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LOT 3204
Historic Factory Documented Carlos Gove & Co. Colorado Territory Shipped Colt Model 1871-72 Open Top Revolver with Extremely Rare Gove Denver Marked Holster, Buckle, and Belt Rig - Serial no. 3188, 44 RF cal., 7 1/2 inch round bbl., blue/casehardened finish, walnut grips. Carlos Gove (1817-1900) is one of the most legendary gunsmiths and dealers of the American West. When the “59ers” began rushing into the Colorado Territory during the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush, he purchased supplies and headed out from Council Bluffs and soon opened a gun shop in Denver in 1862. He partnered with J.P. Lower and Gove’s son- in-law Frank Church to form C. Gove & Co. in 1872 and ran the “Denver Armory.” When Gove received the Open Top shipment in January 1874 he had a read market as many frontiersmen already had either a Henry rifle or a ‘66 Winchester in the same .44 rimfire caliber. The following year, the firm became C. Gove & Sons. In addition to Colt’s revolvers, Gove outfitted the western and great plains expansion as a dealer and customizer of Sharps rifles. The included copy of a factory letter lists this revolver a one of 50 in .44 rimfire with 7 1/2 inch barrels and blue finish shipped to C. Gove & Company in Denver, Colorado Territory, on January 10, 1874. The revolver has standard markings and features, including matching sharp serial numbers. The included holster appears to be marked” GOVE & SONS/DENVER COL” and has some light border tooling, and the matching leather cartridge belt has a “C. GOVE & CO/DENVER COL” brass belt buckle. Only a small number of these belt buckles are known, and this one is in particularly nice shape. In addition to these Open Tops being the first lettered metallic cartridge Colts shipped West
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of the Mississippi, Gove had these holster rigs and belt buckles made to accompany the Colt Open Top revolvers he was selling.