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LOT 1131
Highly Desirable
Documented El Paso, Texas Shipped
Cuno Helfricht Factory Engraved, Silver Plated
First Generation Colt Single Action Army Revolver
with Relief Carved Flying Eagle Pearl Grips and Shelton Payne Arms Co. Money Belt
Holster Rig - Serial no. 328420, 45 Long Colt cal., 4 3/4 inch round bbl., silver finish, pearl
grips. This fantastic work of Colt factory artistry is the embodiment of early 20th century
American fine art by famed Colt Master Engraver Cuno Helfricht. Helfricht was Colt’s longest
tenured in house master engraver who had literal hands on experience with the transition
from percussion to cartridge revolvers and eventually automatic pistols. It is safe to say that
no other engraver knew the lines of the 19th century’s most iconic firearm, the Colt 1873
Single Action Army, better than Helfricht, and it is with great pride and pleasure we present this
factory full silver plate, carved pearl stock example executed by his own hand. During his tenure with
Colt, Helfricht saw the transition from percussion to cartridge firearms and a rapidly growing market for engraved firearms. At the height of the firearm engraving
fad, Helfricht oversaw a shop of six engravers. By the turn of the century, experts believe that Helfricht did most of the work himself with the help from one to two
assistants. Helfricht’s successor’s included famed Colt engravers Wilbur Glahn and William Gough.
The accompanying factory letter states the revolver was shipped to Shelton Payne Co. of El Paso, Texas, on January 8, 1914, as the solo gun in the shipment. Few
firearms are more deeply associated with the American West than the Colt Single Action Army and perhaps no other state personifies the image of the Wild West
more than Texas! This Helfricht engraved masterpiece certainly has all the flair a wealthy Texan could want in a Peacemaker. The factory letter confirms the 4 3/4 inch
barrel in .45 caliber, silver plating, “pearl carved stocks,” and factory engraving. The revolver is pictured in “The Colt Engraving Book, Volume 1” on page 441 where
Colt historian and author R.L. Wilson cited the “Colt medallion pearl grips, with rare flying eagle motif.” Very few SAAs left the factory with hand carved grips and the
steer head was the most common carving, making the flying eagle a very rare extra feature. The revolver is decorated in Helfricht’s beautiful characteristic floral scroll
motif on beaded background along with fan patterns on the recoil shield, loading gate, shoulders, and top of the backstrap, with zig-zag line motifs throughout.
Using the most liberal statistics only 4,500 First Generation Colt Single Action Army revolvers of the 357,800 manufactured were factory engraved. This SAA is made
even more appealing as it has factory silver plating and is another rare feature highly prized by collectors. The factory full silver plating, Helfricht engraving, and
eagle carved grip make for a rare combination of features missing from even the most advanced collections.
The barrel has the two-line Colt Hartford address on top and the caliber designation “45 COLT” in a banner on the left side amongst the scrollwork. The left side of
the frame has the two-line, three patent dates marking in a banner followed by an encircled Rampant Colt. The unnumbered Colt medallion pearl grips feature the
carved flying eagle motif on the right panel.
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