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LOT 3185
Documented Factory “Soft” Shipped Hartley & Graham Engraved Colt Black Powder Single Action Army Revolver with Factory Letter - Serial no.
110176, 45 Long Colt cal., 4 3/4 inch round bbl., nickel finish, antique ivory grips. The accompanying factory letter lists this revolver as one of 20 guns of this type in a shipment
to Hartley & Graham in New York City on April 12, 1884 in .45 caliber with 4 3/4 inch barrel, “Soft” finish, and
rubber stock. The remarks state, “The word ‘soft’ which appears with the finish indicates the frame and gate were not casehardened when this arm was shipped from the factory and the parts were left in a soft condition for engraving outside our factory.” The revolver has classic L.D. Nimschke style New York engraving consisting of scroll patterns with beaded backgrounds and “Nimschke stars.” Cuno
Helfricht and the factory engravers of the period also used similar patterns. The revolver is finished with nickel plating and fitted with checkered grips. This SAA would have certainly made for a stylish sidearm for the Easterner heading west to fulfill cowboy aspirations. By the 1880s, promises of cheap land and prosperity lured many East Coast natives to migrate westward, made easier by the transcontinental railroad. The barrel has a
blade front sight and the two-line address. The frame has the three-line patent marking. The trigger guard is marked “45 CAL” on the left side of the bow. The matching serial number is marked on the frame, trigger guard, and back strap. CONDITION: Very good displaying a classic appearance of a well-travel sidearm while retaining 30% of the period Hartley & Graham applied nickel finish in and around the sheltered areas. The engraving is crisp on the right side of the revolver, otherwise is worn but well-defined overall. The grips show similar working gun character with wear associated with spending a lifetime in the hand. Mechanically excellent. A well used but well maintained weapon befitting of a sidearm carried by flamboyant Easterner or settler heading West. Estimate: 9,500 - 13,000
LOT 3186
Very Desirable F.A. Meanea Cheyenne and “UP” Marked Colt Single Action Army Holster and Cartridge Belt Rig - This is a Cheyenne gun rig by perhaps the best of the West’s master saddlers: Frank A. Meanea, who was the successor to Gallatin & Co. established in 1867. As with many holster makers, his main business was making horse tack. The business in Cheyenne, Wyoming was started by his uncle and was taken over by Meanea in 1880. Before the Union Pacific constructed its new Cheyenne depot in 1887, it had repair shops, a round house, a hotel, and a frame depot. It’s been said that Meanea repaired harnesses for the Union Pacific. Among his numerous customers were Charles
M. Russell and Buffalo Bill Cody. The rig is made from brown skirting
leather. The belt has an elongated oval “F.A. MEANEA/CHEYENNE, WYO”
maker’s mark billet, and the same maker’s mark is visible on the outside
surface of the holster. The holster has some light border tooling and
features a sewn-in “tear drop” shaped plug at the toe. The holster will fit
a Colt Single Action Army Revolver with a 4 3/4 inch barrel, and the belt
has a single row of cartridge loops. The initials “UP” are branded on both
the outside surface of the holster and the belt, partially covering the maker’s mark on the belt.
CONDITION: Fine, showing the attractively aged look of a Western Frontier used holster rig with some scattered mild wear and the stitching remaining mostly tight. This “UP” branded matched rig would make an incredible accessory for a Colt Single Action Army revolver in your collection!
116 Estimate: 7,000 - 11,000