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LOT 190
Extraordinary Presentation Cased Deluxe Gustave Young Factory Master Engraved Colt
Model 1861 Navy Percussion Revolver - Serial no. 17199, 36 cal., 7 1/2 inch round bbl., blue/
casehardened/silver finish, varnished highly figured walnut grips. This beautiful factory master
engraved Colt Model 1861 Navy was manufactured in 1864, in the latter part of the Civil War,
and certainly ranks among the finest in private hands. Master Engraver Gustave Young was
Colt’s famous primary engraving contractor starting c. 1854 and helped establish the complex
Germanic scroll engraving as the standard in the United States. He later moved to Springfield
to work for Smith & Wesson in 1869 where he continued to create beautiful works of art. Many
of the finest revolvers of the 19th century were engraved by Young, and exceptional revolvers
like this one remain among the most sought-after of antique firearms. The Model 1861 Navy is
already among the most attractive of all of Colt’s percussion revolvers, and only around 38,843
of these revolvers were manufactured making the model already rare and desirable. Engraved
examples are particularly scarce and highly valued by collectors, and very few received higher
end deluxe engraving. Many of the engraved Colts from the 1860s became prized presentation
pieces given to Union officers and veterans during and following the Civil War further adding to
their historical significance and desirability.
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