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LOT 1064
Desirable Documented Anaconda Copper Mine Shipped Colt Army Special Double Action Revolver with Factory Letter - Serial no. 403974, 41 Long Colt cal., 6 inch round bbl., blue finish, hard rubber grips. The included factory letter confirms the current barrel length, caliber, and finish when
it was shipped to the Anaconda Copper Mine Company of Butte, Montana, on December 9, 1915 as one of 12 guns in the shipment. Originally a silver mine owned by prospector and Union Civil War veteran Michael Hickey, the name Anaconda Mine was derived from Horace Greeley’s Civil War description of Ulysses S. Grant’s tactic of surrounding Robert E. Lee’s forces “like an anaconda.” Hickey sold his mine to Marcus Daly in 1881 when the silver lodes were increasingly showing more copper. This was at the dawn of the electrical age when a spike in the demand for copper was just around the corner. With shrewd foresight, Daly and his investors,
that included George Hearst, father of famed newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst, developed the mine into one of the largest trusts of the early 20th century with mining operations in North America and Chile. The back strap has the non-factory stamped Anaconda Copper Mine marking “A.C.M. CO. 20”, otherwise standard markings and features.
In addition to being shipped to the Anaconda Copper Mine, this revolver is from the collection of world famous American country singer and song writer Hank Williams Jr., who has long owned a ranch in Montana where he lives part of each year. Also included is a certificate of authenticity confirming his ownership as well as the aforementioned factory letter addressed to him.
CONDITION: Very fine overall, retaining 75% original blue with much of the loss on the grip straps, cylinder drag line, some wear at the muzzle, a few small scratches on the very good grips, and sharp checkering. Mechanically excellent. A Montana mine shipped .41 Army Special Colt that will make a fine addition to any Colt or Western collection!
Provenance: The Hank Williams Jr.’s Collection.
Estimate: 1,600 - 2,500