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LOT 3157
Historic Documented Billings, Montana, Shipped Factory Engraved
and Silver Plated Colt First Generation Single Action Army Revolver
with Special Order Relief Carved Steer Head Pearl Grip, Billings,
Montana, Maker Marked Holster and Money Belt Rig, Factory Letter,
and Provenance to U.S. Marshal John Orrick of Billings, Montana
- Serial no. 309614, 45 Long Colt cal., 4 3/4 inch round bbl., silver finish,
carved pearl grips. The accompanying factory letter states this revolver
was shipped on May 23, 1909, to Fleming Hardware Company, address
“unavailable,” in .45 caliber, with a 4 3/4 inch barrel, silver finish, “pearl
with carved steer head motif” grips, and factory engraved, as the sole gun
of its type in the shipment. A Fleming Hardware Company was found to be
located in Billings, Montana at the time of shipment of this revolver. 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 based on a total of 357,859, per production figures on page 25 of “Blue
Book Pocket Guide for Colt Dates of Manufacture” (2008) by R.L. Wilson. The high
quality engraving on this revolver displays the characteristics of deluxe patterns
associated with Colt Master Engraver Cuno Helfricht and his shop. Helfricht spent
his nearly 50 year career exclusively with the Colt firm (1871-1921). During his
tenure with Colt, Helfricht saw the transition from percussion to cartridge firearms
and a rapidly growing market for engraved firearms. At the height of the firearm
engraving fad, Helfricht oversaw a shop of six engravers. By the turn of the century,
experts believe that Helfricht did most of the work himself with the help from one
to two assistants. Helfricht’s successors included famed Colt engravers Wilbur Glahn
and William Gough. The revolver is embellished with wonderful factory engraving
consisting of floral scrollwork on beaded backgrounds, with fan motifs on the
loading gate and top of the back strap, and wavy zigzag line and dot designs.
This revolver has strong provenance linking it to U.S. Marshal John Curran Orrick
(September 15, 1872-February 22, 1928) of Billings, Montana. An accompanying
provenance letter, dated March 5, 2005, addressed from a James L. Welchko, lists this
revolver by serial number, confirms its configuration and the accompanying belt and
holster, and states, “This gun was given to me in 1970 by my grandmother, Frances
Orrick. The gun belonged to John C. Orrick who died in 1928. He was a U.S. Marshall
at that time. John Orrick was sheriff of Yellowstone County, Billings, Montana from
1908 to 1914. My grandmother told me that the Colt was given to John Orrick by
the city council and that it was his hand gun as sheriff and U.S. Marshall.” A search of
online ancestry records shows that James L. Welchko’s grandmother, mentioned as
Frances Orrick, was found listed under her maiden name Frances Merrill Patterson
(1891-1987), and that at 30 years of age in 1921 she was married to John Orrick, until
his death in 1928 at 55 years of age, with this being his third marriage. The February
23, 1928, dated Billings Gazette newspaper has a front page obituary headlined
“Orrick, Federal Marshal, Dies on Train Here” in which it states, “United States Marshal
John C. Orrick, 55 years old, died on Northern Pacific train No. 188 en route to
Glendive shortly after 8 o’clock Tuesday morning, a mile out of Billings, of a heart
attack... Mr. Orrick is well-known throughout Montana as a stockman and as a law
enforcement officer, having served three terms here as Sheriff of Yellowstone county