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LOT 47
Rare Documented Antique Factory Engraved and Inscribed Special Order Winchester Deluxe Model 1894 Lever Action Rifle in Desirable .38-55 W.C.F. with Factory Letter - Serial no. 13145, 38-55 WCF cal., 26 inch octagon bbl., blue finish, walnut stock. Manufactured in 1895, the second year of production, this is an exceptionally fine, documented example of a special order, factory engraved and inscribed, Winchester deluxe Model 1894 rifle. A John Moses Browning design, the Winchester Model 1894 has become of the truly iconic American firearms, with its lineage firmly rooted in the Western Frontier, its later popularity as a hunting gun, and over 7,500,000 produced, it is impossible the argue its legendary status. The collectability of all Model 1894s continues to rise, making factory embellished deluxe examples like this one a true investment-grade cornerstone in a fine American arms collection. The included factory letter with this rifle lists it
in takedown configuration, .38-55 caliber, with an octagon barrel, plain trigger, “$2.50 engraved”, “C.S.M. on side”, and with a checkered pistol grip stock when received at the warehouse on 14 May 1896 and shipped the same day in order number 10162. According to survey data pulled from the Winchester factory ledgers published in “Armax Vol. V”
which covers the first 353,999 ledger entries, we can get an excellent idea of the rarity of this rifle. The data indicates that in this range of Model 1894s, only 366 rifles were engraved and only 530 Model 1894s were inscribed, with this example exhibiting both. Beyond that, it states that one in every 10 was in takedown configuration, only one in every 34 had a checkered stock, and one in every 25 had a pistol grip. These ratios show the scarcity of the features even more when looking at more of the total production of around 7,500,000, as special order features gradually became less common and were eventually dropped as
an offering. It is unclear exactly how many Model 1894s were both factory engraved and factory inscribed, but at the time of writing only one other example sold by Rock Island Auction Company was found in our records, showing how truly scarce they are. This example shows a pattern
of engraving similar to the Winchester No. 10 style which typically shows a decorative border on the receiver along with flourishes of floral scroll, and a wildlife panel scene
on the left side. On this specific rifle, the panel scene has been replaced with the script initials “CSM” as documented in the factory letter, with the remainder of the engraving very close to the No. 10 style. There are also small flourishes of scroll engraving on the forearm cap and buttplate tang.