October 25, 2023 The Paul Friedrich Collection of Firearms & Gold Rush
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/25/2023
A very historical and desirable cased, engraved, and inscribed 1851 Colt Navy revolver with California provenance. This gun is inscribed on the backstrap "MAJOR JAS. F. CURTIS / 2ND INFANTRY C. V. FROM HIS SAN FRANSISCO FRIENDS / OCT. 17, 1861". James F. Curtis was a chief in the San Francisco Vigilance Committee and, on November 4th, 1856, he was elected the first chief of police of San Francisco, California. Then, on September 2nd, 1861, he was commissioned into the California 2nd Infantry and then later promoted to Lt. Col. on June 25th, 1863, into the 4th Infantry. The 2nd and 4th Infantry fought Indians extensively in California, Oregon, Washington, and Arizona. Lt. Col. Curtis was promoted to Brig. General on March 13th, 1865, for merit. Finely engraved by Gustave Young or in his style. The foliate and scroll engraving with a punch dot background is finely executed. It has the typical Gustave Young wolf's heads on each side of the hammer, with a dog's head on the left side above the ramrod screw. Single line address on the top flat of the barrel "ADDRESS SAML. COLT HARTFORD CT." The Colt's patent mark is in the center of the frame on the left side. The markings are crisp. 1-piece factory ivory grips. This gun comes in an original period wood case with velveteen-lined interior. In the case are the following accouterments: Navy flask, .36 caliber Colt bullet mold, unopened bullet pack, nipple wrench, cap tin, extra mainspring, and the key to the case. CONDITION: This gun retains some of the factory-applied blue finish. Most of the remaining blue finish is in the protected areas and the lower part of the barrel. There is some case color remaining on the back of the hammer and on the loading lever. The trigger guard and the back strap have the majority of the original silver plate finish. The grips have a couple of minute chips at the toe of the grips and a crack on the left grip. They show age and some wear. Good bore with some small spots of frosting in the lands and grooves. The case shows some repairs to the inside. The flask, bullet mold, and nipple wrench all show some use. A very desirable Western shipped gun with lots of history.
Item Dimensions: 15 x 7 x 3"
Accessories
Case, accessories
Caliber/Bore
.36 Percussion
Paperwork
Previous Auction Information, Book Excerpt