GUN SPRING 2017
The live portion of this session begins on Tuesday, April 11, 2017.
EXTREMELY RARE FACTORY ENGRAVED COLT OFFICER'S MODEL FLAT TOP TARGET REVOLVER WITH BOX. COLT OFFICERS MODEL 20240 22LR MODERN; C&R Cal 22. Blue finish with 6" tapered rnd bbl. Adjustable Patridge target front sight and adjustable rear sight in a dovetail in the top flat of the frame. Bbl has standard for the period 2-line address on top and is marked "COLT OFFICERS/MODEL .22 LONG RIFLE" on the left side. Left side plate has the Colt trademark Rampant Colt. Trigger is checkered and all blue finish while the hammer is polished bright on the sides with blued top & rear edges. Top flat of the frame and rear of the frame are matte finish and the backstrap is checkered. Revolver is engraved by William Gough with class "B" coverage of about 60% of the revolvers surface. Engraving consists of fine arabesque scrolls with pearled background. Revolver is mounted with factory 2-pc pearl grips that have left & right Rampant Colt silver medallions and a raised carved eagle on the right side. Accompanied by a Colt factory letter which identifies this revolver in caliber 22 with 6" bbl, blue finish, pearl stocks, class "B" engraving and shipped to Loan Account,(These rare loan account guns were the Colt Exhibition guns and were shipped for display purposes to selected and important Colt Dealers to exhibit the BEST Colt had to offer.) Spaulding W. Arms, Salt Lake City, Utah on May 31, 1938 in a one gun shipment. Remarks section indicates that the revolver was returned to the factory on Feb 1, 1939 and shipped 6 additional times to businesses in Albany, NY, Indianapolis, IN, Jamestown, NY, Detroit, MI, Chicago, IL and Jenkintown, PA and was finally sold on April 5, 1940 to the Bacharach Raisin Company in Baltimore, MD. Also accompanied by an orig burgundy hinged lid cardboard box with black & white end label identifying this revolver. Additionally there are 3 black & white overlabels, 2 on the end of the lid "TARGET" and "PATRIDGE SIGHTS". The 3rd label is diagonally over the top "ENGRAVED" from which "EN" is missing. This exact revolver is pictured on page 330 of The Book of Colt Engraving, Wilson and on page 306 of Colt Pistols, Wilson & Hable wherein they state that it is "one of the most traveled of sample guns". Wilson also states that this box was shipped 6 or 7 times and shows the travel wear but protected the gun during its travels. To say that this revolver is beautiful is a gross understatement. It is exceptionally beautiful and exceedingly rare. PROVENANCE: R.E. Hable Collection, Vince Sepulveda Collection. CONDITION: Extremely fine plus, appears to be new and unfired showing no evidence whatsoever of having been fired. There is only the most faint cylinder line and a small spot or two on left side of the trigger. Grips are extremely fine, showing great fire and color. Box has worn edges and a couple of broken corners with the right end of the top partially detached, otherwise it is intact with mostly legible labels. This is the rare opportunity to own one of the most rare Colt's extant. 51546-1 JRL (35,000-45,000)