GUN FALL 2015
The live portion of this session begins on Monday, October 5, 2015.
CASED ENGRAVED & GOLD-PLATED COLT MODEL 1860 FLUTED ARMY PERCUSSION REVOLVER.COLT1860 ARMY525244IVORYCal. 44. Gold finish with 8" rnd bbl, altered front sight with most of bbl address worn away. Left side of frame has "COLTS PATENT" and it has brass trigger guard with iron backstrap that contains a 1-pc "certifiable antique ivory" grip with deep relief Mexican eagle on left side. Buttstrap has a lanyard stud & ring. Frame is 4-screw type cut for shoulder stock with stock screws replaced. Cylinder is of the early full fluted type. Revolver is engraved by Nimschke with full coverage intertwined foliate arabesque patterns with pearled background on the frame. Sides of hammer nose are engraved with a wolf''s head with fish scales on the spur and foliate arabesque patterns down the sides. Engraving extends over sides of bbl terminating well in front of the bbl address with patterns around muzzle. Rammer pivot is engraved to match with a rope pattern around rammer handle. Top of backstrap is engraved with a fan pattern with foliate arabesque patterns near top at the heel, on buttstrap & trigger guard. Cylinder is beautifully engraved with diamond & dot patterns in front of flutes and foliate arabesque patterns in rear of flutes. Accompanied by a Colt factory letter that identifies this revolver in 44 caliber with an 8" bbl, "blue/brass" finish with wood stocks and shipped to the U.S. Navy Yard New York on May 9, 1861 in a shipment of 250 guns.
Accompanied by a fine English style green velvet lined mahogany casing with concealed handle in the lid with center medallion engraved "LB". Interior is compartmented, English style for the revolver, a blued bullet and ball "COLT''S PATENT" mold with sprue cutter, marked on right side "44 H", a replacement brass eagle and stars flask, a tin of W. & C. Eley caps, a soft packet of six waterproof cartridges by Hazard Powder, a pewter oil bottle, an all steel cleaning rod and inside the covered compartment additional Eley combustible cartridges.
Also accompanied by a letter signed Max H. Preusler dated June 29, 2009 wherein he states that this revolver has belonged to his family since Mr. Thord Hallstrom-Gray (Ivor Thord-Gray) received it during the Mexican Civil War 1913-14, when he fought under Pancho Villa''s command. My maternal grandfather, Brig. Arne Hallstrom, received it as a gift from Thord (his father''s brother), and Mr. Preusler inherited it from his grandfather. Additionally included is a letter dated Aug. 2009 from Claes Andersson, Arms & Armour Department, Stockholm Auction house, wherein he states that he could confirm that he first saw the revolver in 2001 and that the Stockholm Auction house had sold at least seven items from the Ivor Thord-Gray Collection which came from other parts of the Hallstrom Family. He states that he confirms Mr. Preusler''s statement in the above letter. Additionally accompanied by Mr. Thord-Gray''s book Gringo Rebel published 1960, a first edition with original dust cover. Also accompanied by 2 books in Swedish Ivor Thord Gray, Soldat Under 13 Fanor (English translation: Soldier under 13 Banners) and Mannen Som Hittade Tarzan (English translation: The Man Who Found Tarzan).
Consignor states that he obtained this revolver from the family of Ivor Thord-Gray who was a Swedish-born U.S. citizen and soldier of fortune who fought in thirteen wars on four continents from 1897 thru WWI and the Russian Revolution. He was a linguist and scholar and an author. He also authored an 1,100 page dictionary of English to the native tongue of the Tarahumara Indians. Mr. Thord-Gray, spent his military service in various countries, but the one we are most concerned with here is his time spent fighting in the Mexican Revolution, 1913-1914 which he memorialized in his book Gringo Rebel: Mexico 1913-1914, a copy of which accompanies this lot. Mr. Thord-Gray earned many honors during his military career along with honors for scholarship including membership in the Royal Academy of Sciences of Uppsala and a degree of Doctor of Philosophy from the same university for his work in linguistics. He became a trustee of the American Classical League, 1930; a member of the Royal Geographic Society; The Geological Society of London and the Archeological Institute of America.
Mr. Thord-Gray inadvertently was the impetus for Edgar Rice Burroughs'' fictional character, Tarzan of the Apes. Apparently in the early 1930''s Mr. Thord-Gray wrote a letter from Stockholm to the President of the Adventurer''s Club of New York relating an incident that occurred while he was on patrol with a mounted police unit in South Africa. He heard the story of a child who had been kidnapped by a band of baboons who frightened the servant/babysitter into running back to the parents who came immediately but could find no trace of the young boy. Although the parents searched diligently they were never able to locate the child. About ten years later Mr. Thord-Gray was in the area of the Drakensberg Mountains when his group of surveyors inadvertently trapped a band of baboons in a box canyon. One of the baboons was blond and very agile and took off up the mountainside with the others. About half way up the cliff he lost his footing and fell to his death. This was apparently the child that had been stolen by the baboons. Eventually Mr. Burroughs somehow heard the story and created his fictional character on that basis.
Mr. Thord-Gray states in his book and apparently in notes left with the above mentioned Brig. Arne Hallstrom that he obtained this beautiful revolver when he was fighting in the Mexican Revolution, probably in 1914 under Gen. Blanco and Carranza. When the situation among the Revolutionaries, for whom Thord-Gray was fighting, came to a standstill with in-fighting among the various groups, Mr. Thord-Gray suggested that Carranza & Blanco send an emissary to Emiliano Zapata to try to patch things up. At first they said it would be impossible but when Mr. Thord-Gray volunteered to lead with a squadron of 100 mounted Yaqui Indian warriors as an escort, they agreed to the plan. He states as he was preparing to leave Gen. Blanco "handed me a very handsome 44 Colt revolver, exquisitely chased with gold inlay" and asked him to give it to Zapata with 200-rds of ammunition as a token of friendship. After a perilous journey over 13,000 foot mountains and skirmishes with various other revolutionaries he reached what he thought was Zapata''s camp. When he became nearly trapped he sent a scout ahead to contact Zapata who was able to meet a Col. Morales who Mr. Thord-Gray had met previously in Mexico City. Initially he and his men were disarmed and taken into custody but when he was informed of the purpose of the "mission" he left right away to try to find Zapata. Before Col. Morales left Mr. Thord-Gray gave him the gun & ammunition that he had brought as a gift to Zapata. Late the next day Col. Morales returned with the news that he had been unable to contact Zapata and returned the revolver to Mr. Thord-Gray. And, as the saying goes, the rest is history. Apparently Mr. Thord-Gray kept the revolver for himself as is evidenced by the letters from his descendants, although there is some conflicting information in Mr. Thord-Gray''s book. CONDITION: Fair to good, all matching except grip which is unnumbered. Bbl lug SN has been re-stamped. Overall shows heavy wear with most of the engraving still visible, sharp in some places. One of the frame stock screws is a replacement and wedge screw is missing. Cyl spindle is a little loose in frame. Grip is sound with age lines, showing heavy wear and retains a cleaned ivory patina. Mechanics are a little stiff, the hand having been replaced (the orig accompanies), otherwise mechanics are fine, worn dark bore. Book is very fine with slightly worn dust cover. Case has a crack in the lid, otherwise it is extremely fine with light handling and storage nicks and scratches and retains 96-98% orig varnish. Interior is lightly faded with light soil. Mold retains about 75% orig blue. Flask, a replacement, has a couple of small dents with replaced spring and slightly damaged spout. Flask slot in the case is for a Dixon style bag-shaped flask. Other accessories are fine. 49254-15 JR378 (25,000-35,000)