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LOT 1104
Extraordinary, Documented Famed Fort Worth, Texas Retailer Wolf & Klar
Shipped Rudolph Kornbrath Deluxe Factory Master Engraved First Generation Colt
Single Action Army Revolver with Alvin White Relief Carved Texas Lone Star Pearl
Grips, Box, and Factory Letter - Serial no. 355162, 45 Long Colt cal., 4 3/4 inch round bbl.,
nickel finish, pearl grips. The factory letter for this exquisite Colt Single Action Army masterpiece
states this revolver was shipped to famed Ft. Worth, Texas, retailer Wolf & Klar on April 4, 1935,
with a 4 3/4 inch barrel in .45 caliber, nickel finish, hard rubber stocks, and factory engraving. This
was the sole gun of this type in the shipment. The revolver has been featured in several publications. It
is pictured on page 284 of “The Book of Colt Engraving,” page 368 of “Colt Engraving,” and pages 172-173
of “Fine Colts: The Dr. Joseph A. Murphy Collection,” all by R.L. Wilson where the engraving is noted as
engraved by Rudolph Kornbrath and the grips are noted as carved by Alvin A. White. The revolver is also
featured in the 2nd edition of “Fine & Historic Arms Annual” on page 169. While the photographs in these
books clearly show the revolver is exceptional, having it in hand truly shows the quality of the engraving
and carving and the extraordinarily rare nearly new condition.
Though highly sought after today, the popularity of engraved firearms decreased in the late 19th
century and into the 20th century. R. L. Wilson on page 385 of “The Colt Engraving Book, Volume
One” wrote, “The grand total of engraved Single Action Army revolvers (excluding the Bisley
Model and Flattop Target Model) from 1873 through 1940 is approximately 3,000. A number of
these also included hand engraved inscriptions or monograms. For the period of
Cuno Helfricht (through c. 1921) the total of factory engraved Single
Action Army revolvers was approximately 2,550...” That leaves
less than 500 for subsequent years leading up to World
War II. Others estimate as many as 4,500 engraved
First Generation Single Action Army revolvers, but
that still accounts for only approximately 1.26%
of production, and very few remain in mint
condition like our current piece.