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“Saml Colt” in Old English style script hand inscribed on the barrel, “COLTS/PATENT” hand inscribed in a banner on the left side of the frame, fan style accents, a bestial design on the hammer, and border designs. The dot marking used by the factory to denote special finishing such as engraving is marked by the serial number on the barrel, frame, trigger guard, and butt. The revolver has all matching serial numbers, including the grip in black ink. The wedge is matching but is renumbered. The revolver has the classic Colt factory combination of blue, case colors, and silver finish and a varnished burl walnut grip. The fitted case had something inscribed on the upper right of the lid that has been mostly removed aside from “Majs” or “Mass” with written German eszett. It contains an early Colt brass bullet mold without a sprue cutter, an L-shaped combination tool, Eley Bros. cap tin, cartridge pack, and a double sided eagle pattern flask.
CONDITION: Very fine with crisp engraving throughout, 80% plus original blue finish on the barrel, 30% original blue on the cylinder along with a distinct roll scene, traces of case colors on the loading lever and hammer and otherwise dark gray- brown patina, mostly a silver-gray patina on the frame, and 80% plus original silver plating on the grip frame with light aged patina on both the silver and the exposed brass. The grip is also very fine and
retains the vast majority of the original high polish varnish and has many scattered mild dings and scratches and light edge wear. Mechanically excellent. The case and accessories are fine with mild age and storage related wear. This is a very attractive example of an early factory engraved Colt Model 1849 Pocket that will be an excellent addition to any antique arms collection.
Estimate: 7,500 - 12,000
LOT 1176 Very Desirable Factory Engraved Colt Model 1851 Navy Percussion Revolver - Serial no. 25280, 36 cal., 7 1/2 inch octagon bbl., blue/casehardened/silver finish, antique ivory grips. This revolver was manufactured in 1853 and has beautiful factory scroll engraving readily attributable to Master Engraver Gustave Young or his shop. The patterns are consistent with the examples shown in various books on Colt engraving,
including in R.L. Wilson’s books and would be an early example of his work for Colt. Young and L.D. Nimschke were both trained under Ernst Moritz and Gustav Ernst in Zella, Thuringia, Germany, before they immigrated to the U.S. Other less well-known German-American engravers trained there as well.
Though they all have somewhat similar styles, Young developed his own patterns, and his work as Colt’s main engraving contractor from 1852 to 1858 is identifiable and remarkable. The scrollwork on this revolver is inhabited by a bald eagle head above the wedge on the right, an open mouth dog head just ahead of the wedge on the left, another open mouth dog head on the left side of the recoil shield, and a closed mouth dog head below the hammer screw on the left. While Young is well-known for heads among his fine scrolls, four on a single revolver is very rare. The engraving has punched backgrounds and includes floral accents, ray/fan patterns, “COLTS/PATENT” hand inscribed in a panel on the left side of the frame, an early version of Young’s wolf head design on the hammer, and some wavy borders. The dot marking used by Colt to denote arms selected for engraving and or special finishing is marked by the main serial number locations. Matching serial numbers are found on the loading lever, wedge, arbor pin, cylinder, barrel, frame, trigger guard, and back strap. A “2” is also marked by the serial number on the barrel and cylinder. The barrel also has a brass cone front sight and is marked “-ADDRESS SAML COLT NEW-YORK CITY-.” CONDITION: Very good plus with crisp engraving throughout, 80% original silver plating remaining on the grip frame, traces of original case colors and blue finish in the protected areas, mostly a smooth brown patina on the balance, minor oxidation, and general minor wear. The grip is fine and has attractive natural coloration and grain, some shrinkage, minor age cracks in the butt and on the right side, and minor edge wear. Mechanically fine. This is a very attractive example of Gustave Young’s early work for Colt and one of the few Young engraved Model 1851 Navy revolvers to feature this many of his animal head designs among the scrollwork. This is definitely a very attractive classic Colt that would add value and interest to any collection. Estimate: 6,500 - 9,000
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LOT 1175
Very Fine Documented Cased
Factory “Donut Scroll” Engraved Colt Model 1849 Pocket Percussion Revolver - Serial no. 49050,
31 cal., 5 inch octagon bbl., blue/casehardened/silver
finish, finely figured varnished walnut grips. The included display card notes that this revolver is pictured in the book
“Colt’s Pocket ‘49: Its Evolution, Including the Baby Dragoon & Wells Fargo” by Robert Jordan and Darrow Watt on page 206. The is a very fine and very
attractive early Colt Model 1849 Pocket. This model was Colt’s most popular model in the 19th century and helped make Colt a household name. The revolver was manufactured
in 1852 and features the distinctive early Hartford “donut scroll” style engraving on the barrel, loading lever, frame, hammer, and grip frame. This particular example has a
slightly more open and feather-like style scroll patterns with crosshatched backgrounds,
AS PICTURED AND DESCRIBED IN THE BOOK COLT’S POCKET 49 INCLUDING THE BABY DRAGOON & WELLS FARGO BY JORDAN & WATT