September 15, 16, & 17, 2026 Firearms & Militaria
The live portion of this session begins on Tuesday, September 15, 2026.
Lot #1365:
(A) ARAPAHOE COUNTY, CO. "CITY HALL WAR" FACTORY INSCRIBED WINCHESTER MODEL 1886 LEVER ACTION RIFLE
Rifles marked "ARAPAHOE COUNTY" are extremely desirable and well known. Winchester produced 50 of these rifles in 1894 as ordered for the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Department (Denver, Colorado). The infamous "City Hall War" of 1894 in Denver prompted Arapahoe County Sheriff Alexander Nesbit to order 50 Winchester Model 1886 rifles for his deputies and were so engraved on the left side of frame "ARAPAHOE COUNTY". The so called war began when Governor Davis Waite sought to fire the entire Denver Police Board to wit, the Governor called in state militia units and federal troops from Fort Logan to surround City Hall where on March 4 of 1894, the commissioners, backed by hundreds of armed city police officers and deputy sheriffs, had already barricaded themselves within City Hall. This "war" ended when the Colorado Supreme Court sided with Waite ruling that he had the legal right and authority to remove all of the Denver Fire and Police Board members, thus barely avoiding an all out shooting skirmish. As a result, Governor Waite did not win re-election. This otherwise standard rifle features the full round barrel and magazine, a German silver tip dovetailed front sight, a semi buckhorn rear sporting sight, case color frame, lever, hammer and butt plate sporting a walnut stock with rifle butt plate and matching forearm. CONDITION: Excellent. The frame still retains flashes of case color as does hammer but has now taken on the more familiar nickel appearance. The barrel finish retains some flashes of blue in protected areas but has basically thinned to a soft patina with some freckling. The tube retains most of the dulling blue finish. The bolt retains nearly all of its bright blue while the gate still retains about half of its bright blue. Stocks are solid exhibiting scattered dings and some finish loss. Mechanically sound with a bright bore.
Paperwork
Factory Letter, Provenance