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LOT 3257
Rare Documented Patent Arms Mfg. Co. Colt
Paterson Model 1839 Percussion Revolving Carbine,
Pictured in “The Paterson Colt Book” - Serial no. 808,
525 gauge, 23 7/8 inch part round bbl., brown finish,
walnut stock. This is a solid representative example of a
rare and desirable Colt Model 1839 Paterson percussion
revolving carbine. Reportedly, less than 950 of Samuel
Colt’s Model 1839 Paterson revolving Carbines
were manufactured at the Patent Arms
Manufacturing Co.’s Paterson, New Jersey
factory circa 1838-1841, according to page
47 of “The Book of Colt Firearms” (1971)
by R.L. Wilson. There are far less surviving
today. They were the most successful of the
Paterson firearms and were used by both
the Republic of Texas and the U.S. Army.
R.L. Wilson wrote this model was “The most
practical and popular of all Colts longarms
from the Paterson period,” and also indicated
that Samuel Colt continued to sell and display
this model into the 1850s. The Model 1839
is featured in multiple paintings by famous
frontier artist George Catlin that were used
to promote Colt’s early firearms. On top of
being the best of the Paterson long guns,
this model is also significant as one of the
first practical repeating long gun designs.
There had been other repeating firearms
in the past, but none of these were remotely as useful
and many were unsuited to production on a large scale.
This exact example is photographed and described on
page 212 of “The Paterson Colt Book” by R.L. Wilson.
This carbine has a smoothbore part-round/part-beveled
barrel with brazed lug. The right side of the barrel lug
has a professionally made replacement loading lever
and has a flat, two-groove wedge, a post front sight, and
a dovetail mounted replacement notch rear sight. The
left side of the barrel lug is roll-stamped “*Patent-Arms
M’g. Co. Paterson, NJ.-Colt’s Pt.*” with wavy lines at the
ends. The cylinder is 2 1/2 inches long, with roll-engraved
scenery, and retains visible patent and address markings.
The serial number “808” is visible on the rear face of the
barrel lug, wedge, rear of the cylinder, cylinder arbor
pin, cylinder turning ring, and lower tang screw, with an
illegible faded number at the toe of the buttplate.
CONDITION: Good, exhibits a mix of artificial brown and
gray patina on most of the iron surfaces, scattered mild
freckling, a few scattered patches of minor pitting, and
mostly legible markings. The slightly undersize, refinished
stock is also very good, with numerous scattered dings
and scratches, a few small minor chips at some of the
edges, and a few small minor cracks behind both the
upper tang and lower tang. Mechanically fine. This rare
Paterson Model 1839 carbines is an important piece
necessary for any complete Colt percussion collection.
Provenance: The Charles Marx Collection.
Estimate: 18,000 - 27,500
According to "The Book of Colt
Firearms" by R.L. Wilson,
approximately 950 Colt Paterson
Model 1839 Carbines were produced.
As pictured and described
in The Paterson Colt Book
by Wilson
170