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LOT 3090
Historic Documented Factory Soft Shipped New York Engraved Colt Black Powder Single
Action Army Revolver with Antique Ivory Grip Identified as Owned by Dakota Territory
Deputy U.S. Marshal Abram C. Boland with Factory Letter and Holster and Money Belt Rig
- Serial no. 103830, 45 Colt cal., 5 1/2 inch round bbl., nickel finish, antique ivory grips. The included
factory letters list this revolver in .45 caliber with a 5 1/2 inch barrel, “soft” finish,” and the type of stocks
not listed and indicate it was part of a shipment of five guns of this type shipped on October 1, 1884,
to Hartley & Graham of New York City. The remarks note that the “soft” listing for finish indicates the gun was
left unfinished for engraving outside of the factory. A significant percentage of the “soft” shipped revolvers were sent to
Hartley & Graham and then were engraved by renowned New York based master engraver L. D. Nimschke.
The revolver features classic scroll engraving with beaded backgrounds on the barrel, cylinder, frame, and grip frame. There is a
disgorging mask design on the left side of the frame under the hammer screw. “Nimschke stars” adorn the frame at the cylinder
pin and ejector, and a fan design is engraved at the top of the back strap. The barrel has a period modified blade front sight and
the one-line barrel address. The left side of the frame has the three-line patent marking, and “45 CAL” is stamped on the left side
of the trigger guard. The matching serial number is marked on the frame, trigger guard, and back strap, and the assembly number
“3114” is marked on the loading gate. The grip is smooth antique ivory. The revolver is accompanied by a tooled single loop holster
with oval “F. A. MEANEA/CHEYENNE” maker’s mark and a money belt with a “45” marked strap and “J.
S. COLLINS Co/CHEYENNE Wo.” marker’s mark.
The January 1983 issue of “Guns” magazine features the article “Abram C. Boland: Man of Many
Talents” by E. Dixon Larson which features the revolver and holster rig and states the revolver
was presented to Boland in 1885 for his services to the community as a Deputy U.S. Marshal.
Larson’s article is reprinted in “Marshall [sic] Boland’s Engraved Colt Single Action, Rapid City,
Dakota Territory” in the Spring 2007 issue of “The Texas Gun Collector” along with additional
comments from Charles Klinger who indicates the revolver “remained in the Boland family for three
generations: Abram C. Boland (recipient, 1838-1912), John A. Boland (son, 1884-1958), and John
A. Boland Jr. (grandson, 1919-). The revolver’s provenance is documented in an included letter to
Heritage Firearms Co. signed by L. E. Hamilton states that the revolver was received from John
Boland Jr. in 1958 and that “Mr. Boland mentioned at the time that his grandfather, a former Sheriff in Wyoming, had owned the gun.”
The 1976 factory letters is addressed to Edward L. Wheat of Heritage Firearms Co. in Wilton, Connecticut.
Additional included research notes that there were errors in the history reported in the prior articles and that there is no known record
of the revolver being a presentation piece for Boland and that the provenance does indicate it was owned by him and was well-suited
for a man of his position and authority within his community. Boland is recorded in included newspaper articles as the Deputy U.S.
Marshal of the First Judicial District in 1885-1887 during the years of the Dakota Territory, and it is certainly easy to picture a Deputy
Marshal providing security for the judge wearing an shining engraved and ivory handled Colt in his holster. He and his family were
key figures in Rapid City in the late 19th and early 20th century. Boland’s obituary in the “Hot Springs Weekly Star” on June 21, 1912,
indicated he was born in Nithburg, Ontario, Canada, and died at his home at Wind Cave on June 13, 1912, of heart failure and states
he came to the Black Hills in 1878 and initially was located at Buffalo Gap. In 1880, he moved his family to Rapid City. While there, he
was involved in real estate as well as various ventures tied to the local economy, including feed, cattle, and ranches. The South Dakota
Legislature confirms that Boland was a Republican representative in the state house in 1895-1896. He also worked with his son John in a
general merchandise business and was appointed superintendent of Wind Cave National Park approximately two years before his death.
His son John Boland Sr. (1884-1958) became a commissioner and the mayor of Rapid City and is best remembered as the president of the
executive committee of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial Commission and was a key figure on the business end of the creation
of the memorial. He also served in the state senate in 1929-1936 and was influential in the creation of the Badlands National Monument and in funding for World War I and
World War II. His son John Boland Jr. (1919-1973) was a captain in the U.S. Army during World War II and worked with his father in the Rapid City Implement Co.
CONDITION: Very fine with crisp engraving, 85% plus Hartley & Graham original nickel plating with an attractive “frosted” aged appearance, smooth gray patina on the
balance, light cylinder drag lines, and mild holster and edge wear. Aside from an absent chip at the toe on the right, the grip is very good and has attractive natural patina and
grain, age lines, small chips, and some shrinkage. Mechanically fine. The holster and belt rig is very good and has mild overall wear, including some tears and repairs. Overall a
very attractive and desirable New York engraved black powder Colt Single Action Army from the Dakota Territory passed down from Deputy U.S. Marshal Abram C. Boland.
Provenance: Abram C. Boland; John A. Boland; John A. Boland Jr.; The L. E. Hamilton Collection; Heritage Arms Co.; The E. Dixon Larson Collection; The Charles
Klinger Collection; Private Collection.
Estimate: 25,000 - 40,000
Featured in "Guns" from
January 1983 & "The Texas Gun
Collector" from Spring 2007