GUN FALL 2012
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/1/2012
1491 CASED ENGRAVED PRESENTATION COLT LONDON MODEL 1851 NAVY PERCUSSION REVOLVER TO "RICHARD GREEN ESQR FROM THE INVENTOR". SN 2719. Cal. 36. Blue & color case hardened with 7-1/2" oct bbl, brass pin front sight and 1-line London address with spears. Left side of frame has "COLTS PATENT" engraved in a ribbon. Revolver is engraved in English style with about 60% coverage fine foliate arabesque patterns on the frame which extend over sides of bbl lug, top side flats of bbl, around the muzzle, on rammer handle & pivot and hammer spur. Backstrap, buttstrap & trigger guard are engraved to match. The silver plated steel trigger guard & backstrap contain a highly figured 1-pc European walnut grip with matching SN in backstrap channel. Cyl is usual 6-shots with Ormsby Naval Battle scene and all six safety pins serviceable. Left side of bbl lug & cyl have English proof marks. Backstrap is engraved in period script "Richard Green Esqr / From the Inventor". Accompanied by an extraordinarily unusual & rare, orig birds-eye maple casing with fancy brass plaque in the lid engraved the same as the backstrap. Interior is scarlet velvet lined and compartmented in the bottom for the revolver, a Dixon bag flask, a blued steel 2-cavity bullet & ball "COLTS PATENT" mold with sprue cutter, an L-shaped nipple wrench, an early tin of Eley's caps and a Dixon pewter oil bottle. Covered right rear compartment contains several cast lead bullets & balls. Bottom front of case has a mortised brass lock with rnd escutcheon. Also accompanying is an orig sgl fold large advertisement titled "COLT'S PATENT REPEATING PISTOLS, ARMY, NAVY, AND POCKET SIZES MANUFACTURED AT HARTFORD, CONN." The front page has a line drawing of a 2nd Model Dragoon and the second page directions for loading & cleaning Colt's pistols. Maple or other exotic wood cases, aside from mahogany, rosewood & oak, made for Colt revolvers are extraordinarily rare and this is the first birdseye maple case ever encountered by this cataloger. According to Flayderman's Guide to Antique American Firearms there were approx. 42,000 London Navy Colts produced in the period 1853-1857, 2,000 of which were 1st Models with brass trigger guard & backstraps made at Hartford or from Hartford parts. The remaining approx. 40,000 were all made in England with iron trigger guard & backstraps. Very few of that number were engraved and of those cased examples are not at all common. A quick Google search disclosed a number of listings for Richard Green, Esq. in England, one of which appears to have been from the right time frame for this presentation. Mr. Green was involved in ship building, tobacco and other trades. It's likely that through these businesses he could have met Samuel Colt. Certainly an extended search may disclose substantially more reliable information. CONDITION: Fine, all matching except wedge which is unnumbered, probably correct as it is matching engraved. Bbl retains 60-70% flaked orig blue with some of the loss areas cleaned to gray metal; rammer & handle retain strong case colors in sheltered areas with the handle cleaned to bright metal; pivot has moderately faded case colors; frame retains strong case colors on the recoil shields and in sheltered areas with sides of frame cleaned to bare metal; hammer retains dark case colors; cyl is a thin blue/gray patina with a streak of light pitting and overall retains about 93-95% Ormsby Naval Battle scene; trigger guard retains 75-80% orig dull silver; backstrap is mostly cleaned to bare metal. Grip is sound with two or three small bruises on right side, a couple more on left side with light nicks & scratches and retains most of its orig varnish. Mechanics are fine, bright strong bore with fine pitting in the grooves. Case has a grain check in the lid, otherwise is sound with handling & storage nicks & scratches and retains about all of its orig varnish; interior is lightly to moderately faded with a couple of spots of soil inside the lid and in the revolver recess; flask is very fine, retaining about 90% crisp orig finish with bright gold wash on collar, top & spout; mold retains 35-40% flaked blue mixed with light patina; other accessories are fine. 4-46703 JR160 (30,000-50,000)