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LOT 3213
Documented Factory “No. 2”
Engraved Colt Model 1849
Pocket Percussion Revolver
Listed on the Master Engraver
Gustave Young’s Billing List
from September 23, 1854
- Serial no. 97346, 31 cal.,
4 inch octagon bbl., blue/
casehardened/silver finish,
antique ivory grips. This cased
Colt Model 1849 revolver was
manufactured in 1854 and is
listed on Master Engraver Gustave
Young’s invoice dated June 3,
1854, for “Engraved Pistols
No. 2.” This list has been
published in multiple
books by R.L. Wilson,
including “The Colt
Engraving Book Volume
One.” No. “97346” is listed
in the “4 inches” column.
This revolver is one of
the few known surviving
examples from “Young
Lists.” Each of these
revolvers are valuable
piece of Colt firearms and
American arms engraving
history and provide insight
into the important years of
the 1850s when engraving
styles at Colt were changing
over to the Germanic style
brought over to the U.S. by
recent immigrants during the
wave that followed the failed
Revolutions of 1848. Among
the engravers that came over
and settled in the U.S. at that
time, Gustave Young and L.D. Nimschke are certainly the most well-known today. Per research by Herbert Houze
in “Colt Factory Engravers of the Nineteenth Century,” Young moved to Hartford sometime after his return to
the U.S. on June 4, 1853. He had previously first come to the New York City with fellow engraver John Marr on
September 16, 1852. Marr is credited with encouraging Young to move to Hartford where Young established
himself as a world class firearms engraver. Young is believed to have become Colt’s primary engraving contractor
after that position was created in 1855 until he made a return visit to Germany with his family from July 1858 to
September 1861. After returning to Hartford during the Civil War, he was employed at Colt as a “pistolmaker” and
appears to have established his own independent engraving shop in Hartford by late 1863 and remained there
until late 1869 when he moved to Springfield, Massachusetts, and became the primary engraver for Smith &
Wesson. Over his career, he was responsible for many of the best engraved American firearms of the 19th century,
including masterpieces presented at the World’s Fairs. Using the “Young lists,” R.L. Wilson estimates Young had
seven employees, and the few identified surviving revolvers from the lists have been used to identify Gustave
Young’s style. Since some of the revolvers on the lists are clearly at least in part the work of Young’s staff rather
than Young himself, it is possible this revolver was engraved at least in part by Herman Bodenstein who began
engraving in Hartford in 1853 and took over both Young’s position as primary engraving contractor and even
Young’s living quarters near the Colt Armory when Young returned to Germany with his family in 1858. We now
know that Georg H. Sterzing, Augustus Grunewald, John Marr, and others also engraved for Colt during at least
portions of the same period as Young. Many of the German-American engravers, including Young and Nimschke,
are strongly believed to have been trained at the Industrial School in Zella, Thuringia, Germany, under Ernst
Moritz and Gustav Ernst, and they used the latter’s patterns as references, so their styles are often very similar.
The engraving is exceptionally fine and detailed and covers over half of the barrel, all of the frame, the flat sides
of the loading lever arm, the trigger guard bow, and the top and bottom of the back strap. It primarily consists
of classic Germanic scroll patterns with punched backgrounds and floral accents. The engraving also includes
other elements often linked to Young such as the bird’s head terminus on one of the scrolls on the left side of the
barrel by the loading lever screw, wolf’s head on the hammer, and the rayed designs on the corners of the barrel
lug and top of the back strap. The barrel has the “Saml Colt” script inscription with wavy line borders in place of a
barrel address, and the “COLTS/PATENT” marking on the left side of the frame is hand inscribed in an open panel
in place of the usual stamped marking. The hash marking used by the factory to designate arms for engraving
and special finishing is found by the lower serial numbers. There is a wavy line border and crosshatch patterns
around the serial numbers on the front of the frame and bottom of the barrel lug and a radiating crosshatch
pattern around the toe screw. All of the visible serial numbers match. The cylinder has the standard stagecoach
roll scene. The period partitioned case contains lead bullets and balls, Eley Brothers cap tin, case key, double sided
“COLTS/PATENT” marked eagle powder flask, “L” shaped combination tool, and “COLTS/PATENT” marked brass two
cavity bullet mold.
CONDITION: Fine. The barrel retains 75% plus original blue finish. The cylinder retains traces of original blue finish
with a smooth brown-gray patina on the balance and nearly all of the roll engraved scene. The hammer, frame,
and loading lever have faded to an attractive gray. 95% plus original silver plating remains on the grip straps.
Young’s engraving is crisp. The slightly age shrunken grip is very fine with some scattered mild handling marks
and highly attractive grain and color. Mechanically excellent. The relined case is very good with a number of
handling/storage marks on the exterior and typical high spot wear on the lining. The accessories are good-very
good. This is a scarce documented Colt Model 1849 Pocket listed by serial number on Gustave Young’s
billing list to Colt on September 23, 1854.
Estimate: 7,500 - 12,000
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