GUN FALL 2015
The live portion of this session begins on Monday, October 5, 2015.
CASED COLT HARTFORD LONDON DRAGOON 3RD MODEL PERCUSSION REVOLVER. COLT DRAGOON 3RD MODEL 228 44 Cal. 44. Blue & color case hardened with 7-1/2" oct to rnd bbl, nickel silver front sight and 1-line right hand New York City address. Left side of frame is marked "COLT'S PATENT". Frame is 3-screw type not cut for shoulder stock. Cyl has the Ormsby Dragoon Indian fight scene roll marking and "MODEL U.S.M.R." and "COLT'S PATENT" cartouches surrounding the SN all six safety pins prominent and serviceable. The silver plated brass trigger guard & backstrap contain a very nicely figured 1-pc varnished walnut grip with matching SN in backstrap channel. Rammer handle has vertical latch. Accompanied by an orig burgundy velvet lined English oak casing that is compartmented in the bottom for the revolver, a bag shaped Dixon flask, a scarce brass bullet & ball 'COLTS PATENT' mold with bright steel sprue cutter, a dragoon sized L-shaped nipple wrench, a large tin of Eley's caps and a Dixon pewter oil bottle along with a functioning key. There were only about 700 of these scarce revolver produced in the period 1853-1857. Apparently they were not well received on the English market and in 1861 Colt brought about 200 of them back to the U.S. for use in the Civil War. Although it appears that a large number of these Hartford London dragoons were cased, very few appear on the U.S. market today. PROVENANCE: The Estate Collection of Phil A. Bleakney, Jr. CONDITION: Fine, all matching including rammer, wedge, cyl & grip. Bbl retains 30-40% orig blue mixed with flaked areas that are now a dark patina, rammer pivot retains dark case colors with the handle a mottled silver; frame shows traces of case colors being mostly a silver/grey patina; cyl is a silver/brown patina with one spot of pitting and shows 60-70% dragoon Indian fight scene roll marking; trigger guard retains about 50% orig silver with the front strap a medium mustard patina; backstrap & buttstrap retain traces of silver being mostly a mustard patina. Grip is sound showing light edge wear with minor handling & use nicks & scratches and retains about all of its orig varnish. Mechanics are crisp, bright shiny bore with scattered pitting. Case has a small gouge in the lid and is sound showing an old refinish. Interior is moderately to heavily faded with light soil in the lid, heavier in the bottom; flask has some minor nicks & scratches and retains most of its orig finish; mold is nicked & dinged and retains about 1/2 of its orig bright finish on the sprue cutter; nipple wrench and other accessories are fine. 49059-54 JR (7,500-12,500)