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LOT 1136
Documented Incredibly Rare Special Order Antique Nickel Plated Colt Black Powder Single
Action Revolver with Factory 6 Inch Barrel in .32 Colt with Factory Letter as Pictured in A Study
of the Colt Single Action Army Revolver - Serial no. 122956, 32 Colt cal., 6 inch round bbl., nickel
finish, hard rubber grips. Offered here is an extreme rarity in Colt SAA collecting as it is one of only an
estimated 192 standard frame SAAs chambered in .32 Colt (see David Brown’s “The 36 Calibers of the
Colt Single Action Army,” page 202). Moreover, it is one of only two nickel plated black powder frame
SAAs with a special order factory 6 inch barrel in .32 Colt. The accompanying factory letter states the
revolver was shipped on July 23, 1887 to Simmons Hardware Co. of St. Louis, Missouri, and confirms the
the incredibly rare features: 6 inch barrel in .32 caliber, nickel finish, and hard rubber stocks. This was a
single gun shipment. Colt factory records show that SAA barrel lengths ranged from 2 inches all the way
up to 16 inches. However, 3, 4 3/4, 5 1/2, and 7 1/2 inches were the standard barrel lengths, making all
other lengths built to suit custom orders. In research presented in “The Official Record of the Colt Single
Action Army Revolver 1873-1895,” only 2 nickel plated, 6 inch barrel, 32 Colt caliber SAAs falling in the
1-164100 serial number range are listed as being manufactured by Colt (page 365). In the aforementioned
publication, the authors note “that in reality there are less revolvers chambered for the .32 Colt cartridge
than indicated” in their book as the count includes factory records listing either “.32/c” or “.32 Colt.” The
authors explained, “Further study indicates that a number of revolvers recorded as .32/c were actually
chambered for the S&W target cartridge. A lesser number listed as .32/c were chambered for the S&W
revolver cartridge.” While there are likely less revolvers chambered for .32 Colt in the official count there
are more revolvers chambered for one of the .32 S&W cartridges. This revolver certainly makes for an
extremely rare and interesting antique SAA! The barrel has the one-line Hartford address on top. The left
side of the trigger guard has the caliber designation “32 CAL.” The left side of the frame has the standard
three-line patent dates marking. The revolver wears a set of checkered Rampant Colt/eagle hard rubber
grips. The revolver is pictured and identified on page 58 of “A Study of The Colt Single Action
Army Revolver.”
CONDITION: Very fine, retaining 70% original nickel plating with a smooth gray patina on the balance.
The grips are fine with some handling marks and some softened checkering. Mechanically excellent. This
nickel plated, 6 inch barrel SAA in .32 Colt is an extreme rarity in Colt collecting missing from even the
most advanced public or private collections. It is without a doubt a crown jewel in SAA collecting.
Provenance: The Mel Guy Collection; The Charles Marx Collection.
Estimate: 14,000 - 22,500
According to "The Official
Record of the Colt Single Action
Army Revolver, 1873-1895" by
Wilkerson and Hoyt, only 2 Colt
Single Actions in this configuration are
recorded through serial number 164,100.
AS PICTURED AND
DESCRIBED IN A
STUDY OF THE COLT
SINGLE ACTION ARMY
REVOLVER BY KOPEC,
GRAHAM & MOORE
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