GUN FALL 2017
The live portion of this session begins on Tuesday, October 31, 2017.
VERY RARE EARLY COLT 2ND MODEL SQUAREBACK 1851 NAVY PERCUSSION REVOLVER. COLT 1851 NAVY 937 36 Cal 36. Blue and color case hardened with 7-1/2" oct bbl, brass pin front sight and 1-line block letter New York City address with dashes. Left side of frame has tiny "COLT'S PATENT". Cylinder has usual 6 shots with Ormsby naval battle scene. The silver plated square back, small guard brass trigger guard and backstrap contain a 1-pc walnut grip with matching SN in the backstrap channel. Only about 3,000 of these rare revolvers were produced with the earliest SN noted by Swayze in 51 Colt Navies being 848 though first models with notched arbors still occur up to about 1250 serial range where the remainder of production to about SN 4000 are all second model configuration with slotted arbor (base pin). This gun features all the other early features including the thin profile grips, rammer screw entering from right side and small sgl inspector letter on trigger guard below SN. The very early revolvers, such as this one, are rarely ever found with any orig finish and this particular example is no doubt among the very finest. PROVENANCE: Ex-Norm Flayderman Estate Collection; Collection of Robert Roughton. CONDITION: Very fine, all matching including rammer handle, cylinder and grip other then wedge which is numbered 822. Bbl and cylinder retain 90-95% orig bright blue, with sharp edge wear with areas of staining, pinprick pitting, scattered scratches, screws retain most of their fire blue. Ormsby rolled naval battle scene is fully discernible and crisp with scattered blemishes. Rammer & handle are bright/gray and show no case color. SN is stamped width-wise on the forward portion of lever which is unique to these early 3-digit Colts. Frame and hammer retain muted case colors with the balance silver/gray. Case colors of this era were notoriously light and dull. Grip is sound, well fit with a few small nicks & retains virtually all orig varnish with very light sharp edge wear. Mechanics are fine, crisp well defined bore with scattered spots of pitting. This is truly an exceptional early 2nd model '51 Navy that would be very difficult to upgrade. 52328-3 JS11 (6,000-8,500)