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LOT 1083
Exceptional Well-Documented Cased Cuno Helfricht Factory Engraved Colt Third Model Derringer - Serial no. 5047, 41 RF cal., 2 1/2 inch round bbl., nickel finish, horn grips. Manufactured from 1875 to 1912, this is an exquisite example of a Colt Third Model Derringer which has been identified as being factory engraved by Cuno A. Helfricht. The derringer is pictured and described in R.L Wilson’s book “Colt Engraving” on page
269 and page 55 of “The Deringer in America, Volume 2, The Cartridge Period” by L.D. Eberhart and R.L. Wilson. Wilson further identified the pistol and case as being the “property of a British peer,” or nobleman, which is likely based on the fact that the included case has an embossed crest on the lid. This crest is that of a coronet and gothic letter “P.” Cuno Helfricht spent his nearly 50 year career exclusively with the Colt firm (1871-1921). During his tenure with Colt, Helfricht saw the transition from percussion to cartridge firearms and a rapidly growing market for engraved firearms. At the height of the firearm engraving fad, Helfricht oversaw a shop of six engravers. By the turn of the century, experts believe that Helfricht did most of the work himself
with the help from one to two assistants. Helfricht’s successor’s included famed Colt engravers Wilbur Glahn and William Gough. This Third Model derringer is the high hammer variation. The top of the barrel has the large italicized “-COLT-” marking.
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