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LOT 1089
Extremely Rare, Historically Significant, Well-Documented
Serial Number 14 “Pre-Contract” Black Powder Colt “Pinched
Frame” Single Action Army .44 S&W American Revolver
with .44 S&W American Colt Bullet Mold, Box of Cartridges,
and Ron Graham Letter, as Featured in “Cavalry & Artillery
Revolvers...a Continuing Study” - Serial no. 14, 44 S&W
American cal., 7 1/2 inch round bbl., blue/casehardened finish,
walnut grips. The Colt Single Action Army revolver is undoubtedly
the most iconic firearm in American history. It is an instantly
recognizable handgun strongly associated with the late 19th
century and early 20th century West. This extremely early first year
production revolver serial no. 14 was manufactured in 1873. The
revolver has the extremely desirable “pinched frame” rear sight
found only on approximately half of the Colt Single Action Army
revolvers below serial number 200 and government test model
revolvers. In “The Official Record of the Colt Single Action Army
Revolver 1873-1895,” the authors put pinch frame production at
“probably 100 or less” (page 40). Noted Colt historian and author
Ron Graham has examined this revolver and has recorded his
observations in his accompanying handwritten letter from 1991.
In the letter, Graham proclaimed “the discovery of factory original
Colt Single Action Army number 14 is a bonanza.” He referred
to serial number 14 as “the Single Action Army discovery of the
decade.” Graham took particular interest in the .44 S&W American
caliber barrel: “The barrel on number 14 is an interesting study in
itself--.44 caliber, gain twist (a carry-over from percussion revolver
manufacture) rifling, a flawless roll-die stamped barrel address
(absent any broken letters in the address) and a German silver front
sight. Few collectors have been fortunate enough to examine a
Single Action barrel featuring all of these extraordinary features.
A barrel manufacturing variation which could only have been
used on the first few SA revolvers was encountered for the first
time in thirty years by this researcher.” The unnumbered cylinder
remains in its original .44 S&W American chambering. At the time
Graham wrote the letter in 1991, there were only three SAAs
factory chambered in .44 S&W American known to still survive.
Per Graham “number 14 is the only one known to have survived
in factory original, production model Single Action revolver—one
of the other surviving .44 Americans is a sample, or model, gun
which displays some intriguing parts variations and the third has
undergone significant alteration and restoration.” In 1872, the U.S.
government requested Colt to supply test revolvers chambered
in .44 S&W Russian. The famed .45 LC cartridge had yet to be
introduced as it was not developed until 1873. Serial number 14
confirms Colt chambered SAAs for the .44 S&W American cartridge
and that this caliber made it to the commercial production line. As
Graham put it, “Number 14 is a ‘final design’ production revolver
assembled before development of the .45 Colt cartridge in June of
1873.” The revolver is pictured and identified in Kopec and Fenn’s
“Cavalry & Artillery Revolvers…a Continuing Study” on pages 148
and 150 where it is cited as a “pre-contract revolver.”
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