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According to "The Book of Colt Firearms" by Wilson, fewer than 12 Colt Bisley Sheriff's Model Single Action Revolvers were manufactured.
Zimmer was a member of the Republican Party, served three terms as county commissioner, one term as justice of the peace, and five years
as the mayor of Pecos. He worked in the blacksmithing trade before opening his hardware store in 1909. In 1924, he opened a car dealership selling Chevrolets and Buicks. The prosperous Wyeth Hardware & Mfg. Co. provided its customers with the best in sporting goods and automobile supplies and even manufactured a line of saddlery goods.
Several decades later the revolver found a home in the famed Dr. Robert G. Cox collection. A prominent Colt collector and Texan, Cox (1922-
1988) amassed a far-reaching collection of Colt New Lines. His extensive knowledge on New Lines assisted Robert Q. Sutherland and R.L. Wilson
in writing the chapter Colt New Line and House Pistols to their seminal work “The Book of Colt Firearms.” According to accompanying letters, Cox purchased the revolver from Ernest Head of St. Angelo, Texas, in 1975. In one of the letters Head stated the revolver had been in the family since 1913 when his father, who worked for the Robertson Paint Co. in St. Angelo, purchased it from a painter. This Colt did in fact make its way to Texas. Few firearms are more deeply associated with the American West than the Colt Single Action Army and perhaps no other state personifies the image of the Wild West more than Texas. In 1975, Cox paid $500.00 for the Colt. Consignor research is included.
The revolver has the distinctive Bisley Model features which include higher frame, humpback grip and back strap, curved hammer with
wide knurled spur, wide trigger and two-piece black hard rubber checkered humpback grips. The barrel, cylinder, trigger guard and
back strap are blued and the frame, loading gate and hammer are color casehardened. The Rampant Colt medallion is
embossed in an oval at the top of the grips. The ejectorless 4 inch barrel has the two-line Hartford address marked on
top and “(BISLEY MODEL) 45 COLT” marked on the left side. The left side of the frame has the two-line patent
dates marking followed by an encircled Rampant Colt. Matching serial numbers are located on the frame,
trigger guard, and back strap, and the matching partial serial number “73” appears on the back of both grip panels. The loading gate has the
assembly number “7012.”
CONDITION: Very fine. The barrel retains 60%
original blue finish, the cylinder retains 70% original blue finish and the grip straps retain
60% original blue finish with thinning to brown on the balance along with holster wear.
The frame and hammer retain 50% original case colors. The grips are also very fine with a couple patches of wear in the checkering.
Mechanically excellent. Here is your chance to acquire a rare crown jewel of Colt SAA
collecting with strong pedigree! Even the finest and most advanced Colt collections
are missing a Sheriff’s Model Bisley!
Provenance: The Ernest Head Family; The Dr. Robert G. Cox Collection;
The George S. Lewis Jr. Collection.
Estimate: 40,000 - 60,000
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