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LOT 3212
Documented London Agency Shipped British Military
Marked Antique Colt London Model 1878 Double Action Revolver
in .450 Boxer with Factory Letter - Serial no. 1391, 450 Boxer cal., 5 1/2 inch round bbl., blue finish,
checkered walnut grips. The accompanying factory letter states this revolver was shipped in a 56 gun
shipment on January 23, 1879, to Colt’s London Agency at 14 Pall Mall in London, England, in “.45 Boxer”
caliber, with a 5 1/2 inch barrel, blue finish, and type of grips not listed. The left side of the frame has British War
Department markings consisting of a broad arrow above “WD” and a sold out of service star marking next to “3.79”
along with smaller markings “CS/D” above the cylinder release. “45 CAL/B” is marked on the left of the trigger guard,
denoting the .450 Boxer caliber. Reportedly, only 1,653 standard Model 1878 revolvers were shipped in .450 Boxer
caliber with a 5 1/2 inch barrel and blue finish, out of a total of 2,390 in .450 Boxer, according to figures on page 354 of
“Colt’s Double-Action Revolver, Model of 1878” by Don Wilkerson. Pages 352-353 of the aforementioned book describe these British government
issue .450 Boxer revolvers, in which the author indicates that the British government purchased 165 of these revolvers from Colt’s London Agency
in March 1879, with these revolvers having “the distinction of being the only caliber Model 1878 revolver actually purchased by the British
government.” Another example is pictured on page 353 with the same type of British military markings, in which the caption states, “This revolver
was purchased by the British Government in March 1879 for issue to troops destined for South Africa.” Many seen in the author’s survey had these
same type of markings including the “3.79” markings which may refer to the date of acceptance by the military. The barrel has the Colt London address
stamped on top, with British proofs. The full serial number is marked on the butt and loading gate, with the matching last three digits on the rear face of the cylinder.
It is fitted with a blade front sight and groove top strap rear sight. The consignor indicates this revolver came out of Sweden.
CONDITION: Fine, retains 60% plus bright original high polish blue finish, with smooth brown patina on the balance, and distinct markings in the metal. Grips are very
fine, with tight fitment, a few minor handling markings, and crisp checkering. Mechanically excellent.
Provenance: Doug Carlson; The Charles Marx Collection.
Estimate: 3,000 - 4,500
LOT 3211
Antique Colt Flattop
Target Model Single
Action Army Revolver with
Colt London Case - Serial no. 151444, 38 Colt cal., 7
1/2 inch round bbl., blue finish, hard rubber grips.
Manufactured in 1893. It is one of approximately only
925 Flattop Target Model Single Action Army revolvers
produced. Only 122 of these rare and desirable
standard frame, flattop revolvers were chambered
in .38 Colt (see David Brown’s “The 36 Calibers of the Colt Single Action
Army,” page 170). The revolver has the distinctive flat top strap with dovetail
mounted target rear sight and block mounted front sight with adjustable
blade. The top of the barrel is marked with the standard one-line Hartford
address and “38 COLT.” on the
left. The left of the frame has the
standard two-line patent marking
followed by the circled Rampant
Colt. London proofs appear on the underside of the barrel and alternate at the rear of the cylinder between the chambers. Matching
serial numbers are visible on the bottom of the frame, trigger guard, and back strap, with “15” assembly number marked inside the
loading gate. It is fitted with a pair of checkered hard rubber grips with Rampant Colts at the tops and Federal Eagle at the bottoms. The
partitioned case carries the Colt Pall Mall London paper label on the interior of the lid and a blank brass circular inscription plaque on
the exterior of the lid. The case is line in red felt and contains a glass oiler and two cleaning rods.
CONDITION: Fine, retaining 50% original blue finish with a smooth brown patina on the balance and touch up around the front sight.
The grips are very fine with a few minor handling marks and softened checkering. Mechanically excellent. The case is fine with some
stress cracks at the screws and a complete Colt London label.
Provenance: The Gateway Collection.
Estimate: 9,500 - 16,000
Collector’s Fact
According to "The 36 Calibers
of the Colt Single Action Army"
by Brown, only 122 Colt
Flattop Target Model Single
Action Army revolvers were
chambered in .38 Colt.
187