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Outstanding Well-Documented, Historic, Outstanding U.S. Henry Nettleton Inspected Colt Cavalry Model Single Action Army Revolver Part of the Only Known Pair of Cavalry Models Shipped by Springfield with John Kopec Gold Seal Letter
as Pictured on the Cover of Cavalry & Artillery Revolvers...a Continuing Study - Serial no. 48953, 45 Long Colt cal., 7 1/2 inch round bbl., blue/casehardened finish, walnut grips. This highly desirable U.S. Colt Single Action Cavalry Model revolver was manufactured in 1878. This revolver is one of 3,000 Colt Single Action revolvers inspected by Ordnance Sub-Inspector Henry Nettleton and Ordnance Inspector Captain John E. Greer and has been well-documented over the years. Colt Single Action revolvers that bear the “HN” sub-inspection mark of Henry Nettleton are some of the most collectible of all U.S. contract
Single Action revolvers.
This high condition example is well deserving of the finest private
or public collection and is known by countless members of the
Colt collector fraternity as it was made famous by being on the
front dust cover to Kopec and Fenn’s seminal work “Cavalry &
Artillery Revolver...a Continuing Story.” For the cover shot the
revolver was reunited with its shipping mate no. 48132 and the
original May 6, 1922 Springfield Armory shipping ticket. These
two revolvers were shipped as a pair from the Springfield Armory
to R.B. Russell of Westfield, New Jersey. The authors eloquently placed the cover shot
in its historical context: “Their surviving condition, together with this original sales receipt, makes the reunion of this pair of U.S. Cavalry revolvers a unique event in the annuals of Colt collecting” (front piece). No. 48953 is also pictured and identified on pages 60-61 where the story of the historic reunion is retold: “As a direct result of and subsequent to the publication of A Study... in 1976, an inquiry was received from Mr. Frank J. LoGioco regarding his Henry Nettleton revolver #48132. Mr. LoGioco then informed the writer of his beautiful revolver for which he had the original bill of sale. This revolver remains in new condition, and was sold by the Springfield Armory on May 6, 1922 with another like revolver, #48953, to a Mr. R.B. Russell of Westfield, New Jersey. A brief check with our survey immediately came up with the owner of the other revolver #48953. The two owners then were put in contact with each other, and, needless to
say, there followed several years of intense negotiation. Later, revolver #48953 was
sold and now resides in California, but as of this writing the two revolvers still remain under separate ownership. This unique pair of Nettleton revolvers are, to the writer’s knowledge, the only known documented Henry Nettleton revolvers with their original bill of sale from the Springfield Armory. They were purchased from Col. T.L. Ames of the Ordnance Department” (page 60). A copy of the aforementioned Springfield Armory bill of sale is included as well as a record of ownership from previous owner Bob Eder who stated he was contacted by Kopec about the 1922 shipping record. Coming in at an astonishing $5.50 each, Springfield sold the pair for a grand total of $11.00. How things have changed! The inclusion of a Springfield sales receipt indicates that surviving high condition Cavalries did not all originate from militia holdings but could be found in federal government stock piles.
In 2020 John Kopec was fortunate to receive a second encounter with no. 48953 and recorded his observations in the accompanying gold seal letter of authentication. No. 48953 is in stunning condition. As Kopec explained, “Without doubt, this revolver’s
"Without doubt, this revolver's condition places it
today in the upper 1% of surviving U.S. Cavalry
revolvers and it truly deserves a prominent position
in today's finest Colt collection."
- author John Kopec, from the included
Kopec Gold Seal Letter.
condition places it today in the upper 1% of surviving U.S. Cavalry revolvers and it truly deserves a prominent position in today’s finest Colt collection.” He detail the condition as the following: “During our examination of this remarkable revolver we have noted the distinct ‘feathering’ markings found on either side of the front sight and at the barrel’s ejector stud area. The ‘candy-striping’ patterns remain strong along the length of the entire backstrap and gripstrap. All original markings remain as applied during the 1878 and the ‘swelling’ adjacent to the letters ‘U.S.’ on the frame also begin observable. The grip markings remain outstanding with strong deeply pressed inspector’s cartouches. This revolver’s case-colors remain vivid, with the hammer displaying full case-coloring. The factory applied ‘military blue’ finish remains in remarkable condition.” It was Kopec’s opinion that the revolver as never issued. The letter also documents the recorded
1922 shipping of nos. 48953 and 48132. Kopec further noted, “Because of there being
a quantity of existing Henry Nettleton sub-inspected revolvers remaining in excellent or near-new condition in collections today, it is our opinion that these revolvers had remained in unissued or brand-new condition at the Springfield Armory until they were released as surplus upon the open market. We believe that at least two (possibly more) packing crates (each crate held 50 revolvers) of these revolvers were discovered at the Armory during the 1920s.”
The included factory letter indicates the revolver was shipped to the U.S. Government Inspector at the Colt factory on July 30, 1878. This was a 100 gun shipment. The top
of the barrel is roll-stamped with “COLT’S PT. F. A. MFG. Co HARTFORD CT. U.S.A.” The underside of the barrel is stamped with a “P” proof mark and the “H.N.” sub-inspection mark. The left side of the frame is roll-stamped with the Colt “three-date/three-line” patent markings. The patent markings are followed by the “U.S.” property mark; the property mark on this revolver is typical of Nettleton-inspected Single Action revolvers and does not have periods after the “U” and “S” and has the upset marks that indicate the property mark was stamped on a casehardened frame. Additional “HN” sub-inspector marks appear on the trigger guard, cylinder, back strap, and bottom of grip. Another “P”