Two factory letters accompany this revolver. They list it in .41 caliber with a 5 1/2 inch barrel and blue finish (grips not listed). They both confirm it was shipped as one of a pair on May 26, 1892. One letter lists it as shipped to Simmons Hardware Co. in St. Louis c/o Tompkins Hardware Company. The second letter is more specific and indicates the revolver was sold to Tompkins Hardware Company of Leadville, Colorado, and was shipped to Simmons Hardware Company in St. Louis, Missouri. The factory ledger and letters have the business name spelled wrong. The Tomkins Hardware Co. was based in Leadville, Colorado, and run by brothers Henry H. and Lewis H. Tomkins. They had stores in several Colorado mining towns in the 1890s, including "Jimtown," Colorado, where the business suffered $20,000 in damages from a coal oil fire on June 7, 1892. The San Francisco Examiner reported that in Jimtown, "Gun play was the rule. A six shooter was a man's authority and his law." A revolver shipped to Colorado in the period is certainly a desirable western artifact, especially with the special raised relief carved grips which feature a steer head on each side and a stud that covers the screw on the left. The design is fitting given Colorado remains one of the largest beef producers in the United States and was home to many six-shooter packing cowboys working on the Colorado range. The revolver features a blade front sight, "COLT'S PT. F.A. MFG. Co HARTFORD, CT. U.S.A." on top of the barrel, "41 COLT" on the left side of the barrel, the two-line patent marking and encircled Rampant Colt trademark on the left side of the frame, the assembly number "84" on the loading gate, matching serial numbers on the frame, trigger guard, and butt at the toe.

Fine with 60% original blue finish on the barrel, strong original blue in the protected areas of the cylinder and grip frame, 30% of the original case colors, mostly smooth gray and brown patina on the balance, crisp markings, and generally mild overall wear appropriate for a Colorado frontier used six-shooter. The grips are also fine and have crisp raised relief carving, a small repair at the toe on the left, attractive aged tones and grain, and spider webbing age cracks on the butts. Mechanically excellent. This classic western revolver would pair excellently with the Leadville, Colorado, holster rig in the following lot.