November 3-4, 2017 Firearms & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/3/2017
Within the pages of the book entitled "Systeme Lefaucheaux" by Chris Curtis, the world of pin fire revolvers, the endless variety of examples and their importance during the Civil War, mostly on the Southern Side, has created renewed interest in an otherwise forgotten field of gun collecting. This revolver bears no apparent factory marks, no serial number, no import stamp, no maker, no inspectors marks, at least nothing visible save for disassembling the gun to look at its guts. It has the English pattern or style, six shot, double action. The bore measures 9mm. The fit and finish are superb quality. The 5" octagon barrel and cylinder retain approximately 95% of the brilliant high polish blue finish that would rival a pre-war Colt or S&W high polish blue finish. The lower frame has basically just flaked. The trigger guard and straps are smooth gray patina. In Chris’s book on page 130 is a picture of an almost identical revolver that has London stamps and is also stamped "CSA". In fact, in this collection, we have three such revolvers; all in high condition in two different size frames and two bores diameters that are all of nearly identical construction and appearance.
This example features the lovely gutta percha grips that are finely checkered and have decorative panels. The grips are near mint. The bore and action are fine and the existing factory high polish blue finish is fantastic. If you are interested in Civil War history and weapons, adding a few high condition pin fires may just be in order.