GUN FALL 2016
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/4/2016
FRESH TO MARKET, FANTASTIC, EXCEEDINGLY RARE CONSECUTIVELY NUMBERED PAIR OF EARLY THIRD GENERATION COLT FACTORY ENGRAVED SINGLE ACTION ARMY REVOLVERS IN 357 MAGNUM CALIBER WITH FACTORY EAGLE GRIPS AS PICTURED IN DON WILKERSON'S BOOK.COLT/COLTSAA/SAASA01622/SA01623357MAG/357MAGMODERN; C&RCal. 357MAG. 4-3/4" bbl. Blue and case color finish. Hard rubber eagle grips with Colt logo and American eagle motif. Spectacularly engraved in the coverage of class "C" in a scroll style. Bbls are engraved at breech end bordering the bbl address and the model and cal mark on left side. Ejector rod housing is engraved in a scroll style with a checkerboard pattern in center. Frames are flawlessly engraved on both sides of recoil shield and frame next to hammer. Top straps are engraved at forward and rear end. Frames in front of cyl are engraved. Bottom front of frames are engraved. Backstraps are engraved on apron of backstraps in a scalloped pattern, with a very nice checkerboard accent in the middle, with scroll running down the backstraps and at the heel. Butts of backstraps are nicely engraved. Bow of trigger guards are engraved. There is also engraving accent on both sides of trigger guard screws, and on rear flat of trigger guards where pattern is continued down from the frame. Cyls are engraved in a floral pattern between each flute. Both revolvers were hand engraved in a duplicate pattern as a pair, which is both very rare and difficult for a factory engraver to execute in duplicate. Bbls have 1-line bbl address on top. Model and cal marks on left sides. Frames have 2-line patent marks on left side with rampant Colt logos to rear. SNs are stamped on front flats of frames. Included with the pair is a walnut Colt case for both revolvers with purple felt-lining cartridge blocks and American partitions and two Colt Factory leatherette cases for each revolver. Colt factory letter shows shipment Feb. 9, 1979 from the Colt Factory as a "Consecutive" pair with "C" class engraving, bbl length, cal, and finish. This exact consecutive set of Factory Engraved SAA is pictured on a full page profile on Page #218 of Don Wilkerson's famed book "The Post-War Colt Single Action Revolver 1976-1986", and credited to the Willard Webb Collection. Also in Don Wilkerson's book on Pages #215 & #221, Wilkerson details how the Colt Factory Records show that of Colt Factory Engraved Revolvers only 3% were done in 357 Magnum Caliber and only 3% of all Colt Consecutive Serial Sets were done in 357 Magnum Caliber. OF NOTE: Elsewhere in this current James Julia auction, there are two (2) other equally rare and spectacular consecutive sets of Colt Factory Engraved Revolvers in Calibers 45 and 44 Special; also of note ALL THREE consecutive sets were originally shipped by the Colt Factory to exact same address and the exact same collector Mr. William Winkelman of Merrill, Wisconsin approximately 35 years ago; ALL THREE consecutive sets are also consigned to this auction from the same Texas collector. This is a chance to own three consecutive sets of Colt Factory Engraved revolvers in three different calibers: 357 Magnum, 45 Caliber, and 44 Special. PROVENANCE: The William Winkelman Collection, The Willard Webb collection, The George Gill collection, The Vince Sepulveda Collection, The Book Post-War Colt Single Action Army by Don Wilkerson page # 218, and a Colt Factory Archive Letter. CONDITION: New. Un-fired. SN SA01623 has extremely faint striation on bbl. In line with ejector rod head movement. 50872-7 TEP (9,500-18,500)