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LOT 1140
Exceedingly Rare, Highly Attractive Factory
Engraved, Inscribed, Silver Plated First
Generation Colt Single Action Army Revolver
with Factory Relief Ox Head Carved Pearl Grips
and Factory Letter - Serial no. 304970, 45 Long
Colt cal., 5 1/2 inch round bbl., silver finish, pearl
grips. Offered here is a highly sought after work of
early 20th century Colt artistry: a factory engraved
First Generation Colt Single Action Army. Colt Single
Action Army revolvers are among the most desirable
of all American firearms. The Single Action Army itself
is arguably the most iconic handgun in history, and
357,800 were manufactured prior to World War II.
However, though many of the most famous Single
Action Armies were engraved, using the most liberal
statistics, only 4,500 pre-war Colt Single Action
Army revolvers were factory engraved. This factory
engraved Single Action Army is made even more
appealing as it has factory silver plating and carved
ox head pearl grips. The accompanying factory letter
indicates that the revolver was shipped on April 1,
1908 to Schoverling, Dale, & Gales of New York City
with a 5 1/2 inch barrel in .45 caliber, silver finish,
carved ox head grips, initials “W.G.M.” engraved on
the butt, and deluxe factory engraving. This was
a single gun shipment. The artistry featured is the
embodiment of early 20th century American fine art
by famed Colt Master Engraver Cuno Helfricht and his
shop. 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 virtually flawless
example executed by his own hand. He was the head
of Colt’s engraving shop from 1871 to 1921.
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