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Jewell noted, “I met General Pierce, who was his
intimate friend all through his life, not long before
Mr. Pierce died. He said, ‘From long acquaintance
with Colonel Whipple, and from long acquaintance
with men, I can say that he was the brightest man;
and measuring him up all and all, on all sides, he
was the ablest man I ever met.’”
While the connections between the three men are
clear, the exact circumstances of the presentations
is unknown. Clearly based on the inscription the
presentations took place after Seymour became
governor in 1850. Given the inscription, it could
be that the revolver was acquired by Seymour c.
1850 from Colt for Pierce to present to their friend
and comrade-in-arms Whipple. Greg Lampe in the
included binder of research theorized of a three-
part presentation: “I believe that the cased set was
quietly given to Gov. Seymour by Samuel Colt in
early 1850 after Seymour became governor with
the thought of influencing him to bestow the rank
upon Colt of lieutenant colonel which did happen
in May 1850. This was important to Colt as he felt
it would help him win government contracts and
probably did. The case is the early style as seen on
the early Paterson and Baby Dragoon revolvers and
dates it to this period of time along with two others
that are Baby Dragoons. Seymour kept the cased
set and gifted it to his friend President Pierce upon
being appointed minister of Russia in 1853. Pierce
kept the cased set for several years and finally
gifted it to his intimate friend Thomas Whipple early
in the Civil War when he was appointed a colonel in
the New Hampshire Regiments. Pierce then sent the
gun back to the Colt factory for the inscription as it
looks much like that of the Colt factory engravers,
and also had the special black leather rectangle
made up with COL. T.J. WHIPPLE in gold and had it
affixed to the lid making the set what it is today.”
In an included letter, R. L. Wilson similarly stated
that the inscription “is an example of an authentic
Colt factory inscription of the period” and noted
that Seymour was responsible for Colt’s title of
Colonel and pointed out that Seymour received
Colt Model 1851 Navy 23628 and Model 1849
Pocket 81015 from Colt and “It is likely that Samuel
Colt was the person who gave the Dragoon no.
3969 to Colonel Seymour...for the presentation to
Franklin Pierce...Seymour was active in assisting
Samuel Colt in his successes, not the least of which
would be the trip to Russia for the coronation of
the Czar, Nicholas I, in 1856.” The new Czar would
have actually been Alexander II who was coronated
on September 7, 1856, near the end of Pierce’s
presidency while Seymour was the minister to
Russia. Wilson noted that the case style is one
he had only seen on two other revolvers, Baby
Dragoon revolvers 9969 and 14040.
CONDITION: Exceptionally fine with 70% plus
original blue and casehardened finish with some
fading from age and storage to smooth gray
patina, one strip of finish absent on the back strap
and otherwise 80% of the original silver plated
finish remaining and displaying aged patina,
distinct inscription and markings (including the
cylinder scene), and generally only minor overall
wear. The grip is very fine and has light scratches
and dings, minor edge wear, and most of the
varnish remaining. Mechanically excellent. The
case and accessories are all very fine with minor
wear. Overall, this is an incredible Colt First Model
Dragoon. With its ties to the 9th U.S. Infantry in
the Mexican-American War, Governor Seymour of
Connecticut, President Franklin Pierce, and Colonel
T. J. Whipple, it is certainly a fascinating and exciting
presentation Colt.
Provenance: Governor Thomas H. Seymour to
General Franklin Pierce; President Franklin
Pierce to Colonel Thomas J. Whipple; The
Whipple Family; The William M. Locke
Collection; The Charles Schreiner III Collection;
The Warren Anderson Collection; The Dr.
Joseph A. Murphy Collection; The Greg Martin
Collection; The Greg Lampe Collection.
Estimate: 250,000 - 350,000
As pictured and described in The William M. Locke Collection by Sellers
& Colt Single Action: From Paterson to Peacemaker by Adler
199