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The accompanying factory letter states the revolver was shipped to Praeger Hardware Co. of San Antonio, Texas, on July 25, 1916 as the solo gun in the shipment. Few firearms are more deeply associated with the American West than the Colt Single Action Army and perhaps no other state personifies the image of the Wild West more the Texas! The factory letter lists the
5 1⁄2 inch barrel in .45 caliber, nickel finish and factory engraving with type of stocks not listed. The revolver is decorated in
a classic Wild West style scroll and border work. The beautiful coverage displays scroll patterns on a punch dot background along with fan patterns on the recoil shield, loading gate and top of back strap, zig-zag line geometric patterns on the cylinder, trigger guard, back strap, and butt, and zig-zag line/snake patterns on the ejector rod housing and top strap. The barrel carries the one-line Hartford address on top and “45 COLT” in a banner on the left side amongst the scrollwork. The
left side of the frame has the two-line, three patent dates marking inside a banner followed by a Rampant Colt. The pearl grips feature a wonderful deep relief carved steer head with ruby eyes on the right panel. The period grips are high quality, and likely introduced to the revolver by the San Antonio hardware store where it was originally shipped to. Period steer head carved grips are highly sought after and are especially rare in pearl. Matching assembly number “389” appears on the loading gate and back of the frame. Matching full serial numbers are on the frame, trigger guard, and back strap, while the rear cylinder face has the matching partial serial number “2217.”
The provenance of this remarkable work of firearms artistry is retold in an included letter by a previous owner, Tony Smith. Mr. Smith acquired the gun in 1980 from Lloyd Talley. At the time of the purchase Talley lived in Fort Smith, Arkansas, but when Talley acquired the gun during the Great Depression, circa 1933 he was working as a pharmacist in Texas. According to Smith, “This particular gun was brought into the drug store and given as payment on a bill owed there. The drug store got a punch board and put the gun up as the prize. Mr. Talley was the winner of the gun. He stated to me that he never fired the gun since he acquired it. The punches on the punch board were .25 cents.”