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LOT 3058
Factory Engraved Colt First Generation Single Action Army Revolver - Serial no. 197246, 45 LC cal., 5 1/2 inch round bbl., nickel finish, antique ivory grips. Manufactured in 1900. Offered here is an exceptionally fine work of Colt factory art the famed Cuno Helfricht shop. No SAA collection can be considered complete without a Helfricht shop masterpiece. Helfricht spent his nearly 50 year career exclusively with the Colt firm (1871-1921). During his tenure with Colt, Helfricht saw the transition from percussion to cartridge firearms and
a rapidly growing market for engraved firearms. At the height of the firearm engraving fad, Helfricht oversaw a shop of six engravers. By the turn of the century, experts believe that Helfricht did most of the work himself with the help from one to two assistants. Helfricht’s successor’s included famed Colt engravers Wilbur Glahn and William Gough. The engraving is a B+ almost C coverage. The embellishment consists mostly of floral scrollwork on a punch dot background along with zig-zag line motifs. The barrel has the one-line Hartford address on top and “45 COLT” marked on the left side inside a banner.