Page 184 - 4095-BOOK3

LOT 3201
Documented Factory Engraved Antique Colt Single
Action Army Revolver with Attractive Relief Carved
Steer Head Pearl Grip and Factory Letter - Serial no. 160808,
45 Long Colt cal., 5 1/2 inch round bbl., nickel finish, carved pearl
grips. The accompanying factory letter lists this revolver as a single
gun shipment on October 4, 1895, delivered to Simmons Hardware
Company of St. Louis, Missouri, the gateway to the West, and confirms
its current configuration as factory engraved with a 5 1/2 inch barrel, .45
caliber, nickel finish, and pearl grips. Only 35 factory engraved revolvers in the
1-164100 serial range were reportedly shipped in this configuration, having a
5 1/2 inch barrel in .45 caliber with nickel finish and pearl grips, according to
figures shown on page 333 of “The Official Record of the Colt Single Action Army
Revolver 1873-1895” (published 2008) by Wilkerson and Hoyt. 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.
182