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LOT 3118
Incredibly Rare Documented Antique Hartley & Graham Shipped Colt “Omnipotent” Etched
Panel Model 1878 Double Action Revolver with Factory Letter - Serial no. 4726, 45 Long Colt
cal., 7 1/2 inch round bbl., nickel finish, hard rubber grips. Manufactured in 1880, this is an incredibly
scarce example of a Hartley & Graham shipped Colt “Omnipotent” Model 1878 revolver. The included
factory letter confirms the current configuration, including the rare “Omnipotent” marking, as well as
shipment to Hartley & Graham in New York on 23 December 1880. The Model 1878 was Colt’s first large
frame double action revolver and, until recently, has been overshadowed by its legendary cousin, the Single
Action Army. The Model 1878 was designed by William Mason and Charles Brinckerhoff, Colt’s factory manager and
Superintendent of Engineering, and it was intended to be a double action alternative to Colt’s Single Action Army
revolver. With 51,210 being produced, the 1878 was never nearly as popular as its single action cousin; however, there
were still many that favored it in the West for its firepower, including Captain Jack Crawford, who replaced Buffalo
Bill Cody as “Chief of Scouts” shortly after the Battle of Little Bighorn. In recent years the Model 1878 has become
increasingly popular with collectors who are rediscovering its role in Colt’s heritage, as well as the shaping the legacy
of the American Frontier, just like the Single Action Army. The Model 1878 was used by settlers, lawmen, and outlaws
during America’s push to the West Coast, and its association with the Wild West alone has made the Model 1878 a
very collectible American handgun. The Model 1878 has also found a special place with military collectors, with the
U.S. Ordnance Department purchasing 4,600 Model 1878s known as the Philippine or Alaskan models, which saw
action during the Philippine-American War and Moro Rebellion. Offered here is one of less than 200 ”Omnipotent”
marked Colt Model 1878 Double Action Revolvers. The story of the Omnipotent marked Model 1878 is retold in Don
Wilkerson’s seminal work “Colt’s Double-Action Revolver, Model of 1878,” and Wilkerson referred to these handguns as
“among the most sought after revolvers by collectors today” (p. 233). These incredibly rare revolvers feature an acid
etched “OMNIPOTENT” panel on the left side of the barrel, just as featured on this example, and most “Omnipotent”
marked Model 1878s were shipped to B. Kittredge & Co. of Cincinnati, Ohio. Benjamin Kittredge is extremely
important to the Colt legacy. In the 1870s and 1880s, Kittredge dominated the Colt retailer market. He is credited
for coming up with at least nine Colt model trade names that included the now legendary names “Peacemaker”
for the Single Action Army Revolver and “Lightning” and “Thunderer” for the .38 caliber and .41 caliber Model 1877
respectively. “Omnipotent” was Kittredge’s trade name for the Model 1878, and he had this name etched on the left
side of the barrel. The first of these revolvers were shipped to Kittredge in August 1878. The last of these revolvers
were shipped to Kittredge in May 1882. A very limited number of these revolvers were shipped to other dealers such
as Hartley & Graham, which is where this specific revolver was sent. These revolvers came finished in blue or nickel
with at least one nickel plated gun having a gold plated cylinder, grips varied from the standard hard rubber to more
costly special order material like pearl, a few were even engraved, and in general they had 7 ½ inch barrels and were
chambered in .45 caliber. Based on Wilkerson’s reading of the available factory records, “A total of 174 revolvers were
shipped to Kittredge between the first Omnipotent marked invoice on August 6, 1878, and the last Omnipotent
marked invoice on Mary 13, 1882. The author tends to think all of these revolvers were probably etched with the
Omnipotent marking. If we count only those revolvers listed as Omnipotent in the records (the only revolvers that will
definitely letter as Omnipotent) we have only 154 revolvers” (p. 236).
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