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LOT 3152
Historic, Cased, Deluxe Factory Engraved Colt Model 1849 Pocket Percussion Revolver
Attributed as a Thank You Gift from U.S. Senator Jesse D. Bright - Serial no. 65765, 31 cal., 6 inch octagon bbl., blue/casehardened finish, deluxe factory walnut grips. This extraordinary revolver was manufactured in 1853 and has
classic factory scroll engraving with beaded backgrounds, the Colt deluxe high polish blue finish on the barrel and cylinder, casehardened finish on the loading lever, frame, and hammer; silver-plating on
the brass trigger guard and back strap, and a factory deluxe, highly figured walnut grip with a high gloss piano finish. The frame and back strap are stamped with
the small punch-mark or dot below the serial number that was utilized by Colt between 1849-1861 to designate revolvers selected for special finish and handling. The barrel lug and adjacent barrel flats, loading lever flats, frame, hammer, trigger guard and back strap are decorated with exquisite Germanic scrollwork on a punch-dot background. The revolver features a distinctive wolf’s head among the scroll work on the left side of the barrel lug in addition to the wolf’s head motif
on the hammer. The hammer spur is stamped with seven small dots; such dots are often said to have been applied to indicate special engraving or the number of days spent on the work. The engraving extends to the screwheads and the ends of the wedge. The engraving was clearly executed by one of the German
immigrant engravers working for Colt in the 1850s, likely by John Marr or Gustave Young. The former encouraged Young to settle in Hartford in the
latter half of 1853. A small “2” is stamped on the cylinder behind the serial number and on the barrel lug above the serial number; the precise meaning of these markings is not documented, but some experts believe this additional number may have been used by Colt to denote special finish on the blued components. The top of the barrel has the presentation “SAM’L COLT” inscription in Old English lettering surrounded by flourishes rather than the standard barrel
address. “COLTS/PATENT” is hand engraved in two lines on the left side of the frame in a scroll-work panel. The five-shot cylinder is roll-stamped with the stagecoach hold-up scene and is stamped with the full serial number “65765”. The full serial number is also stamped on the barrel lug, frame, trigger guard and back strap. The loading lever is stamped with the partial serial number “5765”. All of the visible serial numbers match. The revolver is factory-fitted with a Colt American style case and accessories. The mahogany case is lined with royal blue velvet and has five compartments. The case contains: a brass Model 1849 ball/bullet mold stamped “COLT’S/PATENT” in two lines across both blocks on the top face; a powder flask with embossed stars, eagle and shield, and crossed pistols with “COLTS/PATENT” above the stars and a lacquered finish on the body; a japanned W. & C. Eley cap tin, and an L-shaped nipple/wrench screwdriver for the Model 1849.
The cased set is accompanied by a calling card reading “Mr Peters/Accept this Box & Contents as a token of Remembrance” and “Your friend, J.D. Bright”. The family history of the revolver passed down by Bright’s descendants states: “Senator Jesse D. Bright was riding horseback from the Boston area to Washington, D.C. in haste. An important vote in the Senate was looming and Bright’s attendance was vital. In front of Mr. Peters’ farm, Senator Bright, sick with a high fever, fell from his horse. Mr. Peters carried the Senator to his farmhouse. Two weeks passed as Mr. Peters nursed Senator Bright back to health. Senator Bright purchased the pistol and gifted it to Mr. Peters as a token of his appreciation...About sixty years later, two of the late Senator Bright’s granddaughters were driving a car from Boston
to Washington, D.C. The roads were in poor condition. The granddaughters, Margaret and Marian Bright, were lost. They stopped their car at the Peters’ farm
to ask directions. Two older women lived on the farm. They were the daughters of the late Mr. Peters. The two Ms. Peters invited the Bright granddaughters into the farmhouse to have supper. The dinner was fortuitous, as the Peters women showed the Bright girls their prized possession: the Jesse D. Bright Pistol. The connection was made. They became immediate friends. When the last of the Peters daughters passed away, the Jesse D. Bright pistol was bequeathed to Margaret and Marion Bright.” When Margaret and Marian Bright died from injuries sustained in a car accident in Providence, Rhode Island, the revolver was passed on to their remaining sister, Georgia Bright McLaughlin (1892-1971). She in turn passed it on to her son
Robert Bright McLaughlin (1912-2000) in 1963, and, in 1984, the revolver was given to his son John Robert McLaughlin from whom it was purchased by the current owner.
Jesse David Bright (1812-1875) of Indiana and Kentucky was a lawyer and a major force in American politics in the mid-19th century and held several political offices, including the Indiana state senate in 1841-1843, lieutenant governor of Indiana in 1843-1845, and senator from Indiana in 1845-1862, including as president pro tempore of the U.S. Senate in the 1850s and in June of 1860. He was acting vice president and first in line for the presidency following the death of Vice President William
R. King. As the leader of the Democrats in Indiana, he was a force to be reckoned with and was a key supporter of James Buchanan’s candidacy instead of Stephen Douglas and was offered the position of Secretary of State when Buchanan was elected president but declined. He owned twenty-one slaves at his farm in Gallatin County, Kentucky, and was opposed to
a stronger federal government. As the Civil War loomed, he supported the Crittenden Compromise and continued to work against war during the secession crisis.
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