the back strap. The embellishment on the ejector rod housing and top of the back strap is also consistent with Glahn's work. The right grip panel features a relief carved steer head, and the left grip panel features an inlaid Shriner emblem. The carving and inlay are a rare combination of special order features. Colt factory steer head carved grips are rare and highly sought after. As Colt historian and author R.L. Wilson noted, only "a few" SAAs had factory hand carved steer head motif grips. The factory carved grips are made even rarer with the factory inlay. The barrel is marked with "COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY" on the left side and the one-line Hartford address on top. The left side of the frame has the two-line patent dates marking followed by a Rampant Colt. The matching full serial number appears on the frame, trigger guard, back strap, and right grip panel. It is photographed and described in Chapter 12 of R.L. Wilson's "Colt Engraving" on page 397. Provenance: The Paul Sorrell Collection; The Doug Stein Collection; Property of a Gentleman

Exceptionally fine, retaining 95% plus original blue finish with holster type wear and the grip straps mostly a smooth gray patina. 60% plus original case colors remain on the hammer and frame, otherwise faded to an attractive gray. The grips are excellent with a few minor handling marks, a few typical age lines, and attractive mellow appearance. The grip carving is crisp. Mechanically excellent. Any surviving Glahn engraved Colt is a significant treasure, and this revolver's rare carved and inlaid grips makes it an exceptionally desirable revolver.