May 18, 2022 Extraordinary Firearms
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/18/2022
Hugh Harbison was born in Ireland on October 26th, 1833, and immigrated to the United States with his family in 1849. He began working for Colt in 1856, and in 1859, Harbison is listed in a Hartford city directory as a bookkeeper at Colt. Additionally, from 1859-1861, he is listed as Secretary and Treasurer of the Union Ferry Company (a firm in which Samuel Colt and E.K. Root were directors). Root is known as Samuel Colt's most valued associate and was Colt's successor as president of the Colt company from 1862-1865. The 1862-1889 Hartford city directories list Harbison as Treasurer of Colt and he continued as Secretary/Treasurer of the Union Ferry Company through 1878. From 1867-1891, Harbison was listed as Secretary of Colt. Harbison was not only all of these positions for the Colt company, as well as a key part of the company's success during the Civil War and Reconstruction Period, but was a close friend of Samuel Colt himself. After Samuel Colt's death, he was the manager of Mrs. Colt's real and personal estate but resigned that position when he retired from the Colt Company. Harbison died in 1903, and, during his time at Colt, he had 2 1851 Navy revolvers built for him, and they are offered for sale in this lot. According to the Wilson letter, these revolvers were originally made with a rare factory rosewood double case, which is no longer present. (A) 1856 vintage Colt 1851 Navy percussion revolver, serial number 50840. 7 - 1/2" octagonal barrel in .36 caliber with Colt New York barrel address, cone front sight, and hammer notch rear. Frame is marked "U.S." underneath Colt patent marking. Cylinder is roll die engraved with the typically seen cylinder scene with the May 1843 victory over the Mexican Navy by the Texas Navy. 1-piece walnut grips with "LCA" cartouche on left side and "RHKW" cartouche on right side. Nickel-plated brass trigger guard and backstrap. CONDITION: Excellent plus, with a generous amount of the original bluing remaining on barrel assembly with scattered minor age-related handling marks throughout and wear forming on high edges. Cylinder scene is crisp and easily legible. Frame, rammer, and hammer retain large amounts of original color throughout. Trigger guard and backstrap retain nearly all of their nickel-plated finish. Grips are excellent, retaining most of their reapplied varnish, and are strong with no major signs of distress. Action needs attention as cylinder will not advance when hammer is pulled rearward. Bore is bright with sharp rifling and modest abrasion near muzzle from use with corrosive black powder. (B) 1856 vintage Colt 1851 Navy percussion revolver, serial number 50836. 7 - 1/2" octagonal barrel in .36 caliber with Colt New York barrel address, cone front sight, and hammer notch rear. Frame is marked "U.S." underneath Colt patent marking. Cylinder is roll die engraved with the typically seen cylinder scene with the May 1843 victory over the Mexican Navy by the Texas Navy. 1-piece walnut grips with "LCA" cartouche on left side and "RHKW" cartouche on right side. Nickel-plated brass trigger guard and backstrap. CONDITION: Excellent plus, with a generous amount of the original bluing remaining with scattered light age-related handling marks throughout. Cylinder scene is crisp and easily legible. Frame, rammer, and hammer retain bright original case colors throughout. Backstrap and trigger guard retain nearly all of their nickel-plated finish. Grips are excellent and retain most of their reapplied varnish throughout with cartouches extremely faint and are strong with no signs of major distress. Action is tight and crisp. Bore is bright with sharp rifling. Revolvers are accompanied with R. L. Wilson documentation confirming configuration as well as the personal history of Hugh Harbison, and copies of Colt company documents signed by him. Documentation comes with a blue book-like case titled "The Cased Colt Navy Revolver / Of / Hugh Harbison / Secretary / Colt's PT. F. A. MFG. CO. / Serial no. 50836 & 50840 / U.S. Marked". A high condition pair of Colt 1851 Navy revolvers made for an executive at Colt and friend to the founder himself with documentation by a known authority worthy of the finest Colt collection. TON
Barrel Length
(BOTH) 7 - 1/2"
Caliber/Bore
(BOTH) .36 Rifled
Paperwork
(BOTH) RL Wilson Letter with Case
Serial Number
(A) 50836 (B) 50840