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LOT 1143
Antique Colt London Agency
Shipped and Cased Black Powder
Colt Frontier Six Shooter Single
Action Army Revolver with
Factory Letter - Serial no. 135745, 44-40
WCF cal., 7 1/2 inch round bbl., blue/casehardened
finish, hard rubber grips. Manufactured in 1890, this
is an example of a Colt London Agency shipped
Colt Frontier Six Shooter Single Action Army revolver
with Colt London Agency case. The accompanying
factory letter states the revolver was shipped to Colt’s London Agency,
London, England, on October 13, 1890, with a 7 1/2 inch barrel in .44-40 caliber,
blue finish, and type of stocks not listed. This was a twelve gun shipment. The
revolver comes in an oak partitioned case featuring a Colt London retailer label
on the interior of the lid and contains a cartridge block holding 14 .44-40 caliber
casings (8 have primers), case key, James Dixon & Sons oiler, screwdriver, and
cleaning rod with two brush attachments. The barrel has the one-line Hartford address on top and the
iconic “COLT FRONTIER SIX SHOOTER” marking stamped on the left side. The barrel and cylinder have
London proofs. The left side of the frame has the standard two-line patent dates marking followed by an encircled Rampant Colt. The left side of the trigger guard has the caliber designation “44 CAL.” Matching serial numbers
appear on the frame, trigger guard, and back strap.
CONDITION: Fine, retaining 60% original blue finish with thinning to brown on the balance and grips straps with smooth gray patina. The frame and hammer retain 30% original case colors. The replacement grips are very fine with
minimal handling marks and crisp checkering. Mechanically excellent. The case is very fine with handling/storage marks on the exterior, some minor high spot wear on the lining, and nearly complete retailer label.
Provenance: The TTT Collection.
Estimate: 6,000 - 9,000
LOT 1142
Excellent Documented
Winchester Repeating
Arms Co. Shipped First
Generation Colt Single Action Army
Revolver in Very Scarce.32 Colt with Factory Letter as Pictured in A Study of the Colt
Single Action Army Revolver - Serial no. 278849, 32 Colt cal., 5 1/2 inch round bbl., nickel finish,
hard rubber grips. The .32 Colt cartridge was first introduced by Colt in its production of New line
revolvers starting in 1873. Although a popular small bore revolver cartridge, Colt only manufactured
192 standard frame Single Action Army revolvers in .32 Colt. It is one of the rarer chamberings encountered in
first generation SAA production. It would seem that customers wanted their SAAs chambered in calibers with more stopping power as well as
more compatible with their Winchester long arms. Being chambered in .32 Colt just didn’t live up to the SAA’s nickname of Peacemaker. As a
result, these .32 Colt chambered SAAs are a rarity in Colt collecting, especially those in high condition. With less than
200 made, these revolvers chambered in .32 Colt are often missing from the most advanced private or
public collections. The included factory letter states the revolver was sold and shipped to Winchester
Repeating Arms Co. of New York City on August 1, 1906, with 5 1/2 inch barrel in .32 Colt and type
of stocks not listed. This was a single gun shipment. From 1895 to 1915, Colt was required to use
Winchester Repeating Arms Company as an export agent due to restrictive trade arrangements. It was
also not unusual for a manufacturer to acquire arms from their competitors. The barrel carries the one-
line Hartford address on top and “32 COLT” 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 appear on the
frame, trigger guard, back strap, and both grip panels. The revolver is pictured and identified on page
149 in “A Study of the Colt Single Action Army Revolver.”
CONDITION: Excellent, retaining 90% plus original nickel plating with some scattered flaking and gray patina forming on the front strap. The grips are also excellent with overall
crisp checkering. Mechanically excellent. This is a rare chance to acquire a very attractive early 20th century nickel plated Colt SAA in scarce .32 Colt.
Provenance: The Mel Guy Collection; The Charles Marx Collection.
Estimate: 9,500 - 16,000
AS PICTURED AND DESCRIBED IN A
STUDY OF THE COLT SINGLE ACTION
ARMY REVOLVER BY KOPEC
According to "The 36 Calibers of the Colt Single Action
Army" by Brown, only 192 standard frame Colt Single
Action revolvers were chambered in .32 Colt.