Page 221 - 4091-BOOK1

Spectacular Cased Early Factory Engraved Colt Model 1851 Navy Percussion Revolver Passed Down Through the Family of Prominent Southern Episcopal Priest Francis L. Hawks and Captain Francis T. Hawks of the Confederate Engineer Corps
LOT 218
Historic Cased Early Production Factory Engraved Colt Model 1851 Navy Percussion Revolver Passed Down Through the Family of Prominent Southern Episcopal Priest Francis L. Hawks and Captain Francis T. Hawks of the Confederate Engineer Corps - Serial no. 12149, 36 cal., 7 1/2 inch octagon bbl., blue/casehardened/silver finish, walnut grips. This incredibly high condition early factory engraved Colt Model 1851 Navy revolver was manufactured in 1852 and features beautiful early Hartford engraving. Finding these early factory engraved revolvers in high condition is extremely difficult, and few of them have known history. The engraving consists of very circular scroll patterns with some feather-like detailing on the rear third of the barrel, flats of the loading lever arm, essentially all of the frame, most of the hammer along with a bestial mask, and on the trigger guard and back strap along with wavy line borders and some areas of light crosshatching. The “COLT’S/ PATENT” marking is engraved on the left side of the frame in a banner formed by the scrolls. This early style Hartford engraving is attributed to Thomas J. Barlow who engraved for Colt c. mid- 1852 to early 1854 after previously working for Blunt & Syms
in New York City (see “Colt Factory Engravers of the Nineteenth Century” by Herbert G. Houze for more on Barlow and other examples). The factory “dot” marking is stamped above or below the matching serial numbers on the barrel, frame, trigger guard, and backstrap. All of the visible serial numbers match. The barrel has a brass cone front sight and the one-line “-ADDRESS SAML COLT NEW YORK CITY-” address. The cylinder has the classic Naval Battle of Campeche roll scene and patent marking. A “T” is marked horizontally on the right side below the shoulder.
The revolver comes in an exceptional presentation case with hunter green lining, an Eley Bros. cap tin, martial themed powder flask with sloped charger (original but not original to the set), brass ball/bullet mold with “COLT’S/PATENT” marked on the iron sprue cutter, a blued L-shaped combination tool, lead balls and conical bullets, and a key.
The revolver is featured in the book “Colt 1851 Navies and 1861 Navies and Conversions” by Robert Jordan on page 267. The set is accompanied by an extensive binder of research and biographical information compiled by Greg Lampe in which
he attributes the revolver as originally belonging to southern Episcopal minister, educator, and author Francis Lister Hawks and then likely given to given by him his son Francis Tomes Hawks in 1861 when the latter went off to war as a captain in the CSA Engineer Corps. This cased revolver came directly from the great-granddaughter of Captain Hawks, Katherine Vaux McCauley, to Michael Simens in 2012 and was subsequently purchased by Lampe. The documentation includes copies
of correspondence from when the revolver was purchased
from the family. They attributed the revolver as owned by the younger Hawks, but Lampe and others determined that based on the date of manufacture the revolver most likely was first owned by his father while he was an influential religious leader in New York City. Also included is “Revolutionary History of North Caroline in Three Lectures by Rev. Francis L. Hawks, D.D. LL. D., Hon. David L. Swain, LL. D., and Hon. Wm. A. Graham, LL. D.” which was compiled by William D. Cooke and published in 1853 and a copy of “Adventures of Daniel Boone” from “A Library for My Young Countrymen” written by Francis L. Hawks and published as by “the author of Uncle Philip’s Conversations.”
219