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LOT 1121
Excellent Colt First Generation Single Action Army
Revolver with Factory Letter - Serial no. 302558, 38
WCF cal., 7 1/2 inch round bbl., blue/casehardened finish,
hard rubber grips. The included factory letter states the
revolver was shipped to Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett &
Co. of Chicago, Illinois, on October 31, 1907 with a 7 1/2 inch barrel in .38-40 caliber,
blue finish, and type of stocks not listed. This was a two gun shipment. .38-40 WCF
was one of those perfect cartridges for the Western frontier. As explained by Colt SAA
expert and author David Brown, “This cartridge, as used in the Colt Single Action,
made the revolver a perfect companion-piece for the Winchester .38-40 W.C.F. rifle-
-just as the .44-40 revolver was a mate for the .44-40 rifle. This bottle-neck .38-40
cartridge made one of the harder-hitting of the handgun loads, and hand-loaders
today know that it can be reloaded to near the modern Magnum pressures” (“The 36
Calibers of the Colt Single Action Army,” page 150). The barrel
has the one-line Hartford address on top and “38 W.C.F.” on
the left side. The frame has the two-line patent date marking
followed by an encircled Rampant Colt. Matching serial numbers
appear on the frame, trigger guard, back strap, and both grip
panels (faint).
CONDITION: Excellent, retaining 90% original blue finish with thinning to brown
on the balance and high edge wear. 95% plus original case colors remain on the
hammer and frame. The grips are also excellent with minimal handling marks
and crisp checkering. Mechanically excellent. A high condition, highly attractive
early 20th century Colt Single Action Army revolver.
Provenance: The Hank Williams Jr. Collection; The TTT Collection.
Estimate: 8,500 - 13,000
LOT 1122
Excellent Individual Colorado Shipped
Colt First Generation Single Action Army
Revolver in Desirable .357 Magnum with
Factory Letter - Serial no. 357400, 357 Magnum
cal., 4 3/4 inch round bbl., blue/casehardened finish,
hard rubber grips. Manufactured in 1940 and is one of only 625
standard frame first generation SAAs chambered in .357 Magnum
(see David Brown’s “The 36 Calibers of the Colt Single Action
Army,” page 182). Although introduced in 1935 towards the end
of first generation production, the .357 Magnum cartridge was
popular, including with highway and law enforcement agencies looking for a powerful cartridge
that could with proper loads stop a car by damaging its engine. The .357 Magnum was the last
cartridge Colt introduced to the first generation line of SAAs. The accompanying factory letter
states the revolver was sold to W.S. Darley Co. of Chicago, Illinois, and shipped to Hugh Higgins of
Colorado Springs, Colorado, on December 3, 1940 with a 4 2/4 inch barrel, blue finish, and stocks
not listed. This was a single gun shipment. It is not often that we catalog Colt SAAs shipped
to an individual. Period sources indicate a Hugh Y. Higgins (1899-1977) served as a Colorado
Springs Police Department officer from
1926 to 1960 and from 1961 to 1970, he
was a district court bailiff. He served in
the U.S. Army during World War I. The barrel has
the two-line Hartford address on top and ‘”COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY
.357” on the left side. The frame has the two-line patent dates marking
followed by a Rampant Colt. The left side of the trigger guard is marked
“4” above the Colt factory triangle proof. Matching serial numbers
appear on the frame and right side of the trigger guard, back strap
under the grip panel, and back of both grip panels.
CONDITION: Excellent, retaining 97% plus original blue and vivid casehardened finish with
slight muzzle and edge wear and light cylinder drag lines. The grips are also excellent with crisp
checkering. Mechanically excellent. An exceptional example of a Colt Single Action Army .357
Revolver that would be hard to improve upon.
Provenance: The Charles Marx Collection.
Estimate: 8,500 - 13,000