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LOT 121
Extremely Rare and Historic Documented Serial Number 1 Colt Burgess Model Lever Action Saddle Ring Carbine with Factory Letter - Serial no. 1, 44-40 cal., 20 inch round bbl., blue finish, walnut stock. This significant Colt Burgess carbine from the beginning of production in 1883 has the historic serial number “1” clearly stamped on the lower tang. In addition to being serial number one, this carbine has some particularly rare features: the encircled Rampant Colt trademark on the frame and the unmarked lever. Most of production had the trademark without the border and had the patent marking on the lever. The carbine features a block style blade front sight behind the upper barrel band,
a notch and folding ladder rear sight, “COLT’S PT. F. A. MFG. CO. HARTFORD. CT. U.S.A./+PAT. JAN. 7. 73. OCT.
19. 75. APR. 1. 78. 80. DEC. 13. 81. JAN. 3. 82.+” marked
on the barrel between the rear barrel band and rear sight, the encircled Rampant Colt trademark on the left side of the frame followed by a saddle ring, unmarked lever, smooth carbine forearm and buttstock, and steel carbine buttplate with a brass door for the cleaning rod compartment (empty). Maxwell in “The Colt-Burgess Magazine Rifle” on page 41 shows the left side of the frame of serial number 16 and states: “The very rare encircled Rampant Colt found only on very early rifles. Only S/N 7 and 16 have been verified by the author.” He also shows that serial number 7 also lacked the lever marking, but serial number 16 had it “indicating the
few without it are in the first dozen or so made,” so the unmarked lever appears to be an ever rarer feature. In addition, out of 6,403 Colt Burgess rifles and carbines manufactured, only 1,621 were standard carbines, and, of those, only around 21 had the early style cartridge carrier. Clearly, any way you cut it, serial number 1 is a very rare and desirable Colt Burgess!
Andrew Burgess
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