GUN SPRING 2016
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/14/2016
EXCEPTIONAL AND RARE CONFEDERATE DANCE ARMY REVOLVER.DANCEARMYNSN44 CALCal. 44. Of the approximately 100 Dance pistols that survive, about 85 are of 44 Cal. Of these 85 guns, this gun falls in the top 2 or 3 examples for condition. This gun is totally unmarked but was always listed in early collections as SN 1 as Harry Brooks though he could see a tiny number "1" stamped on the left side of trigger guard. This is the only non- serialized Dance Army known and it is a magnificent example retaining most of its original thinning finish with great aesthetics and exemplary collector history and provenance. This gun by NRA standards grades fine; by Confederate standards this gun is extremely fine with crisp edges and bright bore. Dance revolvers saw hard Confederate use, mostly in the Western and Trans-Mississippi theaters of the war. Any Texas Confederate soldier would be proud to carry a Texas made revolver of the highest quality such as this gun. This revolver is 100% orig and authentic in every regard and is much above average of most encountered specimens. All screws, cones, sight and internal parts appear orig, even the wedge screw that is often lost or restored is orig. This is the finest Dance revolver we have ever offered and it would be difficult to find a Dance Army revolver with finer and more complete provenance, or a Dance Army of higher condition. PROVENANCE: Harry Brooks Collection, Dallas, Texas; Pictured Texas Gun Collector, No. 36, July 1953; Jackson Arms, Dallas, Texas; William Bond, Vernon, Texas, December 1959; Conestoga Auctions, Lot #568, July 5, 1994; Don & Kathlee Bryan Collection. CONDITION: Extremely fine overall. Gun retains a fairly even light plum patina where the blue has "turned" over the years. Edges of bbl housing are crisp with very light edge wear. Frame is smooth with distinct casting striations not seen on the later guns. Cyl lacks the distinctive incised line near face of cyl which also is not found on SN 2 Dance Army, but does occur by SN 10, making Harry Brooks assessment that this is the first Dance Army possibly correct! Brass has smooth mustard patina. Grips fit well, show good grain with hand worn patina. Revolver does show light holster wear at muzzle. This gun has stayed in such fine condition probably due to the fact that the original mainspring was broken (no collector has wanted to repair this, however, it is an easy repair for a qualified antique arms restorer and would make the pistol fully functional as other internal parts are crisp). Bore is bright with crisp rifling. The accompanying Confederate era flap holster is sound, solid though a bit dry, and appears to fit the revolver reasonably well. The muzzle of the bbl does not fully reach the muzzle of the holster. The holster is still great for display. 50122-18 JS (75,000-125,000)