May 7, 2024 The Paul Friedrich Collection of Firearms & Gold Rush
The live portion of this session begins on Tuesday, May 7, 2024.
According to the Colt Factory Archive letter, this gun left the factory as a .45 Colt with a 7 - 1/2" barrel, nickel plating, checkered ivory grips, and factory engraving. It was shipped to John Lower & Sons, Denver, Colorado, on December 21st, 1881, in a shipment of 2 guns. This shipment is mentioned on page 50 of Don Wilkerson's book "Colt's Double-Action Revolver Model of 1878". There is a letter From John A. Kopec, who examined and appraised this gun on May 15th, 1996; Kopec attributes the engraving on this gun to L.D. Nimschke. The engraving is a scroll and foliate pattern with a punch dot background. There are some geometric designs incorporated into the engraving. It also comes with some family history and photos of the owners of this fine gun. Factory checkered ivory grips, which are very hard to find. This gun has the typical lanyard loop found on this model. Someone at some point did drill a small hole in the backstrap, probably to try and add a shoulder stock to this gun. The holster that John mentions in his letter is also present. The single loop holster is finely carved with borders and a foliate pattern. There is a very small J.P. Lower mark on it on the top front of the holster. The stitching is good, with just a little bit of separation at the top back of this holster. CONDITION: This gun retains the vast majority of the original factory-applied nickel finish. There are a few minor spots of finish loss to the frame and back strap. The checkering on the grips is sharp and crisp. They do show some age cracks and show some aging. Good bore with sharp lands and grooves. The leather on the holster is in superior shape, with very little checking. The stitching is very serviceable. One of only 284 factory engraved 1878 Colt DAs.
Paperwork
Factory Letter, Documentation