GUN SPRING 2016
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/14/2016
RARE CASED ENGRAVED COLT 2ND MODEL NEW LINE SPUR TRIGGER REVOLVER. COLT NEW LINE 10934 38 CF Cal. 38 CF. Nickel finish with gold-washed cyl and rare 4" rnd bbl, half-moon front sight and 2-line Hartford address. Bottom of bbl at the muzzle has the 1874 patent date and SN. Left side of bottom strap is marked "38 Cal" and "C". Cyl has long flutes with 5-chambers and locking notches on the rear face. Right recoil shield has a thumbnail loading gate. The bird head grip is mounted with 2-pc smooth pearl grips that are matching numbered to this pistol. Left side of grip frame, under the grip is marked with the SN a "P" & an "E" which presumable indicates pearl grips and engraving. Revolver is very nicely engraved in the style of Eugene Young with flowing, intertwined foliate arabesque patterns, which have fine pearled background. Left sideplate is engraved in a beautiful flower blossom. Accompanied by an orig burgundy leather coffin-lid, burgundy velvet lined, orig Colt casing that is contour fitted in the bottom for the revolver with an all metal cleaning rod in the rear edge. Left front of the case has a form fitted cartridge block containing 50 very early Cal. 38 cartridges without head stamps. Front of the case has a simple latch in the center, missing its top receptacle and swinging latches at each end. Bottom also has beveled edges with paper covering. Only about 550,000 of these revolvers were produced 1874 to 1880 in both rim fire and center fire calibers. According to The Book of Colt Firearms, Wilson, these revolvers with 4" bbl are the least common of the New Line, few of which were engraved and extremely few were cased. These revolvers were very popular with ladies as muff pistols or gentlemen as pocket pistols and usually saw hard service, often with little maintenance and are rarely found today with high orig finish. PROVENANCE: The Dr. Robert G. Cox Estate Collection. CONDITION: Very fine, all matching. Overall retains about 96-98% strong orig nickel on the bbl and frame. There are number of small dings on the bottom of the bbl from some clumsy oaf hammering on the cyl pin. Front sight also has a small ding. Hammer & trigger retain most of their orig fire blue and cyl almost all of its light gold-wash. Mechanics are fine. Bright shiny bore with some light roughness. Grips are sound showing great fire and color. Case is sound showing moderate to heavy corner wear with nicks & chips in the leather and overall retains about 80% orig burgundy finish. Interior is moderately faded with two spots of chemical staining inside the lid and two spots of heavy chemical staining and lining deterioration at the muzzle and cyl areas of the revolver recess. Cleaning rod is slightly damaged but intact; cartridges are fine. 50018-241 JR38 (4,000-6,000)