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After Dr. Milhau’s death, Greg Lampe indicates the revolver was inherited by the doctor’s only child, his
now orphaned son Louis John de Grenon Milhau (1884-1967) who was only seven years old. He was also
survived by his elderly mother and his brother who continued to run the family drug business at 183
Broadway. Lampe writes, “I believe that it was kept in a bank safety deposit box for most of the time after
the death of his father. Louis spent most of his youth in a boarding school, then college, and then various
travels around the U.S. and overseas, then World War I. This would explain the exceptional condition of
the set and the reason that the one area on the cylinder flaked from sitting in the case for decades.” He
indicates the cased set was purchased by Raymond Petry in early 1979 from an unknown source and was
later owned by Harry Durand and Vincent Caponi Sr. “who owned it for several years and considered it the
cornerstone of his vast collection” before it was purchased by Lampe in 2004 after Caponi’s death.
CONDITION: Excellent with 90% plus original blue finish on the barrel and cylinder, 60% original blue
finish on the back strap with the rear mainly a smooth gray patina from contact with the case and a crisp
factory presentation inscription, 98% plus of the original age darkened silver plating on the trigger guard,
and 98% plus original vibrant case colors on the loading lever, hammer, and frame. The revolver generally
only exhibits very minor wear associated with age, storage, and light handling such as the patches of
flaked blue. The grip is in the same extremely fine condition and retains 98% of the original high gloss
“piano” varnish finish and has only some minor handling and storage marks. Mechanically excellent. The
case is exceptionally fine and has minor storage wear on the exterior and some fading and contact wear
on the interior. The accessories are in excellent condition with nearly all of their original finish remaining.
This revolver was the cornerstone of Vincent Caponi Sr.’s collection and a key component of Greg Lampe’s
extraordinary collection of high end American firearms for good reason: it is an absolutely spectacular
set with extremely high condition and extraordinary history. Any Colt Model 1860 Army revolver in this
condition would already be a valuable addition to any advanced collection. With a factory presentation
case, high condition accessories, and a factory presentation inscription from Colt Vice President Richard
H.W. Jarvis to Dr. John J. Milhau in 1862 while he was overseeing the care of Union veterans who had
placed themselves in harms way to protect the nation’s capital and the Union as a whole, this set must
certainly be regarded as among the most significant Colt artifacts.
Provenance: Dr. John J. Milhau from Colt Vice President Richard H.W. Jarvis; The Milhau Family;
The Raymond Petry Collection; The Harry Durand Collection; The Vincent Caponi Sr. Collection;
The Greg Lampe Collection.
Estimate: 120,000 - 200,000