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Presented to
Pat Garrett The Killer of Billy the Kid
LOT 89
Historic Well-Documented “Soft Shipped,” New York Engraved, Gold Washed, and Presentation Inscribed Colt Model 1877 Thunderer Double Action Revolver with Solid German Silver Grips Presented to Legendary Western Lawman Pat Garrett, Killer of “Billy The Kid”, by His El Paso Friends - Serial no. 138671, 41 Long Colt cal., 4 1/2 inch round bbl., gold finish, inscribed German silver grips. This historic Colt Model 1877 Thunderer Revolver was presented to legendary lawman Patrick F. Garrett c. 1902 “from his El Paso friends” after he was appointed United States Collector of Customs by President Theodore Roosevelt. By that period, Pat Garrett had made a name for himself as a lawman in the American West and had become a living legend for tracking down and killing the notorious outlaw Bill the Kid in the summer of 1881. See the description for the historic gold badge presented to Garrett by A.J. Fountain in 1881 in Lot 90 for more details on the death of Billy the Kid, and
also see the lots featuring documents signed
by or directly relating to Garrett, including a photograph in Lot 91 of Garrett in El Paso in 1902. Like many well-known gunfighters, his fame came
with a heavy price as there were plenty of men who wanted him dead. Ultimately, Garrett both lived and died by the gun and was killed in the desert on February 29, 1908.
This historic revolver is engraved in classic American scroll engraving with beaded backgrounds and wavy line and dot accents and features a gold plated/washed finish overall. The
4 1⁄2 inch rounded barrel is stamped with the two- line address “COLTS PT F.A. MFG. Co/HARTFORD, CT. U.S.A.” on top and “COLT. D.A. 41” on the left side in an oval panel. The matching serial number “138671” is marked on the frame, trigger guard and back strap. The three-line, three patent dates marking is on the left side of the frame. The back strap is inscribed: “PAT F. GARRETT” followed by “FROM HIS/EL PASO FRIENDS”. The unusual solid German silver grips are inscribed “CUSTOMS/ COLLECTOR” on the right and “Lincoln”, “Dona Ana”, and “El Paso” with scroll accents on the left. The fine balance of weight and proportion of the revolver is readily apparent as it must have been to Pat Garrett when he first held it over 120 years ago. He may have recalled that it was a Colt Model 1877 Lightning that had been used by his former foe, Billy the Kid two decades earlier.
Pictured & Described in the book Firearms of the American West by Worman
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