Page 146 - 87-BOOK1

LOT 150
Exceptional Colt London Agency Model 1878 Double
Action Frontier Revolver in Very
Scarce .44 Russian Caliber with Factory Letter
- Serial no. 18413, 44 Russian cal., 5 1/2 inch round bbl., blue finish, black hard rubber grips. The Colt factory letter
that is included with this revolver states that it was shipped from Colt’s Hartford factory to the Colt London Agency
on February 3, 1887. The revolver has the high polish commercial blue finish with niter blue trigger, hammer top and screws. The butt is fitted with a lanyard loop. Grips are black checkered hard rubber with the Rampant Colt trademark in an oval at
the top. The top of the barrel is marked: “COLT’S PT. F.A. MFG. Co. HARTFORD CT. U.S.A.” in one line. The left side of the barrel is not
marked with the caliber designation. The underside of the barrel is marked with the bore diameter “44” and “44 Cal” is stamped on the
left front trigger guard bow. The Colt factory letter lists the caliber of the revolver as “44 Russian”. The serial number, “18/413” is located
on the front of the grip strap ahead of the lanyard loop. The partial serial number, “413” is stamped on the rear face of the cylinder. An assembly
number, “22”, is stamped on the loading gate. Although the factory letter lists the revolver as being shipped to the Colt London Agency the revolver is not stamped with the
usual British proof and view marks. The markings are identical to standard production M1878 DA Revolvers.
CONDITION: Exceptionally fine. The revolver retains 80% plus of the bright original high polish blue finish. There is moderate finish loss on the top strap and light-moderate finish loss on the ejector shroud, barrel muzzle, back strap and the sides of the receiver. The cylinder has moderate finish wear with a brown patina. The grips show light handling wear and remain in excellent condition. All markings are sharp. The action is crisp and in excellent condition. A very scarce example of high condition .44 Russian caliber Colt M1878 Revolver.
Estimate: 5,000 - 7,000
LOT 151
Documented “Soft” Shipped
New York Engraved Colt Model 1877 Lightning Double Action Revolver with Pearl Grips, Attractive Tooled
Holster, and Factory Letter - Serial no. 59445, 38 Long Colt cal., 6 inch round bbl., nickel finish, pearl grips. The letter states the revolver was in .38 caliber with
a 5 inch barrel, “soft” finish, and ejector when it was one of six shipped to Hartley & Graham in New York City on March 16, 1887, and further notes that the “soft” notation indicates the revolver was shipped without finish because it was destined for outside
engraving. “Soft” guns are valuable because they represent revolvers destined for professional period engraving from the start. Hartley & Graham were the top dealers of the
era and had top notch engravers work for them as is clearly shown on this revolver. It has stunning scroll
engraving with beaded backgrounds along with dot and wavy line accents. The barrel length listing is possibly a misreading of the ledger or a recording mistake as the revolver has a 6 inch barrel that is clearly original to the time
the revolver was engraved. The barrel has a rounded blade front sight, the two-line address on top at the breech, “COLT. D.A. 38” in
a panel on the left side, and “38” on the bottom at the breech. The frame has the three-line patent marking on the left and a top strap groove rear sight. The trigger guard has “38 CAL” on the left side. The matching
serial number is marked on the frame, trigger guard, and back strap, and the cylinder has the matching last three digits. The loading gate has the assembly number “104.” The revolver has a pair of pearl grips. It is accompanied by a rare and very attractive tooled leather “Mexican double loop” holster. It is the same pattern as the El Paso Saddlery holster from 1890-1900 shown on page 113 of the book “Packing Iron.”
CONDITION: Very good with 30% period retailer nickel plating remaining mainly on the barrel, traces elsewhere, flashes of bright niter blue on the back of the hammer and trigger, mostly silver-gray patina on the balance, crisp engraving, and minor oxidation/pitting. The grips are fine and have mild handling and storage related wear, including some tiny flakes along the edges. Mechanically excellent. The holster is very fine and has beautiful floral tooling and fairly minor overall wear given its age, including most of the lining remaining. Overall, an attractive “soft” shipped and New York engraved Colt Lightning complete with a stunning period holster.
Provenance: The Gary Burghoff Collection.
Estimate: 4,500 - 6,500
LOT 152
Very Fine, Documented Antique Etched Panel Colt Model 1878 Frontier Six Shooter Double Action
Revolver as Pictured in “Colt’s Double Action Revolver” - Serial no. 13007, 44 WCF cal., 7 1/2 inch round
bbl., blue finish, hard rubber grips. This is a very fine example of a Colt Model 1878 Frontier Six Shooter DA Revolver that was
manufactured in 1884 and pictured on page 268 of Don Wilkerson’s “Colt’s Double Action Revolver,” which is included. As noted
by Wilkerson the revolver has “the most popular barrel length and finish combination for .44-40 caliber.” These Model 1878s in .44
WCF are also very popular with today’s collectors, especially those in high condition with the etched barrel panel as this example
features. The barrel has the one-line Hartford address on top and the early acid etched “COLT FRONTIER SIX SHOOTER” panel on the
left side. These etched panel guns are rare in this condition. The underside of the barrel is correctly marked “44” in small font, and
the left side of the trigger guard is marked “44 CF.”
CONDITION: Very fine, retaining 75% plus bright original high polish blue finish with thinning to brown on the balance. The etched
panel is clear. The grips are also very fine with limited handling marks and overall crisp checkering. Mechanically functions fine,
although it does not lock up tightly. This is a very nice example of an antique Colt Model
1878 Frontier Six Shooter Revolver with the much sought after etched panel found only on
the earliest examples of this model that have become quite scarce.
Provenance: The Felix Bedlan Collection; The Gary Burghoff Collection.
AS PICTURED AND DESCRIBED IN THE BOOK COLT'S DOUBLE ACTION REVOLVER MODEL OF 1878 BY WILKERSON
144 Estimate: 3,500 - 4,750